Long-term brain recordings from four patients with chronic pain have led investigators at the University of California at San Francisco to identify brain signals that could serve as biomarkers for each individual patients’ pain.
Pulsed field ablation (PFA) seems to have seized the moment in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, given its seemingly superior performance over other ablation modalities as a treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). New data from three studies were presented at this year’s annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society that further confirm the value of PFA as a treatment for both persistent and paroxysmal AF with data sets that seem to confirm that PFA is poised to sweep aside the current standards for ablation, potentially overturning a treatment paradigm that took decades to establish.
Recent developments may seem to have rendered artificial intelligence (AI) little more than the latest internet sensation, but a presentation at this year’s annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society confirms yet again that AI is much more than just a trend. A new AI algorithm paired with a single-lead electrocardiogram accurately predicted the onset of ventricular tachycardia in 88% of patients in an outcome that could enable cardiologists to thwart thousands of sudden cardiac death (SCD) events each year, potentially ushering in a new age of cardiac care across the globe.
Among the many companies presenting data at the EuroPCR conference in Paris, several late breaking trials from heavy hitters Medtronic plc, Royal Phillips NV and Edwards Lifesciences Corp. stood out.
Heartpoint Global Inc. will begin human trials of its Intellistent device shortly and expects to make submission to the U.S. FDA in 2024, Seth Bogner, its chairman and CEO told BioWorld in an interview on the sidelines of the EuroPCR conference in Paris. Intellistent is a multi-lumen stent system for interventional adjustment of pulmonary blood flow in congenital heart disease. It is a minimally invasive device that will meet an unmet need in pulmonary artery hypertension caused by congenital heart disease, said Bogner.
Shockwave Medical Inc. enrolled the first patient in its EMPOWER CAD study, the first prospective, all-female study of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The study seeks to confirm the benefits of coronary intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in female patients with calcified lesions. Women have historically been underrepresented in cardiovascular trials and have had less favorable outcomes in response to therapies.
Elixir Medical Corp. reported that the Bioadaptor randomized controlled trial which compared its Dynamx coronary drug-eluting bioadaptor system to Dublin-based Medtronic plc’s Resolute Onyx drug-eluting stent (DES) in de novo native coronary arteries, met its primary endpoint of target lesion failure (TLF) non-inferiority at 12 months. The results were presented at a late-breaking clinical session during the EuroPCR 2023 conference in Paris.
Abbott Laboratories Inc. reported late-breaking data from the Bright study which showed that its Triclip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system reduced tricuspid regurgitation and improved the quality of life of patients with leaky tricuspid valves. The results from the largest real-world dataset were presented, for the first time, at the EuroPCR 2023 conference in Paris.
It has become apparent that introducing two stents into the body to treat a patient with a bifurcation disease is not necessary and can be harmful, David Hildick-Smith, the lead investigator in a study, told delegates at the EuroPCR conference in Paris. Presenting late-breaking clinical data of three-year follow up results of different stenting strategies in patients with true left main stem bifurcation lesions, Hildick-Smith said that the results showed that only one in five patients needed a second stent.
Veracyte Inc. reported that its Prosigna breast cancer assay significantly reduced the use of chemotherapy in patients with high-risk, early-stage disease at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2023 in Berlin this week. The findings came from the EMIT study, a prospective, multi-year, population-based study in women in Norway that is assessing the impact of the Prosigna test on treatment decisions and outcomes.