A retrospective review of 633 adults and children who underwent bioprosthetic pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) for congenital heart disease between 1996 and 2014 indicated that the risk of re-intervention was five times greater for children than adults. In addition, the likelihood of re-intervention decreased by 10 percent for each increasing year of age at surgery. Valve type was another important determinant of re-intervention, according to Rio S. Nomoto, BA, medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine, who presented the results of this research at the 95th American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting in Seattle on April 28.

The Spectranetics Corporation announced it is accelerating investments in the Stellarex drug-coated balloon angioplasty (DCB) platform for treatment of below the knee (BTK) peripheral artery disease. The company estimates this will represent a $150 million market opportunity by 2020.

ultrasound, heart, beat, pacemaker, Drexel University, Applied Physiology

Ultrasound can increase the rate at which heart cells beat, researchers from Drexel University report. In their paper “Ultrasound-Induced Modulation of Cardiac Rhythm in Neonatal Rat Ventricular Cardiomyocytes,” published ahead-of-print in the Journal of Applied Physiology, they describe the ultrasound settings that can change the beat frequency of cardiac cells.
EHRs, outcomes, ischemic stroke, ACC

Hospitals with electronic health records (EHRs) for ischemic stroke patients did not demonstrate better quality of care or clinical outcomes for those patients when compared to similar hospitals without EHRs, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Medtronic, SYMPLICITY AF, PVI, renal denervation, Arctic Front, Spyral, G3

Medtronic plc announced the start of a clinical study to determine whether paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) can be treated with a combination of two ablation procedures targeting different anatomical locations – specifically, the pulmonary veins and the renal arteries. Study patients will also receive an implantable cardiac monitor to track their heart rhythm on an automatic and continuous basis. AF is a cardiac rhythm disorder affecting an estimated 2.7 million people in the U.S.

Biotronik announced that a unique physiologic sensor is now available in the latest family of cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) devices. Closed Loop Stimulation (CLS) is the only cardiac sensor capable of appropriately adapting heart rate in response to physiologic demands independent of body movements or respiratory rate.

gadolinium, brain, contrast MRI, Radiology, Kanal

New research, published in the journal Radiology, suggests some types of a popular contrast agent used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams may remain in the brain for years, but that the long-term effects are unknown.

Carestream showcased the advanced interoperability of its Clinical Collaboration Platform (CCP) at the IHE-Europe (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise) Connectathon held April 20-24 in Luxembourg. Carestream announced that the CCP product suite successfully passed all integration tests at the Connectathon including all profiles for its universal viewer, vendor-neutral archive (VNA) and image capture solutions. Carestream is also among the first VNA suppliers to implement HL7's new Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) framework.

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