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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS; Baltimore) recently asked the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS; Washington) to lead a working group to make recommendation for a national implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) registry. Late in September, CMS posted a draft national coverage determination to expand coverage of ICDs.
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Adam Berman has been named vice president, research and development for MedicalCV (Minneapolis). He most recently was a regional sales manager for cardiac surgery-focused Coalescent Surgical. Medical CV is focused on developing products for improved patient outcomes by early treatment of cardiovascular disorders.
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SynCardia Systems (Tucson, Arizona), a developer of cardiac replacement and assist devices, in mid-October received final FDA approval for its CardioWest Temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t) formerly the CardioWest Total Artificial Heart as a bridge to heart transplantation. Specifically, the approval is for use in cardiac transplant-eligible candidates at risk of imminent death from non-reversible biventricular failure.
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High-dose atorvastatin protects patients with acute coronary syndrome from death and major cardiovascular events better than usual dose pravastatin.
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These data provide further support that inflammation in general and periodontal disease more specifically are stroke risk factors.
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The first of a class of calcimimetics has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of hyperparathyroidism associated with renal failure and in patients with parathyroid cancer.
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Increased iron stores (eg, ferritin levels) are associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in women.
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Shared pathophysiologic mechanisms for migraine, neuropathic pain, and epilepsy underscore the notion that antiepileptic drugs (AED) should be standard treatment for the former. Five new AEDs and their use in these nonepileptic painful disorders are summarized.
