HeartMate 3 Safety Concerns; First Cath Lab Standards for Kids; Single-Shot PFA

Thoratec refuted most of the 4,500-plus reports that its HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device may have caused or contributed to a patient’s death. (CBS News)

Cardiovascular societies have finally released pediatric cardiac catheterization standards in an updated expert consensus statement on cardiac catheterization for patients with congenital heart disease. (JSCAI)

Researchers linked reduced ejection fraction in athletes to both genetic predisposition and exercise training. (Circulation)

Gripped by the opioid crisis, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia bucked favorable national trends in mortality due to infective endocarditis. (Journal of the American Heart Association)

In the Evolut trial, low-risk patients undergoing transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement wound up spending similar numbers of days at home. (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes)

Although underpowered, the randomized RAPID NSTEMI trial failed to find a clinical benefit to very early invasive treatment for higher-risk patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome. (Heart)

Esperion announced that the FDA approved primary hyperlipidemia as part of the indication for bempedoic acid (Nexletol) and bempedoic acid/ezetimibe (Nexlizet) and had some qualifiers on the label removed.

Government emails reveal pressures to approve inclisiran (Leqvio) quickly in the U.K. (Pharmaceutical Journal)

Perimenopausal women taking hormone therapy showed a decreased risk of venous thromboembolism on statins. (JAMA Network Open)

A call to action urges the creation of a protocol for Code ICH, an early bundle of care for patients with intracerebral hemorrhage akin to current strategies used for acute ischemic stroke. (Stroke)

The prognostic significance of residual leaks after left atrial appendage occlusion depends on whether they are detected by transesophageal echocardiography or CT, according to a meta-analysis. (European Heart Journal)

The mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist eplerenone reduced arterial inflammation in HIV-positive patients without known cardiovascular disease. (JAMA Cardiology)

A weight control lifestyle intervention did not affect left atrial substrate measurements in overweight or obese people with metabolic syndrome. (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology)

A preclinical study opened the door for single-shot circumferential pulmonary vein isolation using a novel pulsed field ablation system. (EP Europace)

Cardiosphere-derived cell infusion, a type of stem cell therapy, showed promise in a phase Ia/b study in pulmonary arterial hypertension. (eBioMedicine)

A liver fibrosis index was found to correlate with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. (The Lancet Regional Health-Europe)

A Brooklyn cardiologist was charged with medical fraud and bribery related to his alleged scheme of subjecting patients to unnecessary peripheral vascular interventional procedures and paying other physicians for patient referrals, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

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