Editor's Note In this study, researchers report the 2-year outcomes for patients enrolled in the Evolut Low Risk Trial (Medtronic Evolut Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Low Risk Patients), which show that transcather aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with a supra-annular, self-expanding valve is noninferior to surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR).…

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Editor's Note This multi-center, randomized, clinical trial that compares on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with off-pump CABG finds no advantage for off-pump CABG. A total of 2,203 veterans were randomly assigned to off-pump (1,104) or on-pump (1,099) CABG procedures at 18 VA medical centers, and the veterans were then…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on February 13, announced that it has partnered with the American Heart Association (AHA) to develop a new advanced disease-specific care certification program for heart attack patient care. The Comprehensive Heart Attack Center (CHAC) Certification Program (CHAC), which is based on AHA clinical practice guidelines…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on February 9 that it will add requirements and expand the review process to 2-days for Primary Stroke Centers (PSCs) that provide mechanical thrombectomy (MT) and are seeking advanced certification or recertification, effective July 1, 2022. The additional tracer time and requirements will help…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration, on December 16, identified the recall by Getinge/Datascope/Maquet of its Cardiosave Hybrid and Cardiosave Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps (IABPs) as Class I, the most serious. The IABPs are cardiac assist devices used in patients having cardiac and noncardiac surgery and to treat patients…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at Indiana University and the University of Michigan finds that emergency departments (EDs) are a significant factor in preventing readmissions after major surgery. Researchers analyzed the electronic health records of nearly 2 million Medicare beneficiaries who had one of five surgical procedures (ie, percutaneous…

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Editor's Note This study from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio, finds that patients residing in vulnerable communities characterized by a high social vulnerability index (SVI) had worse postoperative outcomes, and the impact was most pronounced in Black/minority patients. In this analysis…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on October 29, identified the recall by Datascope/Getinge/Maquet of its Cardiosave Hybrid/Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump battery packs as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of the battery failing and having a shortened run time, which…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on October 27, announced that it will launch a new Comprehensive Heart Attack Center Certification in July 2022 and is seeking comments on the newly proposed standards. The Joint Commission also has revised standards for its current certification programs: Acute Heart Attack Ready and Primary…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on June 25, identified the recall of DeRoyal Industries’ surgical procedure packs as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the packs contain 1% lidocaine that had been mislabeled as 0.5% bupivacaine. The procedure packs are used for cardiac…

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