CardioBreak: HVAD Mixed Results; New Echo Classifications; Tx for Statin Non-Responders?

— Recent developments of interest in cardiovascular medicine

MedpageToday

A handheld EEG device quickly distinguishes brain hemorrhage with high accuracy, researchers reported in Academic Emergency Medicine.

Medtronic's HVAD heart pump missed the primary endpoint of noninferiority on neurological events compared with the HeartMate II device in the ENDURANCE-2 study, although some secondary endpoints for stroke were positive. (Mass Device)

The HVAD implanted via a less invasive thoracotomy technique did well on survival and stroke endpoints in the LATERAL study. (Mass Device)

The American Society of Echocardiography released a focused guideline update for echo assessment of aortic stenosis with a new classification scheme focused on gradient, stroke volume flow, and left ventricular ejection fraction in a stepwise algorithm.

Stroke centers in China have a 16.0% rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage after endovascular stroke treatment -- higher than seen in the U.S. and European trials -- researchers reported in Stroke.

Antihypertensive medication use in pregnancy was associated with certain congenital heart defects, according to the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. (Hypertension)

Glycoside heart failure drugs might help cut LDL cholesterol in patients who don't respond to statins, according to a preclinical study in Cell Stem Cell. (Science Daily)

Obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is real -- and "a clinically relevant phenotype that may require specific treatments," researchers argued in a study in Circulation.

A stem cell "patch" helped heart failure in a phase I study. (HealthDay via MedicalXpress)

The proposed International Classification of Diseases Eleventh Revision (ICD-11) would harm stroke unit care, one group argued in Stroke.

In a trio of not so surprising findings presented at the EuroPrevent meeting in Malaga, Spain:

The U.S. Patent and Trademark's Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board cleared the way to generic forms of treprostinil (Tyvaso, Orenitram) for pulmonary artery hypertension. One company said it would file for approval of a generic this year. (Yahoo! Finance)