In Global News: Bioengineered Blood Vessels, an Antibiotic Antiplatelet, and Veins Versus Arteries First in Lobectomy

Patient Care and General Interest

The British Heart Foundation reports that the number of premature deaths related to cardiovascular disease has risen in the UK for the first time in 50 years.

A federal judge in the US ruled against the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 2017 decision to allow e-cigarettes to remain on the commercial market prior to obtaining FDA approval, a move that was applauded by the associations that brought the suit.

Drugs and Devices

The US FDA has expanded the approved duration of support for 2 Impella heart pumps from 6 to 14 days.

Xvivo Perfusion, Inc, was granted premarket approval by the US FDA for its ex vivo lung perfusion system, a move that expands the device’s previous humanitarian device exemption authorization.

The US FDA has approved dalteparin sodium for treating venous thromboembolism in children as young as 1 month old.

Research, Trials, and Funding

The antiplatelet agent ticagrelor showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus and Enterococcus strains that was not seen with other antiplatelet agents, say researchers from Liege, Belgium.

Researchers in China compared the levels of circulating tumor cells after either a vein-first or artery-first approach to lobectomy for lung cancer.

An iron boost on the day before cardiac surgery reduced the need for blood transfusion in patients with anemia or iron deficiency, say researchers from Zurich, Switzerland.

Researchers in Durham, North Carolina, USA, grew human acellular vessels that were implanted in dialysis patients, and they speculate about potential future applications for these vessels, such as use during heart surgery.