In patients who experienced an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event, use of the drug darapladib to inhibit the enzyme lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 did not reduce the risk of recurrent major coronary events.

September 3, 2014 — Jobst Vascular Institute is conducting pioneering research that looks at using stents to treat blocked veins. The Cook Medical VIVO clinical research study aims to determine the safety and effectiveness of the Zilver vena venous self-expanding stent in the treatment of vein obstructions.

September 2, 2014 — Boston Scientific has released the primary endpoint results from its NEural Cardiac TherApy foR Heart Failure (NECTAR-HF) clinical trial, the first and only randomized sham-controlled clinical trial investigating vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for the treatment of heart failure (HF) patients.

Janssen Research & Development, LLC and its development partner, Bayer HealthCare, announced results from the X-VeRT trial, demonstrating once-daily rivaroxaban may be an alternative to vitamin K antagonists in treating and reducing the risk of blood clots in non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients undergoing elective cardioversion, a common medical procedure to reset the heartbeat back to a regular rhythm.

The high demand for qualified health IT professionals continues, as revealed in the 2014 HIMSS Workplace Study, conducted by HIMSS Analytics. The study shows more than 84 percent of survey respondents reported their organization hired at least one staff member in the past year, a finding consistent with the 2013 survey (86 percent). With hiring in 2014 expected to continue at the 2013 pace, 82 percent of survey respondents planned to hire at least one full-time employee (FTE) in the next 12 months, a slight increase from the 79 percent of respondents planning the same in 2013.

August 29, 2014 — Direct Flow Medical announced it received CE mark for a 23 mm valve as part of its Direct Flow Medical transcatheter aortic valve system, expanding the patient population that can be treated with this technology. The company also announced receipt of the CE mark for implantation of all its valves without the use of contrast media, protecting patients from kidney injury during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).