New Heart Pump Approved; Scams After a Stroke; Cardiac Rehab Falls Further

Abiomed announces FDA approval of the Impella RP Flex with SmartAssist with the indication for temporary right ventricular support in people with acute right heart failure.

The American College of Cardiology provides a framework for treating patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and multimorbidity in a new expert consensus decision pathway. (Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

Although quantity and intensity of exercise are both linked to heart health, a short, brisk walk may do more good than a longer, leisurely stroll. (European Heart Journal)

Out of the direct oral anticoagulants in practice, apixaban (Eliquis) was associated with the lowest gastrointestinal bleeding risk among users with atrial fibrillation (Afib). (Annals of Internal Medicine)

Subarachnoid hemorrhage strokes increasingly and disproportionately strike Black people compared with other racial groups. (Neurology)

Black patients with Afib also had lower rates of anticoagulant therapy at discharge and higher odds of stroke and mortality at 1 year, per national registry data. (JAMA Cardiology)

Nurse- and pharmacist-led telehealth matched usual in-person medical care for blood pressure reductions in people with hypertension, a cluster-randomized trial found. (Hypertension)

Yet intensive blood pressure lowering hurts outcomes after endovascular therapy for stroke. (The Lancet)

Post-stroke workflow and cardiac monitoring practices differ between large academic centers and community hospitals, a Medtronic study found.

Are stroke survivors more likely to fall for financial exploitation and fraud? (JAMA Neurology)

Already low before COVID-19, cardiac rehab participation fell further during the pandemic with the closure of over 200 centers nationwide. (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes)

The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine continued to be linked to a small increased risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia. (BMJ)

For women with a history of venous thromboembolism, a higher dose of low-molecular-weight heparin did not further reduce their risk of recurrent events during pregnancy and soon after giving birth. (The Lancet)

People pre-treated with ticagrelor (Brilinta) experienced no drug-drug interaction with subsequent infusion of cangrelor (Kengreal), another P2Y12 receptor inhibitor. (JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions)

People with psychosocial risk factors — for example, substance use, psychiatric disease, or uninsured status — had worse outcomes following aortic valve replacement (AVR), according to the Nationwide Readmissions Database. (JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions)

It may have been pulled from the market, but the Lotus transcatheter AVR valve performed similarly to CoreValve/Evolut R in terms of long-term clinical outcomes in REPRISE III. (JAMA Network Open)

In a randomized trial involving suspected heart attack patients with nonischemic ECG and intermediate initial troponin concentration, performing emergency cardiac CT angiography failed to shorten hospital stays or improve 12-month clinical outcomes. (Heart)

Dozens of pedestrians were in need of CPR during the Halloween stampede that killed over 150 people in Korea. (New York Times)

A report of preclinical data that paved the way for a human trial of the investigational PCSK9 gene editing therapy VERVE-101 for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. (Circulation)

Scientists suggest it’s not what’s in the cigarettes, but the airway irritation and ensuing vagus nerve signaling that cause endothelial dysfunction. (Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology)

It’s the end of the road for firibastat as a potential treatment for resistant hypertension and heart failure, Quantum Genomics announced.