ALERT!
This site is not optimized for Internet Explorer 8 (or older).
Please upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer or use an alternate browser such as Chrome or Firefox.
Journal and News Scan
February 18, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
An interesting article describing the interface between medical 3D printing and art. It briefly outlines current and future applications, and it also describes constraints to the use of this technology.
February 17, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
An FDA advisory committee voted 6-4 against expanding approved indications for liposomal bupivicaine for regional pain control after surgery. This drug is a central element in many institutions' Enhanced Recovery After Surgery programs. They cited inconsistent results, failure to provide comparative results, and increased deaths associated with the drug. The official FDA will use this assessment as part of their deliberations.
February 17, 2018
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A balanced comment on the occasion of the latest retrospective nonrandomised Coselli report on redo thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs).
Raanani mentions the inappropriateness of endovascular techniques for Marfan syndrome patients, on account of high rate of endoleak probably related to the diffuse aortopathy. He also picks up the schism of early and late morbidity, and analyzes the confounders well.
It might be important that such as strong and vocal advocate of open aortic surgery as Joseph Coselli reports inferior nonrandomized long-term mortality of his favored traditional approach. This may impact positively on insurance and reimbursement for hybrid TAAA repairs.
February 16, 2018
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Patient Care
A professional US football player who had a congenital coronary artery anomaly corrected as a teenager meets with kids currently undergoing treatment for congenital heart disease, seeking to provide them with hope and inspiration.
Drugs and Devices
The self-expanding CENTERA transcatheter aortic valve from Edwards Lifesciences has received the CE Mark.
The Lotus heart valve will not relaunch in the US or European markets until 2019, says Boston Scientific.
The US Food and Drug Administration expanded premarket approval for several Abiomed Impella heart pumps to include heart failure associated with cardiomyopathy leading to cardiogenic shock.
Research, Trials, and Funding
Researchers in Australia recently published a meta-analysis suggesting that regular exercise ahead of lung cancer surgery can reduce complication rates.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has joined the HLHS Consortium, a Phase I study of innovative therapies for hypoplastic left heart syndrome that was launched at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota during 2017.
Researchers in the UK published a retrospective analysis in the BMJ that questions whether older adults with both atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease should be given anticoagulation medication.
February 15, 2018
Submitted by: Benjamin Bidstrup
This report provides long-term outcome data on the Perimount valve implanted in the mitral position in patients 65 years of age or less. The expected valve durability was 14.2 years, which compares favourably with other prosthetic valves. Long term mortality was considered valve-related in 1.3% per valve-years, with an overall mortality of 4% per valve-years. The authors provide useful predictions of valve degeneration rates and need for reoperative surgery.
February 15, 2018
Submitted by: Benjamin Bidstrup
This represent a large series of patients with HOCM who were treated surgically. The study provides prognostic data based on the morphology of the HOCM, which was divided into basal septum, whole of septum, and diffuse left ventricular hypertrophy. Each group had differing survival.
February 14, 2018
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Wang and colleagues present a systematic review of outcomes reported in 26 articles for 67 patients who underwent endovascular treatment for diseases of the ascending aorta, excluding type A dissection. The authors expect a gain in popularity of this intervention in select high-risk patients, but they consider further analysis necessary.
February 14, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Interesting article commenting on the perception that some remedies in medicine are so obviously beneficial that testing their effectiveness is a waste of time. As it turns out, many of what physicians think are "slam dunk" remedies have mixed or negative results.
February 9, 2018
Submitted by: Claire Vernon
Patient Care
Doctors in Abu Dhabi, UAE, say that a surprisingly high number of young Emirati adults have atrial fibrillation.
Two lung cancer survivors attended last Sunday’s Super Bowl 52 in Minnesota, USA, as winners of Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge, a part of the Team Draft Foundation’s initiative to increase lung cancer awareness and funding for research.
Drugs and Devices
The Revivent TC™ TransCatheter Ventricular Enhancement System from BioVentrix has received NUB Status 1, an award that designates innovative medical devices to receive reimbursement support in Germany.
Research, Trials, and Funding
Researchers from The Netherlands found robotic surgery to have a lower complication rate than open surgery for esophagectomy, and they presented their findings at the recent Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.
Acesion Pharma has received approval to begin a phase 1 study on a new compound for treating atrial fibrillation, which they expect to start in March 2018. This news comes shortly after results of the CASTLE-AF trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that catheter ablation techniques are superior to medical therapy for atrial fibrillation.
Researchers in Sweden and Germany find that montelukast, an asthma drug that targets leukotrienes, protects mice against models of aortic aneurysm. Their findings were published in PNAS.
February 9, 2018
Submitted by: Ruben Osnabrugge
In this meta-analysis, the authors compare surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients at low surgical risk. They included two randomized controlled trials and four propensity-matched studies for a total of almost 3500 patients. Short term mortality was similar between treatments, but intermediate follow-up (two years) showed higher mortality with TAVI versus SAVR (17.2% versus 12.7%, p=0.006).
Although these results should be taken with caution due to the largely non-randomized nature, it proves that we need to await the results of the currently ongoing low-risk trials (NOTION 2, PARTNER 3, and Medtronic TAVI low-risk trial) before we can recommend TAVI in low-risk patients.