For patients with inoperable or residual postendarterectomy chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, performing a balloon pulmonary angioplasty provided improvements in pressure measurements, functional class, and exercise capacity with an acceptable risk profile, according to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of completing balloon pulmonary angioplasty procedure in patients with inoperable or residual postendarterectomy chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension at the Mayo Clinic between August 11, 2014, and May 17, 2018. Continue reading →

The FDA has cleared two new Siemens Healthineers angiography systems, designed to cover a wide variety of procedures, from neuroradiology to interventional cardiology. The ARTIS icono biplane angiography system is designed for minimally-invasive procedures that require imaging within the neuroradiology space, such as stroke and cerebral aneurysms Continue reading →

For patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction, sacubitril-valsartan therapy did not significantly lower risk for hospitalization or death from cardiovascular (CV) causes compared with valsartan alone, according to study results published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The investigators of this randomized, double-blind clinical trial compared the effects of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibition (sacubitril-valsartan) against angiotensin system inhibition alone (valsartan) in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The study included 4796 patients age 50 years with symptoms of heart failure (HF), ejection fraction 45%, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-IV, elevated natriuretic peptide levels, and evidence of structural heart disease Continue reading →

Compared with placebo, serelaxin infusion did not lower the incidence of worsening heart failure at 5 days or cardiovascular (CV)-related death at 180 days among patients hospitalized for acute heart failure (AHF), according to study results published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Serelaxin is a recombinant form of human relaxin-2, which is a vasodilator hormone that contributes to renal and CV adaptations in pregnancy. This multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, event-driven clinical trial (RELAX-AHF-2) enrolled participants hospitalized for AHF who also had dyspnea, mild-to-moderate renal insufficiency, increased plasma concentrations of natriuretic peptides, vascular congestion on chest radiography, and a systolic blood pressure 125 mm Hg. Continue reading →

This years TCT meeting will be back in San Francisco, CA, a familiar setting for the conference. I am excited to attend for my sixth time. I am in my third year of general cardiology fellowship and looking forward to soon becoming an interventional fellow, so there are a few sessions that I am particularly eager to check out Continue reading →

Care New England Medical Groups pulmonary care division has expanded its clinical services with the addition of three physicians, all members of the Brigham and Womens Pulmonary Associates at Care New England. Their primary hospital affiliation is Kent Hospital and the physicians will see patients in their East Greenwich office Continue reading →

OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), insomnia, restless legs, and other sleep symptoms in patients with cardiovascular disease and the association of these sleep disorders with quantitative cardiovascular measures. Study design was a cross-sectional survey and retrospective chart review Continue reading →

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to have data next year that could lead to approval of a renal denervation device to lower blood pressurebut will the data be strong enough to sway skeptics? Medscape interviewed three cardiologists to help answer this and other questions about this procedure, which is investigational in the United States but has the CE mark in Europe Continue reading →

The Architectural Scale Model of the World's First Cleveland Clinic Connected project-Shanghai Luye Lilan Hospital Presented SHANGHAI, Sept. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Luye Medical and Cleveland Clinic today jointly presented an architectural scale model of the world's first Cleveland Clinic Connected project-the Shanghai Luye Lilan Hospital Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA, PADapagliflozin added to optimal medical therapy results in meaningful improvements in symptoms and health-related quality of life in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), results of the DEFINE-HF trial show. However, the sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor did not reduce levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) compared with placebo. The DEFINE-HF trial, presented here today at the Heart Failure Society of America annual meeting and simultaneously published in Circulation, follows closely on the heels of DAPA-HF, which was presented 2 weeks ago at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2019 Continue reading →