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.  …

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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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Editor's Note For the first time, researchers have designed a calculator that estimates a person’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) over the next 30 years. The news was announced in a statement from the American Heart Association in the journal Circulation on November 10. 1 in 3 U.S. adults…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, finds that redo transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures are both safe and effective. Of 350,591 patients in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry who underwent TAVR with balloon-expandable valves between November…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on August 31, identified the recall by Getinge/Maquet/Datasocpe of its Cardiosave Hybrid and Rescue Intra-aortic Balloon Pumps (IABPs) as Class I, the most serious. The FDA posted four recalls for four separate reasons: Because they may overheat when the device’s internal temperature…

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Editor's Note The Essenz™ In-Line Blood Monitor (ILBM) has received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance and CE mark, as announced by manufacturer LivaNova on August 30. The new ILBM provides “accurate and continuous measurement of essential blood parameters for perfusionists throughout cardiopulmonary bypass procedures,” and integrates with the company’s Essenz Perfusion…

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