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30Dec

Outcomes for Left Ventricular Assist Device Usage with End-Stage Renal Disease

In April 2022, researchers from Queens Hospital Center (Internal Medicine), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Internal Medicine), Kettering Medical Center (Internal Medicine), Rawal Institute of Health Services (Medicine), Weill Cornell Medicine (Cardiology/Medicine), and Queens Hospital Center (Cardiology) examined the outcomes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients requiring a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) as destination therapy (DT) or bridge to transplant (BTT). The complete manuscript by Sofia Lakhdar, Mahmoud Nassar, Chandan Buttar, Laura M. Guzman Perez, Shahzad Akbar, Anoosh Zafar, and Most Munira can be found in Cureus. The summary of their systematic review is detailed below.

The standard of care for patients with end-stage heart failure is heart transplantation, although there is a significant lack of donor's hearts compared to the number of recipients in need. For these patients awaiting transplantation requiring destination therapy (DT) or bridge to transplant (BTT), left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are commonly used. However, renal dysfunction has been associated with a reduced survival rate after implantation of LVAD, especially in those with ESRD at the time of implantation.

26Dec

Determining the Metabolites Removed by CRRT

In November 2022, researchers from the First and Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (Department of Intensive Care Medicine) completed a prospective study screening differential metabolic markers in AKI patients before and after CRRT to determine which are removed. The complete study by Yue Li, Wenhua Liu, Kaijiang Yu, Hongliang Wang, and Changsong Wang can be found in Critical Care. A summary of their research is detailed below.

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is used on patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) to stimulate standard glomeruli filtration, which results in the removal of water and solute. CRRT filters out solutes that weigh less than 50,000 daltons, which can include trace elements such as glucose, K+, and Na+. Since these elements are needed in the body and are not desired to be filtered out, they are often supplemented in patients receiving CRRT. However, there has yet to be any experimental research regarding the loss of organic matter through CRRT, including if any is lost, how much is lost, and how this loss may affect the body.

22Dec

FDA Recall for Arrow International, LLC, a subsidiary of Teleflex, Inc

Arrow International, LLC, a subsidiary of Teleflex, Inc, is recalling Arrow AutoCAT 2 and AC3 Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps after receiving complaints that battery power is not lasting as expected. The FDA has identified this as a Class I recall. A fully charged battery should last 90 minutes; however, multiple users report the devices are experiencing shorter run times. The battery life warnings, designed to sound at 20, 10, and 5 minutes of battery power remaining, are also inaccurate as the battery depletes more rapidly than indicated. There have been 241 complaints, with 135 reported pump stops. No deaths have been reported related to this issue.

16Dec

Current Data on Minimalist TAVR Care Pathways and Future Research Directions

In June 2022, researchers from Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, and Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery summarized current data for a minimalist TAVR approach and what future studies need to focus on to optimize TAVR care. The full manuscript by Mariem A. Sawan, Avery E. Calhoun, Kendra J. Grubb, and Chandan M. Devireddy can be found in Current Cardiology Reports. Their review is summarized below.

Since its first application in 2002, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a central component in treating aortic stenosis. As TAVR continues to be a preferred treatment option for patients with aortic stenosis, there is an advancement in the "minimalist approach," which places a significant emphasis on early discharge.

09Dec

Overcoming Complications of Cardiovascular Prevention in Diabetic Patients Through Aspirin

In March 2022, researchers from Université de Montréal (Faculties of Pharmacy and Medicine), Montreal Heart Institute (Department of Medicine and Research Center), and the Institut de Recherche Clinique de Montréal completed a review on the use of aspirin in patients with diabetes and its effect to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
 
The complete manuscript by Mélina Del Bianco-Rondeau, Maxime Robert Halabi, Samara Bloom, Remi Rabasa-Lhoret, Jean-Clause Tardif, Marie Lordkipanidzé, and Guillaume Marqui-Gravel can be found in Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Their findings are summarized below.

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is significantly higher in patients with diabetes; therefore, patients with diabetes are recommended healthier lifestyles and pharmacological interventions to prevent CVD, including the regular use of antiplatelet agent such as aspirin. However, recent large-scale trials on antiplatelet agent aspirin have not shown any benefit to its traditional, low-dose usage in those with diabetes.