Journal and News Scan

On January 10, 2021, the University of Maryland School of Medicine annnounced that Dr. Bartley P. Griffith and his team successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig heart in a 57-year-old man with end-stage heart failure, and the patient was doing well three days later.  This historic xenotransplant operation may provide an important new option for patients in dire need of heart donor and  a viable solution to the organ crisis. 

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons share their reasoning for not endorsing the 2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI Coronary Revascularization Guidelines. To read these guidelines, click here.

The rising burden of CAD in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria is a result of the epidemiological transition from communicable to non- communicable diseases. The system of care for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is evolving and constrained by a lack of prehospital emergency services, prolonged intervention times, and low patient eligibility and infrastructural capacity for reperfusion. Management guidelines that are based on best practices in resource-endowed nations may not be implementable, with the consequence of  frequent major adverse cardiac events and high mortality.

This observational multicentered national registry enrolled 1072 Nigerians with ACS to evaluate incidence, intervention times, reperfusion rates, and 1 year mortality. Recommendations are considered for preventative strategies and  infrastructure-appropriate management guidelines.

This public statement from the Latin-American Association of Cardiac and Endovascular Surgery (LACES) identifies what it feels are evidence gaps and contradictions in the recommendations that will impact the treatment of millions of patients worldwide.