August’s top 10 features a stark warning over representation of women in clinical trials relating to cardiovascular medicine, highlights from the European Society of Cardiology’s 2021 congress (ESC 2021, 27–30 August, virtual), reaction from the welcome return to in-person education and, developments in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) space.
1. Women underrepresented in cardiovascular clinical trials
Women remain underrepresented in cardiovascular clinical trials despite initiatives to ensure broader inclusivity. This is according to two reports, both published in August, suggesting that lack of representation may limit availability of treatment data for combating cardiovascular disease in women.
2. ESC 2021: One month DAPT is “becoming standard of care” for high bleeding risk patients following PCI
VIDEO: Marco Valgimigli (Lugano, Switzerland) talks to Cardiovascular News about the latest findings from MASTER DAPT, a non-inferiority study that was designed to assess whether one month of DAPT preserved the benefit in relation to cardiovascular events, while mitigating bleeding outcomes, compared with longer treatment durations in high bleeding risk (HBR) patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
3. Back in the room: A welcome return to in-person education
TVT 2021 course director Gregg W Stone (Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, USA) spoke to Cardiovascular News about the format for the revamped meeting which was held for the first time as an in-person and virtual congress, the future for hybrid events, and how the TVT community responded to the new set-up.
4. Medtronic gains FDA approval for its latest-generation TAVI system
Medtronic announced US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its newest-generation, self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system, the Evolut FX.
5. App launched to cut time to treatment for STEMI patients
Physicians at Mount Sinai Health System (New York, USA) have developed a mobile application to expedite and enhance care for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.
6. Cardiovascular News 62 – August 2021
The August issue of Cardiovascular News featured reports from EuroPCR 2021 (18–20 May, virtual) and TVT 2021 (The Structural Heart Summit, 20–22 July, Miami Beach, USA & virtual), and an in-depth profile of Christoph Naber (Wilhelmshaven, Germany), one of the founders of the We CARE campaign.
7. Sinomed announces the first commercial implantation and European launch of the HT Supreme DES
Sinomed announced the first commercial implantation of the HT Supreme drug-eluting stent (DES) at University Hospital Galway in partnership with the National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland), marking the start of the European launch of the device.
8. ESC 2021: Systematic pressure wire assessment has no additional benefit at diagnostic angiography
Adding systematic fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment to coronary angiography does not reduce costs or improve quality of life in patients undergoing diagnosis for chest pain, nor does it reduce major adverse cardiac events or revascularisation rates. That is the finding of late-breaking research presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s 2021 congress (ESC 2021, 27–30 August, virtual).
9. Edwards’ Konect Resilia and Mitris Resilia gain Health Canada approval
Edwards Lifesciences announced that it has received regulatory approval from Health Canada for both the Konect Resilia aortic valved conduit and the Mitris Resilia mitral valve.
10. ESC 2021: New guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute heart failure published
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure have been published online in European Heart Journal. This was the first ESC Guideline to include patients as full members of the task force.
