CardioExchange Archive

March 24th, 2015

FDA Grants Premarket Approval to AbioMed Heart Pump

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA said on Tuesday that it had approved Abiomed’s Impella 2.5 System. According to the company, it is is the first hemodynamic support device to gain FDA approval for use during high risk PCI procedures. The miniature blood pump is designed for temporary use in patients with severe symptomatic coronary artery disease and diminished (but stable) […]

---

March 15th, 2015

Encouraging 5-Year Results for TAVR

Larry Husten, PHD

The publication five years ago of the two-part PARTNER trial brought a major change to the treatment of aortic valve replacement. The trial demonstrated that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was a reasonable treatment option, first for patients who were not surgical candidates and then for patients who were at high risk for surgery. One […]

---

March 10th, 2015

First Good Look at TAVR in The Real World

Larry Husten, PHD

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is one of the most important advances in cardiovascular medicine in recent years. Although it is associated with significant risks, TAVR can offer some patients a less invasive alternative to traditional aortic valve replacement surgery.  Because of early concerns about potential overuse and misuse of TAVR, many observers have been eagerly […]

---

March 5th, 2015

Has Lab Testing Become a Blood Sport for Cardiac Surgery Patients?

Colleen G. Koch, MD

A study of nearly 1900 cardiac surgery patients at Cleveland Clinic suggests blood is being drawn with surprisingly high frequency.

---

March 2nd, 2015

Hospitals, Like Vampires, Want Your Blood

Larry Husten, PHD

Anyone who has been in the hospital, either as a patient or a healthcare provider, is keenly aware that hospitals perform a lot of tests. It has even been suggested that some of those tests may not be necessary. Now a new study published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery sheds light on just how excessive […]

---

October 30th, 2014

Aortic Valve Surgery for Nonagenarians

Larry Husten, PHD

As people continue to live longer physicians are increasingly confronted with very elderly patients who have serious conditions that might benefit from surgery but who are at high risk for surgical complications. In a paper published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, doctors at the Mayo Clinic reviewed their experience with 59 patients age 90 or […]

---

September 30th, 2014

No Difference in Survival Found for Different Aortic Valve Prostheses

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study published in JAMA suggests that younger patients who need aortic valve replacement (AVR) may now be more eligible to receive bioprosthetic valves. Each year about 50,000 people in the U.S. undergo AVR surgery. Older patients generally receive bioprosthetic valves because these valves are less prone to clotting and bleeding complications. Surgeons are often […]

---

June 17th, 2014

FDA Approves Second-Generation Heart Valve from Edwards Lifesciences

Larry Husten, PHD

The next phase of the burgeoning and rapidly maturing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) market has begun. Edwards Lifesciences announced on Monday afternoon that the FDA had approved its second-generation Sapien XT TAVR device  for the treatment of high-risk and inoperable patients suffering from severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). The Sapien XT is the successor to the first-generation Sapien device, which […]

---

June 9th, 2014

Wide Range of Radiation Dose in Children Undergoing Cardiac Procedures

Larry Husten, PHD

Children with heart disease are at increased risk for developing cancer later in life due to their exposure to radiation during imaging procedures. Since an ever-growing number of children with heart disease now reach adulthood, this may become an increasingly important public health issue. A new study published in Circulation offers some reassurance in finding that […]

---

June 4th, 2014

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Programs: No Volume Data

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD

The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) recently joined together to provide recommendations for institutions that are considering starting and/or maintaining a transcatheter mitral valve (MV) program. Unlike PCI, for which abundant data show a […]

---