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.

Nearly half of all surgeons have considered leaving the profession due to burnout
Burnout remains one of the biggest issues in modern healthcare. More than 1,500 surgeons, including many from the field of cardiac surgery, provided feedback for a new report on that very topic.
Moderate valve oversizing during TAVR boosts survival—too much may be less beneficial
Oversizing transcatheter heart valves can improve TAVR outcomes. There is still a reason to be cautious, however, especially when patients are receiving a balloon-expandable valve.
4 points about healthcare AI that notable experts are emphasizing in the public square
The brain is the single most complex internal system in the body. That’s a no-brainer. But can you name the runner-up? (Bonus points for guessing what this has to do with healthcare AI.)
Financial aid nonprofits merge to do more for patients feeling pinched by medical bills on top of overall inflation
Two medical charities that last year gave $640 million to 200,000 struggling Americans are combining forces so they can expand their collective wherewithal.
Do older patients shy away from mHealth apps—or do clinicians too often assume they will?
Researchers: “Clinicians’ perceptions about older patients’ interest in and ability to use mobile health apps may negatively impact recommendation of mHealth apps and subsequent adoption by older adults.”

AI artificial intelligence for beginners

5 tips to learn AI from scratch and for free

There’s no shortage of resources for healthcare workers who wish they knew AI well enough to talk shop with the technology pros who develop the models. The problem is weeding through the offerings to get to what will really work for you.

Boston Scientific ACURATE neo2 aortic valve system self-expanding TAVR valve

Boston Scientific TAVR valve comes up short in comparison with Medtronic, Edwards devices

The Acurate neo2 TAVR valve has been used to treat severe aortic stenosis in other parts of the world for years. In the United States, however, the device has still not been approved for commercial use.

Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 integrated continuous glucose monitoring (iCGM) system

Abbott CGM sensors can now be worn during common imaging procedures

Sensors from the FreeStyle Libre 2 and Libre 3 continuous glucose monitoring systems can now be worn during X-rays, CT scans and MRI scans. The news represents a shift in policy from the FDA, one that came after the agency reviewed extensive testing data.

artificial intelligence AI in healthcare

Industry Watcher’s Digest

The CEO of the country’s largest for-profit, publicly traded health system is bullish on healthcare AI.

Good AI governance can spell the difference between smashing success and mere learning experience

Discussions of AI governance may cause many an eye to glass over, but the discipline is as crucial to the ascent of AI in healthcare as big training datasets drawn from diverse patient populations.

Cardiologist Sanjit Jolly, MD, MSc, at TCT 2024

Colchicine falls flat in large heart attack trial, convincing cardiologists to stay away

Treating AMI patients with colchicine is not associated with better cardiovascular outcomes, according to new data presented at TCT. The drug did help with inflammation, but that was the only benefit researchers could identify.

Medicare coverage expands again for AI-enabled coronary plaque assessments

Another MAC has agreed to cover the use of these advanced technologies to evaluate patients for signs of coronary artery disease.

Medtronic's Affera mapping and ablation system with the Sphere-9 catheter

FDA approves Medtronic’s new all-in-one mapping and ablation system for AFib

Medtronic is now the first company to offer two FDA-approved PFA systems for the treatment of persistent AFib. The company’s PulseSelect PFA system gained approval in December 2023.

Care Delivery

Nearly half of all surgeons have considered leaving the profession due to burnout

Moderate valve oversizing during TAVR boosts survival—too much may be less beneficial

4 points about healthcare AI that notable experts are emphasizing in the public square

Financial aid nonprofits merge to do more for patients feeling pinched by medical bills on top of overall inflation

Do older patients shy away from mHealth apps—or do clinicians too often assume they will?