COVID-19 has been outpacing heart disease as the top killer in the U.S. for months, but the relative rankings are likely to be affected “for years to come,” the American Heart Association projected.
An algorithm for the KardiaMobile 6L ECG wearable automatically detected QT prolongation with sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 94%, researchers reported in Circulation. AliveCor also announced the rollout of a wider range of arrhythmia detection for its devices that the FDA had cleared in November.
Hybrid gene therapy could hold promise for long QT syndrome, according to a proof-of-concept study. (Circulation)
Cardiologist Ricardo Cigarroa, MD, has been dubbed “The Dr. Fauci of South Texas” for his crusade against coronavirus in the border town of Laredo. The New York Times has a profile.
A 41-year-old with cardiomyopathy became the first to get combined heart-lung transplantation after COVID-19 infection, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced.
Women’s hypertension in middle age is often mistaken for menopause, notes a consensus document from the European Society of Cardiology. (European Heart Journal)
Modest advances in prosperity at a county level were associated with small decreases in cardiovascular mortality in middle age. (JAMA)
Cigna dropped pre-authorization requirements for CT angiography of the heart, coronary arteries and bypass grafts with contrast material and for fractional flow reserve CT, the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography announced.
The keto diet “is a mistake,” argued cardiologist and plant-based diet advocate Robert Ostfeld, MD. (Cardiovascular Business)
No signs of structural valve deterioration were seen with Edwards Lifesciences’s Resilia tissue aortic valve at 5 years, researchers reported at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons virtual meeting. (Cardiovascular Business)
FDA cleared Medtronic’s DiamondTemp Ablation system for temperature-controlled open-irrigated radiofrequency ablation of recurrent, symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation unresponsive to drug therapy, the company announced.
EU regulatory advisors called for approval of Amarin’s icosapent ethyl (Vascepa in the U.S., Vazkepa in the EU) for cardiovascular risk reduction in high-risk patients. (PMLiVE)
A single lot of the surgical muscle-relaxer cisatracurium besylate was recalled for being labeled as the antihypertensive phenylephrine. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Four of the world’s largest cardiology societies called for urgent action to cut air pollution due to the risk it poses for both cardiovascular disease and COVID-19. (European Society of Cardiology)
Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
