March 25, 2010 – The FDA this week granted permission for a conditional investigational device exemption (IDE) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a transcatheter plug to seal the left atrial appendage (LAA). The appendage is frequently the source of stroke-causing clots in atrial fibrillation patients.

March 25, 2010 – The Transradial University Web site was launched this week to help expand the use of transradial access as an alternative vascular access site. As transradial adoption expands in the U.S., two key limiting factors are training and experience.

March 24, 2010 – Enrollment began this week in the CITADEL, which is the second of two large-scale, prospective, multicenter studies comparing implantable electrophysiology device infection rates. The study will look at patients with and without a new anti-bacterial envelope covering their devices.

March 24, 2010 – The 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) will showcase two multipurpose interventional operating room suites that integrate digital imaging diagnostics, catheterization, and surgical capabilities.

March 23, 2010 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently added a boxed warning to the anti-blood clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel), alerting patients and healthcare professionals that the drug can be less effective in people who cannot metabolize the drug to convert it to its active form.