Heart Surgery
FDA Class 1 recall renews concern about historically problematic heart pumps
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced a Class 1 recall on Monday for Abbott/Thoratec Corp.’s HeartMate II and HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) due due to biological material buildup obstructing the devices. According to an April 16 CBS News report, surgeons first noticed problems with the…
Heart transplant research proves out 24-hour organ preservation method
Editor's Note A new method of organ preservation could allow researchers a much longer window to keep transplanted organs alive. Medical Xpress reported on the findings April 5. Typically, hearts awaiting transplant are maintained in cold static storage – in which they are kept on ice until transplanted and…
ASA annual meeting highlights top 10 risks of providing anesthesia in ambulatory setting
Editor's Note There are certain patients and clinical situations that may require anesthesiologists to say no to performing surgery in the outpatient/ambulatory setting, Anesthesiology News April 4 reports. At the 2023 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), BobbieJean Sweitzer, MD, a professor of medical education at the…
Augmented reality headset enables real-time data visualization during surgery
Editor's Note Successful use of augmented reality in a cardiac ablation procedure holds additional promise for training as well as more advanced OR applications, according to a February 29 report from Stanford Medicine. During ablation, a treatment for heart arrythmias, surgeons typically refer to as many as eight screens depicting…
Researchers test alternative approach to ranking US heart transplant candidates
Editor's Note The current method for identifying heart transplant candidates with the most urgent need might not be the best one. In a study published February 13 in Jama Network, a candidate risk score incorporating the latest clinical, laboratory, and hemodynamic data out-performed the current treatment-based categorical allocation system. …
CNOR specialty designations distinguish uncommon skillsets
The Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI) is excited to announce a new development in our certified perioperative nurse (CNOR®) certification program: the introduction of specialty designations. Now, perioperative nurses can specialize in cardiac, bariatric, orthopedic, or vascular surgery, just as RNs can choose oncology, pediatrics, or emergency. A specialty designation…
Study: Intravascular imaging for stent guidance improves outcomes for heart disease patients
Editor's Note Using intravascular imaging to guide stent implantation during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) provides significantly better outcomes than angiography, according to findings published February 21 in The Lancet. In a study of 15,964 patients undergoing PCI from 22 trials in hundreds of centers from March 2010 to August 2023,…
Transcatheter therapy system becomes first to earn FDA approval for treating tricuspid regurgitation
Editor's Note Patients with severe cases of tricuspid regurgitation (in which a critical heart valve fails to close properly) now have a new treatment option thanks to the recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the ENVOQUE tricuspid valve replacement system, according to a February 2 press release…
Biorobotic heart shows promise for research, surgical training
Editor's Note: Surgeons successfully tested three fixes for a leaky heart valve on a biological pig heart fitted with a silicone robotic pump, HealthDay reported on January 11. According to the article, the biorobotic heart offers significant advantages over existing heart simulators. These include a longer shelf life, greater ability…
Scientists uncover new path to regenerate injured hearts
Editor's Note Researchers are studying how heart muscle cells called cardiomyocytes can be repaired and regenerated to improve functioning and help prevent more serious long-term consequences. The study, titled “Reduced mitochondrial protein translation promotes cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration,” was published by the journal Circulation—part of the American Heart Association—on…
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