In August 2021, the medical device manufacturer Cardinal Health recalled approximately 267 million of their prefilled saline syringes. The syringes had been found to reintroduce air into the syringe after it had been expelled, which could have resulted in the injection of air into blood vessels, leading to serious injury or death.
VA Study Finds That Reduced Right Ventricular Ejection Fraction Can Affect Beta-Blocker Effectiveness in Some HFrEF Patients but Not Others
Beta blockers have been shown to improve outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), a complex syndrome characterized by impairment of the left ventricle resulting in a low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
Cardiologist Brings Novel Cardiac Mapping Technology to DCVAMC
Shortly after Christmas, while the hospital was bracing for the tidal wave that would be omicron, the DCVAMC made history, becoming the first VA in the nation to use new cardiac mapping technology to perform a cardiac ablation procedure.
New Guidelines Emphasize Importance of Pinpointing Causes Of Transient Ischemic Attacks, Other Stroke Precursors
While it is well known that a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA) signals higher risk for stroke in the future, a new guideline emphasizes that identifying the cause of the initial event can better guide specific prevention strategies to reduce the risk of additional strokes.
PCI Improves Survival of Some LVEF Heart Failure Patients
While revascularization of ischemic cardiomyopathy by coronary artery bypass grafting has been shown to improve survival among patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%,
VA Pharmacists Advise on Use of Anticoagulation in Severe COVID-19 Cases
While reports in the literature are increasing about high rates of coagulopathy and venous thromboembolism (VTE) among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is little guidance on how to treat it or prevent it.
Hormone Therapy Appears to Affect Heart Fat Deposition
PITTSBURGH—While heart fat deposition has been linked to atherosclerosis—with both accelerating after menopause—hormone therapy might be able to change how that occurs. A study published in the journal Menopause examined how hormone therapy differentially slowed heart...