One of the worlds largest makers of processed foods, Mars, stepped up as the first to call on the FDA to release voluntary targets for sodium in processed foods. The American Heart Association applauded, but a House agriculture spending bill provision might block such a move.
A compound in hops improved some markers of metabolic syndrome and reduced weight gain in lab animals on a fatty diet, apparently by reducing plasma levels of PCSK9.
Among the many changes to Medicare payments proposed to take effect Oct. 1, left atrial appendage closure devices would get a 5.5% boost, surgical heart valves would gain 3.4%, and ventricular assist devices would gain 3.1%, while transcatheter aortic valve replacement would lose 0.5%. The MitraClip for mitral regurgitation would lose its new technology add-on payment gut higher reimbursement would net about $4,000 extra per procedure.
The Emblem MRI subcutaneous implantable defibrillator got European approval with MRI conditional labeling.
Canada cleared the Excluder iliac branch stent to treat iliac artery aneurysms or aortoiliac aneurysms.
The electronic medical record: "in one sense it's a record of what happens with the patient. But in another sense it's a kind of tawdry fiction," says Abraham Verghese, MD. Read his musings on involving the "real" heart in care here.
Testosterone treatment induced vascular calcification in vitro, found a study that also turned up testosterone receptors on the cell surface in vascular and valve tissue.
A Toronto hospital's program to replace unfractionated heparin with low-molecular weight heparin drastically cut heparin-induced thrombocytopenia reactions.
CardioBreak is a guide to what's new and interesting on the Web for cardiologists and other healthcare professionals with an interest in cardiovascular disease, powered by the MedPage Today community. Got a tip? Send it to us: c.phend@medpagetoday.com.
CardioBreak: Sodium Standards; Hops vs. PCSK9; Medicare $$ Shakeup
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