In Global News: Long-Term Fontan Circulation, a Shock Team, and the TMVR Learning Curve

Patient Care and General Interest

The American Heart Association published a statement advocating for a holistic care approach for patients with Fontan circulation, noting that these patients are living longer and their unique long-term care needs are being better understood.

A judge in the USA has ordered e-cigarette companies to submit their products for review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by May 2020.

Drugs and Devices

Edwards Lifesciences as issued a warning related to the risk of a burst balloon during implantation of its Sapien 3 Ultra valve, emphasizing that the instructions for use should be closely followed to avoid this problem.

The US FDA has issued an alert that Edwards Lifesciences recalled the IntraClude intra-aortic occlusion device.

Targeted therapies for EGFR mutation–positive non–small cell lung cancer were added to the updated Essential Medicines List from the World Health Organization, but other lung cancer therapies were considered and rejected.

Research, Trials, and Funding

Investigators from Kansas City, Missouri, USA, report a relationship between institutional volume and outcomes of MitraClip placement up to 50 procedures, but continued improvement was observed beyond this number.

A group at University of Utah Health in the USA is aiming to improve outcomes of refractory cardiogenic shock with a multidisciplinary “Shock Team,” comprised of a cardiothoracic surgeon, a heart failure cardiologist, an interventional cardiologist, and an intensive care unit physician.