February 4, 2011 – More heart disease tests do not necessarily add up to a better diagnosis. According to a new practice guideline, a basic risk assessment that accounts for such factors as cholesterol level, blood pressure, age, sex, family history, smoking and diabetes is still the strongest tool a doctor can use in predicting the likelihood of heart disease.

February 4, 2011 – Researchers at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) have identified the genetic cause of a rare and debilitating vascular disorder not previously explained in the medical literature.

February 3, 2011 – Behrman Capital, a private equity investment firm based in New York and San Francisco, has acquired Atherotech, a cardiometabolic testing services provider. Atherotech offers the VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) advanced lipid profile test.

February 1, 2011 – Despite the benefits of therapy with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), inappropriate shocks from the devices are common and place patients at a greater mortality risk. These were the conclusions drawn by a Dutch research team that examined the incidence, predictors and patient outcomes of inappropriate ICD shocks in a large, real-world patient population.

February 1, 2011 – A self-anchoring aortic heart valve has received the CE mark. With the approval, the Perceval S Sutureless biological valve, by the Sorin Group, is now commercially available in Europe.