Interventional Cardiology & Surgery

heartwire News

Final CMS Decision on TAVR Reimbursement CMS revises thresholds set for hospitals to qualify and maintain Medicare payment for TAVR amid rising interest in this approach to aortic stenosis.
Medscape Medical News, June 2019
Time to Jettison Nearly 400 Medical Practices, Review Says By building on preious research in this area, the authors say the new list will help to eliminate the use of commonly accepted practices that are of low value and may even harm patients.
Medscape Medical News, June 2019
IVUS Bests Angiography to Guide Stenting in CKD: ULTIMATE The ULTIMATE trial showed IVUS superior to angiography-guided DES implantation, but it was unclear if the benefits applied in kidney disease. This new subanalysis shows it is superior also in CKD.
Medscape Medical News, June 2019
Alert FDA Issues Class I Recall of Advance Enforcer PTA Balloon Catheters The manufacturer has received multiple complaints about the balloon catheters bursting below the rated burst pressure, which could cause serious injury or death.
News Alerts, June 2019

A Brief Overview of the Paclitaxel Devices in PAD Controversy Concerns have been raised about late mortality with paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents in peripheral interventions. The FDA has convened a panel.
Medscape Cardiology, June 14, 2019
Paclitaxel in PAD Warnings Echo Past Drug-Eluting Stent Scare A meta-analysis shows a late mortality signal for paclitaxel-coated devices in peripheral interventions, echoing the late stent thrombosis scare tied to first-generation drug-eluting coronary stents.
theheart.org on Medscape, June 10, 2019
Conveyor Belt Medicine: Where Are the Brakes? Regional systems of care help streamline urgent care but make it difficult to halt false-positive activations in their tracks. Jaya Mallidi, MD, asks for some checkpoints along the way.
theheart.org on Medscape, June 3, 2019
Life and Times of Leading Cardiologists: Deepak Bhatt A ruptured appendix and a love for writing helped ignite Bhatt's passion for cardiovascular research and medicine.
theheart.org on Medscape, May 10, 2019

Seth Bilazarian Signs off from Clinical Practice After more than 20 years, Dr Bilazarian decides to leave clinical practice and take a job in industry. He reflects on the reasons and his hopes for his new career.
theheart.org on Medscape, October 12, 2015
Calling Time on the Failure in Heart Failure Optimal medical therapy and recent advances show that heart failure is preventable and not obligatory, Clyde Yancy tells Bob Harrington.
theheart.org on Medscape, April 24, 2019
No One Here Gets Out Alive: DNR Code Status Do healthcare professionals take enough time to communicate with patients about their do-not-resuscitate (DNR) wishes? Some recent experiences have raised concerns for Melissa Walton-Shirley, MD.
theheart.org on Medscape, May 22, 2019