For the first time, researchers have developed tests that could improve treatment for heart failure patients by diagnosing the condition with greater accuracy and detecting the onset of congestive heart failure earlier. The findings were published in the Cardiovascular Disease issue of Clinical Chemistry, the journal of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC).

People with any form of diabetes are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular conditions than people without the disease. Moreover, if they undergo an operation to open up a clogged artery by inserting a stent, the artery is much more likely to clog up again. However, researchers at Joslin Diabetes Centers, Boston, now have uncovered an explanation for why these procedures often fail, which may lead toward better alternatives.

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. announced that it has closed its acquisition of Valtech Cardio Ltd., developer of the Cardioband System for transcatheter repair of the mitral and tricuspid valves.  Edwards announced in November that it had signed an agreement to acquire Valtech.

Elderly patients with aortic stenosis (AS) and medium surgical risk experienced better than expected results after undergoing traditional surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), according to research presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.