Current clinical guidelines recommend implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in survivors of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), except when the cause of the SCA is deemed reversible. But a new study in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology demonstrates that many of these patients gain a survival benefit from ICDs as well.

Avid Star Wars fan Austin Eggleston, a 15-year-old heart transplant hopeful, finally received the news he was going to receive a new heart from Chewbacca, the big, furry character from a galaxy far, far away. 

The hearts of adults who are born prematurely don’t function as well during exercise, possibly explaining why they’re more at risk for early heart failure, according to a study published March 19 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual adults are likely to have poor cardiovascular health compared to heterosexual counterparts, according to findings presented March 20 at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Lifestyle conference in New Orleans.

Continuous anticoagulation with apixaban during atrial fibrillation (AFib) ablation was found to be as safe as warfarin and other vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in a randomized trial of 633 patients.

The case for PCSK9 inhibitors is strong following the American College of Cardiology’s 67th annual symposium in Orlando, Florida, but some physicians remain wary of the medication, citing gaps in clinical evidence and questioning if cardiology is ready for the widespread distribution of such pricey drugs.

The higher rates of all-cause mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) observed in women can be attributed to noncardiac factors, suggests a single-center study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

New research published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests intermittent energy restriction diets clear fat from the blood more efficiently after a meal than regular calorie restrictive diets. They also saw a larger decrease in systolic blood pressure compared to the control, which can reduce risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).