Which stories, features and interviews captured the attention of the cardiovascular community across 2025? Read our summary of the trending stories from across the Cardiovascular News network throughout the year.
Boston Scientific withdraws TAVI devices from the market
Boston Scientific announced in May the surprise move to cease sales of its Acurate transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) systems, including the Acurate neo2 and Acurate Prime devices.
Low-dose colchicine seen to reduce coronary plaque progression in EKSTROM trial
Low-dose colchicine (0.5mg per day) significantly reduced the total plaque volume progression by 1.1% among patients with stable coronary artery disease compared to placebo but failed to significantly reduce low attenuation plaque. These are findings of the EKSTROM trial, presented during a late-breaking trial session at the 2025 American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session (29–30 March, Chicago, USA).
Guideline revisions include new TAVI age threshold
Latest randomised trial evidence contributed to new joint guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) for the management of valvular heart disease, which includes revised age thresholds for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), among other major updates.
Innovation and excellence celebrated at second Global Cardiovascular Awards
One of interventional cardiology’s master operators, known globally for his landmark work in the field of coronary stenting, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and stent thrombosis, was recognised for his stellar career at the second annual Global Cardiovascular Awards (13 March, London, UK). Antonio Colombo (San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy) was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking work across nearly 50 years in practice, one of 14 awards given out during the event.
In a February interview, Bruno Scheller (University of Saarland, Saarland, Germany), a leader in research of drug-coated balloon (DCB) therapy for the treatment of coronary artery disease, told Cardiovascular News about how his interest in this technology came about, and what its arrival means for the future of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Competition concerns put Edwards’ JenaValve acquisition in jeopardy
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) moved to block Edwards Lifesciences’ proposed acquisition of its competitor transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) device developer JenaValve due to concerns that the acquisition would limit access to devices for the treatment of aortic regurgitation (AR).
Selution SLR meets non-inferiority in de novo and in-stent restenosis trials
Cordis announced results from the SELUTION DeNovo and SELUTION4ISR trials, presented during a late-breaking trials session at the 2025 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting (25–28 October, San Francisco, USA), both demonstrating positive outcomes for the company’s Selution SLR drug-eluting balloon technology.
Mayra Guerrero (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA) spoke to Cardiovascular News in May about her life and career, including witnessing the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure in the USA, and how this shaped her work in the mitral field.
New TAV-in-SAV data underline importance of aortic valve sizing at index procedure
Data on the outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve-in-surgical aortic valve (TAV-in-SAV) following bioprosthetic surgical valve failure have demonstrated low rates of mortality and stroke at up to five years among low and intermediate surgical risk patients undergoing the procedure.
ATTENUATE trial shows significant radiation reduction in cath lab procedures using protective drape
A large single-centre randomised trial has shown that the use of a protective scatter radiation absorbing shield significantly reduces proximal operator radiation exposure for during contemporary cath lab procedures, including coronary and structural interventions.
