According to a recent study, ultrasound surveillance following carotid endarterectomy is “costly and unlikely to improve outcomes or affect management,” even if over 80% ipsilateral restenosis is detected. The investigators suggest that “further research should determine the utility of routine contralateral carotid duplex ultrasound surveillance in this population, who may be at higher risk for progression to severe contralateral carotid disease”.

Siemens Healthineers will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Corindus Vascular Robotics, Corindus announced this month.

Concept Medical has been granted breakthrough device designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its MagicTouch percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) sirolimus drug-coated balloon (DCB) catheter, used in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in infra-popliteal lesions. The first breakthrough device designation received by Concept Medical was on 30 April 2019 for its MagicTouch sirolimus-coated balloon, for the treatment of coronary arterial disease (CAD) in patients with in-stent restenosis.

Clinical studies of paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents “may continue and should collected long-term safety (including mortality) and effectiveness data”, says the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a letter to healthcare providers on 7 August. This is due to “the demonstrated short-term benefits of the devices, the limitations of the available data, and uncertainty regarding the long-term benefit-risk profile of paclitaxel-coated devices”.

The Myval transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system, designed and manufactured by Meril Lifesciences in India, recently received the CE mark for the management of severe aortic stenosis. In this commentary, Ashok Seth discusses his experience with the Myval system, and the recent MyVal-1 study, one-year data of which he presented as a principal investigator at EuroPCR 2019 (20–24 May, Paris, France).

Edwards Lifesciences—in a press statement announcing its global second quarter (Q2) financial results—has revealed that it is taking the self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) device Centera off the market. The company says resources will instead be focused on the balloon-expanding Sapien range of TAVI devices, adding that it expects the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve Sapien 3/Sapien 3 Ultra for low-risk patients this quarter (Q3).

Speaking at the 2019 Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM; 12–15 June, National Harbor, USA), Samir Shah (Division of Vascular Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, USA) reported that patients with dementia have worse outcomes after vascular surgery than those without dementia. He added these findings should be used to counsel dementia patients and their carers “to achieve goal-concordant” care. 

Cardiovascular Systems recently announced that it has acquired the Wirion embolic protection system and related assets from Gardia Medical.

Members of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) presented up-to-date guidelines for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers at the 29^th conference of the European Wound Management Association (EWMA; 5–7 June, Gothenburg, Sweden), highlighting development on the areas of infection and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

The interim results of a multicentre, European retrospective analysis investigating the use of drug-coated balloons (DCBs) in symptomatic central venous stenosis (CVS) suggest that these devices could be a valid option for treatment, slowing down the effect of neo-intimal hyperplasia (NIH) leading to restenosis. Though with data mining still underway, the investigators warn against drawing any premature conclusions. Panagiotis Kitrou (Patras University Hospital, Patras, Greece) presented these preliminary results at the annual EndoVascular Access Meeting (EVA; 21–22 June, Patras, Greece) earlier this year.

GraftWorx has commenced a service evaluation in collaboration with the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and a National Health Service (NHS) Hospital Foundation Trust based in the North East of England.