Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure with the Watchman device was associated with low rates of stroke and bleeding events in high-risk atrial fibrillation patients over a two-year follow-up period, according to a real-world analysis published April 3 in Circulation: Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia.

Compared to warfarin, all direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) were associated with fewer cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes in a study of Medicare patients with both nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and heart failure. But apixaban appeared to offer the best balance of protecting against these events while minimizing bleeding risk.

Two papers published March 25 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology make the case for training other interventionalists, including cardiologists, in performing mechanical thrombectomy to increase access to the emergency stroke treatment.

A hospital system in North Carolina launched on March 26 the first Federal Aviation Administration-sanctioned program allowing drones to make routine commercial package deliveries. Blood samples will be flown one-third of a mile from one WakeMed Health and Hospitals facility to another building on its Raleigh campus at least 30 times per week, the Associated Press reported.

While accident victims in the U.S. are uniformly taken directly to the most advanced trauma center nearby, the protocols for where to shuttle stroke patients vary widely by state, according to a recent article by Stateline.

The FDA’s preliminary investigation into the long-term safety of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents revealed those devices are associated with a 50 percent higher risk of death than control devices used to treat femoropopliteal artery disease.

Air pollution could be contributing to twice as many deaths as previously estimated, according to research published in the European Heart Journal. Cardiovascular disease often deals the final blow, with CVD events accounting for 40 to 80 percent of these deaths.

The Early Bird Bleed Monitoring System, which can detect internal bleeding during endovascular procedures, has been granted de novo classification by the FDA. The approval was announced March 5 by Saranas, the device’s manufacturer.