An analysis of more than 3.5 million percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients found the procedure was initially popular with an older demographic starting in 1998, but after 2006 the overall number of PCIs in those aged 70 and up started to decline.

Several professional societies collaborated to release appropriate use criteria for peripheral artery intervention (PAI), a field the authors acknowledged still has an emerging evidence base that is likely to change these recommendations in the future.

The calcium-channel blocker nicardipine can effectively reverse coronary slow flow (CSF)—“an under-recognized cause of chest pain”—according to the authors of a study published online Dec. 15 in the Journal of Invasive Cardiology.

The FDA has granted premarket approval to Cardiva Medical’s vascular closure system for use during electrophysiology procedures such as cardiac ablation and left atrial appendage closure, the company announced Dec. 18.

Two trials designed to test the use of drug-eluting devices in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) were halted soon after a meta-analysis linked paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents to a significantly increased risk of death beyond one year post-implantation.

The impressive blood pressure reductions seen among hypertensive black men participating in a barbershop-based intervention were sustained through one year, according to a follow-up study published Dec. 17 in Circulation.

Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire, England, is now one of the few heart centers in the world using Shockwave Medical’s intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) system to treat calcified arteries, the hospital announced after its first successful procedure on Nov. 16.

Patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who struggle to pay their medical bills are at a higher risk for psychological distress, depression and a poor quality of life, according to research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.