Portico Hits the Market; TAVR Explantation Risks; Beware Unreliable Registries?

German recipients of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine showed that severe headache can precede cerebral venous sinus thrombosis by a few days in vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), according to a brief report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Hospitals with multidisciplinary cardiogenic shock teams performed better in shock management and cardiac ICU survival. (Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

A man recovering from mild COVID wound up hospitalized 2 months later for cardiogenic shock related to multisystem inflammatory syndrome. (JACC: Case Reports)

In elderly people, investigational drug ciraparantag worked as a reversal agent for oral anticoagulants apixaban (Eliquis) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto). (European Heart Journal)

Consider bleeding risks for people taking anticoagulants for more than a few months after a first unprovoked venous thromboembolism, a meta-analysis showed. (Annals of Internal Medicine)

A family-based intervention in India improved cardiovascular risk profiles of people with coronary heart disease. (The Lancet Global Health)

Compared with other major surgeries, cardiac surgery was associated with more neuronal damage in terms of the plasma pTau181 biomarker that is relatively specific to Alzheimer’s disease. (JAMA Neurology)

FDA green-lit the self-expanding Portico with FlexNav system for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), Abbott announced. The valve had failed to improve on contemporary commercial devices in the PORTICO IDE trial.

There are risks to surgical explantation of TAVR valves, according to the international EXPLANT-TAVR registry. (JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions)

National cardiac registries around the world vary widely in the processes used to ensure data completeness and accuracy. (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes)

A Florida cardiologist paid the government $6.75 million to settle alleged false claims for medically unnecessary ablations and vein stent procedures, the Department of Justice announced.

Records from Seattle‐Tacoma International Airport affirmed that automated external defibrillators can save plane passengers in cardiac arrest mid-flight. (Journal of the American Heart Association)

Fewer than half of states with publicly available adult stroke EMS protocols recommended special transport considerations for people with suspected strokes from large vessel occlusion, one group found. (JAMA Neurology)

A small trial suggested the optimal window of time for stroke survivors to start arm and hand use rehab. (PNAS)

Young people with sickle cell anemia showed signs of reverse cardiac remodeling after less than a year of hydroxyurea therapy. (Blood Advances)

Statins showed promise in going beyond cardiovascular prevention to treatment for ulcerative colitis. (Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association)