Journal and News Scan

Patient Care and General Interest

Despite being the leading cause of death in the US, heart disease was the most-Googled disease in only one state: Maine.

A study that sought to understand the importance of successful teamwork for general surgery used cardiothoracic surgical teams as their comparison group because of the stability and experience that these teams typically have.

Experts call attention to what they say is a public health crisis facing countries that continue to produce and use asbestos, including Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

A 50-year-old mitral valve prosthesis is rediscovered when a woman in Italy undergoes an operation.

Drugs and Devices

In an update to a letter sent in February 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration has warned healthcare providers against off-indication use of the Impella RP system from Abiomed, emphasizing that the benefits of the device outweigh the risks in appropriately selected patients.

Health Canada has approved the Apple Watch’s electrocardiogram app and irregular rhythm notifications.

Research, Trials, and Funding

Researchers from Pakistan and across the US report finding positive “spin” of results in approximately two-thirds of articles publishing cardiovascular-focused randomized clinical trials.

Metformin reduced left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with coronary artery disease who did not have diabetes, say researchers from the UK.

At the recent EuroPCR meeting in Paris, France, researchers present the usage of Abbott’s transcatheter tricuspid valve repair system to treat tricuspid regurgitation in 85 patients.

Canadian and Brazilian researchers report their use of radar to remotely monitor heart and respiratory rates, with 80% and 94% correlation with a wearable sensor, respectively.

The authors utilized a retrospective review of the UNOS database from 2007-2014 to evaluate the impact of donor sequence number (DSN) on outcomes. Specifically, they interestingly identified that survival is the same across various DSNs, indicating a potential ability to increase transplant numbers based on similar survival when utilizing donors of higher DSN.

Excellent review of recent advances that will shape therapy in the next 5 years.

Vaughn A. Starnes, MD, became the 100th President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). He officially succeeded David H. Adams, MD, in a ceremony at the AATS 99th Annual Meeting in Toronto. Joining him in new positions on the Executive Committee are Marc R. Moon, MD, who is now President-Elect after serving as Vice President for the past year and Secretary for five years, Shaf Keshavjee, MD, who was elected as the new AATS Vice President and who served as Treasurer for five years, and Emile A. Bacha, MD, who became Treasurer following three years as Director. David R. Jones, MD, was reappointed to serve as Secretary.