For patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common form of heart arrhythmia, a main goal of treatment is stroke prevention. As a result, most Afib patients are prescribed a blood thinner such as warfarin, also known by the brand name Coumadin, to combat the potential for blood clots that could lead to stroke. But warfarin is tough to manage, and some patients have trouble adhering to any medication. A new research letter published in JAMA Cardiology finds Afib patients are even more likely to discontinue warfarin therapy if they’ve had a recent procedure done to address their arrhythmia.

January 11, 2017 — Avinger Inc. recently announced the U.S. launch of an enhanced version of the company’s Lightbox imaging console. The Lightbox provides a dual display of images to physicians using Avinger’s Lumivascular system, the first-ever image-guided atherectomy and chronic total occlusion (CTO) recanalization devices for the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD), providing physicians with a view inside diseased arteries.

BioVentrix Inc. announced in December the first closed-chest Revivent TC TransCatheter Ventricular Enhancement System procedure in Germany since receiving CE mark certification. The Less Invasive Ventricular Enhancement (LIVE) procedure was performed by interventional cardiologists Christian Frerker, M.D. and Tobias Schmidt, M.D., and by cardiothoracic surgeon Ralf Bader, M.D., at Asklepios Klinik St. Georg in Hamburg, Germany.  The St. Georg Heart team is led by Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Kuck, who is also the chairman of the Department of Cardiology and Electrophysiology.

Medinol announced in December positive twelve-month clinical results from the BIONICS study. The study was conducted to evaluate EluNIR, Medinol's novel coronary stent system and the first ever elastomer-coated drug eluting stent (eDES), according to the company.

Ischemic heart failure from previous heart attacks and coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the world, affecting more than 12 percent of the world’s population, according to the World Health Organization. Stem cell therapy has been conducted to try to repair heart damage from ischemic heart failure, but in previous studies, the two types of stem cells (autologous bone marrow derived mesenchymal  cells [MSCs] and endomyocardial biopsy derived c-kit+ Cardiac Stem Cells [CSCs]) have been used in separate trials. In a first-in-the-world study, the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) is about to begin the CONCERT study, led by Principal Investigator Jay Traverse, M.D. The study will use MSCs and CSCs together to learn if the combination would be more successful than using either alone based on pre-clinical studies in swine demonstrating an enhanced synergistic effect of the combination.

January 10, 2017 — Teleflex Inc. announced that its Arrow VPS Rhythm Device with optional TipTracker technology has been issued U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to commercialize the device in the United States.

bundled payments for cardiology, CMS cardiac reimbursements, healthcare reform, July 1 2017

Effective July 1, 2017 for Medicare heart attack patients, the the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will move away from its traditional fee-for-service reimbursement to bundled payment models in attempts to reduce healthcare costs. This includes patients with myocardial infarction who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with or without stenting, and coronary bypass graft surgery (CABG). 
  

BioCardia Inc. announced in December the issuance of United States Patent No. 9,517,199 relating to a method of delivering cells to patients who have chronic myocardial infarcts. This new patent follows United States Patent No. 9,504,642, issued to BioCardia two weeks prior.

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