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.

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.
TAVR, SAVR both linked to low reintervention rates after five years
While most TAVR-related reinterventions occurred in the first year after treatment, most SAVR-related reinterventions occurred in years two through five. The team's full analysis is available in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Video of Hari Naidu, MD, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center of Excellence at Westchester Medical Center, explaining the role of alcohol septal ablation and surgical myectomy in the era of mavacamten. #HCM #ASE

Surgery, interventional therapies still the best choice for many HCM patients

"You have to look at each patient and understand their goals," one HCM expert said in a new interview.

August 9, 2023

Photo of a surgical cardiac septal myectomy to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Nicholas Smedira MD discusses septal myectomy in HCM patients and the need for more detailed protocols for HCM care. #HCM #ASE #ASE2023 #myectomy

A surgeon's perspective on treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Nicholas Smedira, MD, a cardiovascular surgeon with Cleveland Clinic, discusses septal myectomy and the need to improve overall HCM care with new standards and evidence-based guidelines.

August 9, 2023

Mayo Clinic was listed the No. 3 top cardiovascular hospital in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

The 25 best U.S. cardiology hospitals ranked

U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of heart hospitals named Cleveland Clinic No. 1, once again, but there were many changes among the other top 25 hospitals.

August 2, 2023

Abbott pulled the Trifecta GTaortic surgical valve off market in July 2023 after it was determined it had early structural valve deterioration (SVD) before 5 years.

Abbott pulls Trifecta heart valves off the market due to early deterioration

The FDA sent notice today that Abbott is pulling the Trifecta aortic surgical heart valve off the U.S. market due to the risk of early structural valve deterioration in less than 5 years.

July 31, 2023

USPSTF updates its stance on aspirin use to prevent CVD, sees no benefit for patients 60 or older.

Tracking patient outcomes after valve-in-valve TAVR, redo SAVR

It is becoming more and more important, researchers noted, to examine the lifetime management of patients who undergo aortic valve replacement.

July 12, 2023

dissolvable heart monitors for AFib designed by Northwestern and George Washington

New dissolvable heart monitors could help cardiologists battle AFib

The new-look devices are soft, flexible, transparent and roughly the size of a postage stamp.

July 7, 2023

Balloon expansion deployment of an Edwards Lifesciences Sapien 3 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device.

TAVR vs. surgery: Exploring 5-year outcomes among intermediate-risk patients

A group of renowned TAVR specialists examined data from 783 pairs of intermediate-risk patients, sharing their findings in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

July 6, 2023

Ted Abraham, MD, explains ASE efforts to increase HCM education and standardization of care. #HCM #ASE #ASE23 #ASE2023

All eyes are on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy now that a drug treatment is in place

Ted Abraham, MD, explained why HCM has entered the limelight at recent cardiology conferences, including ASE 2023.

July 5, 2023

Around the web

Health Imaging

New imaging protocols proposed to curb rise of cardiovascular infections

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Radiology Business

What does radiology have to do with climate change?

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

Cardiac Surgery

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

TAVR, SAVR both linked to low reintervention rates after five years

Around the web