Researchers have developed the first algorithm that can locate patient-specific ablation targets for atrial fibrillation (AFib) within the atria that does not require specialized catheters or 3-D electro-anatomic maps of the heart. The new algorithm – the iterative catheter navigation (ICAN) – is fundamentally different from existing approaches.

World Heart Congress 2019

A physician explaining an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to a patient. Image courtesy of Biotronik.
MRI-compatible ICDs are a growing trend in the market. This example is Biotronik's Lumax 740 ICDs.

This is a brief overview of updates on implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), including new technology introductions, advancements to mitigate patient risks and ICD controversies. 

People who skip breakfast and eat dinner near bedtime have worse outcomes after a heart attack, according to research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology,1 a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The study found that people with both eating habits had a four to five times higher likelihood of death, another heart attack or angina (chest pain) within 30 days after hospital discharge for heart attack.

Investigators unveiled late-breaking clinical data from a first-of-its-kind physician sponsored clinical trial at the 2019 EuroPCR Annual Meeting, May 20-23 in Paris, France. The data indicate that renal denervation (RDN) with the Medtronic Symplicity renal denervation system was associated with reduced occurrence of subclinical atrial fibrillation (AF) in a small subset of high-risk patients with hypertensive heart disease over a median follow-up period of more than two years.

ControlRad Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted 510(k) clearance for its ControlRad Trace and the company has initiated its commercial launch. The ControlRad Trace is the only technology, according to the company, that can be integrated into existing mobile C-arms to reduce radiation in any fluoroscopic imaging procedure.

Illustration showing the catheter steps for the LAMPOON procedure designed to prevent left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction . From Dr. Jaffar M. Khan and the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention, led by Dr. Robert J. Lederman.
Figure 2: (Left) Illustration shows how, without LAMPOON, a transcatheter mitral valve implantation displaces the native anterior mitral valve leaflet causing LVOT obstruction. (Right) After LAMPOON, LVOT obstruction is reduced.Dr. Jaffar M. Khan and the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention, led by Dr. Robert J. Lederman

Researchers at the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), developed a novel technique that prevents the obstruction of blood flow in the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) during transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). LVOT obstruction  is a common fatal complication of TMVR, due to the close proximity off the aortic and mitral valves and the potential overhang of transcatheter valve blocking flow through the LVOT. 

Abiomed announced that the Impella CP with SmartAssist will be commercially available beginning at the 2019 Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) Scientific Sessions, May 19-22 in Las Vegas, through a controlled launch process at select sites. The majority of Impella CP heart pumps in the U.S. will be transitioned to SmartAssist over the next fiscal year.

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