Cardiac Surgery

Cardiothoracic surgery includes coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), heart valve repair or replacement, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement, heart transplant, assisting in minimally invasive transcatheter valve structural heart procedures such as TAVR, left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion, septal myectomy, surgical ablation for arrhythmias, and reconstruction of the heart in congenial heart disease cases.

TAVR, SAVR linked to similar QOL improvements for intermediate-risk patients after five years
TAVR was initially associated with greater benefits than surgery, but that difference faded by the end of the first year.
Q&A: Cleveland Clinic’s Lars Svensson previews AATS annual meeting
Svensson, a prominent voice in cardiothoracic surgery, said he has seen a rise in enthusiasm ahead of this year's meeting.
TAVR or SAVR? ChatGPT could help cardiologists decide
Researchers asked ChatGPT to make treatment decisions for patients with severe aortic stenosis, comparing its answers to the recommendations of a full heart team.
Anemia may help explain why women are more likely to die during heart bypass surgery
Finding new ways to avoid intraoperative anemia could go a long way toward improving outcomes for female CABG patients. The full analysis, based on more than 1.4 million patients, was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
FDA announces new recall of Abbott’s HeartMate LVADs after 14 deaths
The issue at the center of this recall, which includes both the HeartMate II and HeartMate 3 LVAD, is the gradual buildup of biological materials. This can impact the device's performance, creating a heightened risk of injury or death.

Laser speckle imaging captures details of blood vessels in a beating donor transplant heart outside the body for viability evaluation. Image from Plyer et al., doi 10.1117/1.JBO.28.4.046007

Laser technology may help determine viability of transplant hearts

A new laser imaging technology may be able to determine which donor hearts are viable for transplant and which will result in poor outcomes, without the need for coronary angiography or use of contrast agents that can damage an explanted heart.

April 26, 2023

TAVR vs. SAVR in patients with pure aortic regurgitation: Key insights from a new Cleveland Clinic study

Patients with pure native AR are often excluded from clinical trials comparing TAVR and SAVR, leading to a lack of clarity when it comes to the proper treatment of this population.

April 11, 2023

Abbott Epic Max heart valve for aortic valve disease

Abbott’s new surgical solution for aortic valve disease gains FDA approval

The newly approved valve is the latest addition to Abbott’s Epic surgical valve platform.

March 30, 2023

The Livanova Essenz heart-lung perfusion machine for cardiopulmonary bypass surgery is designed with updated workflow efficiency, to capture and record electronic data and to tailor therapy for each patient.

FDA clears new LivaNova heart-lung machine for cardiopulmonary bypass procedures

LivaNova PLC developed the new cardio-pulmonary system based on feedback from more than 300 perfusionists.

March 13, 2023

A transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure being performed at Intermountain Healthcare. Image from Intermountain Healthcare. Sex differences in TAVR one-year mortality.

10 reasons heart teams may consider SAVR over TAVR when treating aortic stenosis

As much as TAVR's popularity has grown in recent years, there are still many instances when a heart team may find that surgery offers the best path forward.

March 2, 2023

Private equity investors have grown more and more interested in cardiology in recent years. Roger Strode, a partner with the global law firm Foley and Lardner LLP, explains why this is.

Q&A: What the rise of private equity investments in cardiology means for cardiologists and their patients

Private equity investors have grown more and more interested in cardiology in recent years. Why the sudden shift? And what does it mean for patient care going forward?

February 15, 2023

Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest health network, recently announced it has signed a definitive agreement with Complete Care to acquire a majority of its long-term care facilities.

High-risk patients ineligible for bypass surgery see ‘profound improvements’ after PCI

High-risk patients with complex CAD who are ineligible for CABG can still see substantial benefits from PCI.

February 13, 2023

Tablet projecting metaphorical medical hologram

New guideline on mechanical circulatory support tackles device selection, ethical dilemmas and more

The Heart Failure Society of America and International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation worked together on the document, hoping their recommendations serve as a "critical roadmap" for clinicians.

February 8, 2023

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Cardiac Surgery

TAVR, SAVR linked to similar QOL improvements for intermediate-risk patients after five years

Q&A: Cleveland Clinic’s Lars Svensson previews AATS annual meeting

TAVR or SAVR? ChatGPT could help cardiologists decide

Anemia may help explain why women are more likely to die during heart bypass surgery

FDA announces new recall of Abbott’s HeartMate LVADs after 14 deaths

Around the web