Cardiothoracic
Guidelines
First-ever best practices for percutaneous axillary access
A new position statement from the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions suggests best practices for this increasingly...
FDA/CDC
FDA clears mavacamten (Camzyos) for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Mavacamten is a first-in-class allosteric and reversible inhibitor selective for cardiac myosin that targets the underlying pathophysiology of...
FDA/CDC
FDA warns of pump defect with Medtronic HVAD system
Patients with the ventricular assist device could develop pump thrombosis caused by a welding defect in the internal pump, the FDA said in a...
Conference Coverage
TAVI device shows less deterioration than surgery 5 years out
A transcatheter aortic valve – CoreValve Evolut – is associated for first time with less deterioration than surgical repair at 5 years.
Conference Coverage
Extraction of infected implanted cardiac devices rare, despite guidelines
Prompt extraction for implantable device infections is guideline recommended but not often performed.
Conference Coverage
VALOR-HCM: Novel drug may delay, avert invasive therapy in OHCM
Mavacamten looks promising as a medical alternative to highly invasive septal reduction therapy for patients with obstructive hypertrophic...
Conference Coverage
FAME 3 subanalysis adds twist to negative primary results
A quality of life subanalysis suggests PCI with fractional flow reserve might be preferred over CABG by at least some patients.
Conference Coverage
POISE-3 backs wider use of tranexamic acid in noncardiac surgery
The antifibrinolytic agent significantly reduced the risk for bleeding in a wide array of major noncardiac surgeries, suggesting an expanded role...
Guidelines
Surgery groups push back on VARC-3 valve trial definitions
A new position statement says the updated VARC-3 document on clinical endpoint definitions provides many important contributions, but “some...
FDA/CDC
Congress opens investigation into FDA’s handling of a problematic heart device
The FDA took no decisive action even as safety problems with the LVAD persisted.
Feature
Death of pig heart transplant patient is more a beginning than an end
The landmark case will have much to teach; still, it “turns back the clock” to a time when immunosuppression was especially intense “because we...