Care Delivery

This channel includes news on cardiovascular care delivery, including how patients are diagnosed and treated, cardiac care guidelines, policies or legislation impacting patient care, device recalls that may impact patient care, and cardiology practice management.

Teenage sexting a health-and-safety risk to reckon with
Around a third of teens between 13 and 17 years old are involved with sexting—either as senders, receivers or both. Among the senders, around half become victims of unwanted re-sharing.
Universal heart screening for all athletes? Not so fast, cardiologists warn
Mandates for universal ECG screening are gaining momentum as a way to combat the risk of SCA. However, the ACC warned, modern healthcare systems were not built to withstand such a rise in demand. These mandates will also result in higher costs and other unintended consequences.
Data-based physician staffing stands to save millions of dollars for multi-hospital health systems
A data-crunching method for staffing a key clinical department has reduced physician overtime by 13 hours a day and downtime by 14 hours at a large urban health system. The researchers who tallied the results estimate daily savings at $8,400 a day.
CCTA delivers value, even when treating low-risk patients with no history of CAD
Total plaque volume and total plaque burden can help find patients who may be closer to suffering a heart attack than they realize.
Cardiologist discusses Lp(a), the CVD risk factor responsible for many surprise heart attacks
Cardiologist Nathaniel Lebowitz, MD, reviews the latest updates in lipoprotein(a) awareness, testing and drug development.

artificial intelligence AI in healthcare

Providers, payers share actionable experiences involving healthcare AI

A large venture capital firm focused on supporting early-stage healthtech companies has a tip for AI startups targeting the healthcare sector.

Robotic aortic valve replacement (RAVR) is a new minimally invasive treatment option for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) that uses advanced robotic surgical systems. It has already started gaining momentum as an alternative to both surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Q&A: Pioneer heart surgeon on the development and long-term potential of robotic aortic valve replacement

It's early for RAVR, but the minimally invasive technique has already started gaining momentum as an alternative to both SAVR and TAVR. We spoke to Vinay Badhwar, MD, one of the world’s leading voices in robotic heart surgery, to learn more.

Heart surgeons with the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute have made a bit of history, performing the world’s first combined robotic aortic valve replacement (AVR) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedure—all through one small incision. Patients requiring these procedures typically undergo open-heart surgery.

Heart surgeons perform world’s first combined robotic AVR and CABG

The entire robotic procedure was performed through one small incision. Surgeons originally recommended the 73-year-old patient undergo open-heart surgery, but she requested a less invasive alternative.

Off-label TAVR for native aortic regurgitation linked to worse outcomes

Targeting aortic regurgitation with TAVR valves built to treat aortic stenosis may be the only option a cardiologist has—but valves designed specifically to treat AR are linked to much better outcomes, according to a new meta-analysis. Edwards Lifesciences recently acquired the two companies at the center of this study, JenaValve and JC Medical.

Industry Watcher’s Digest

Federal AI guardrails are taking shape.

Healthcare-specific AI: How to multiply successes and head off accidents

Given the rapid proliferation of AI-equipped medical devices across U.S. healthcare, unintended effects should surprise no one.

Newsweek ranked the 50 best heart hospitals in the world

Prosthesis-patient mismatch after TAVR: 5 key findings related to patients with small annuli

PPM is still relatively common after TAVR, especially among patients with a small aortic annulus. What can be done to minimize the risk of PPM? Does valve type play a role? Researchers explored those questions, and many others.

Industry Watcher’s Digest

FDA commissioner Robert Califf recently suggested the agency may need to double its workforce. And that’s just to oversee AI.

Care Delivery

Teenage sexting a health-and-safety risk to reckon with

Universal heart screening for all athletes? Not so fast, cardiologists warn

Data-based physician staffing stands to save millions of dollars for multi-hospital health systems

CCTA delivers value, even when treating low-risk patients with no history of CAD

Cardiologist discusses Lp(a), the CVD risk factor responsible for many surprise heart attacks