The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released new recommendations for use of the PICO negative pressure wound dressing (Smith & Nephew) for closed surgical incisions, saying the negative pressure dressings are “associated with fewer surgical site infections and seromas compared with standard wound dressings”.

Gore has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted regulatory approval for commercial distribution for the GORE TAG Conformable Thoracic Stent Graft with ACTIVE CONTROL System, a unique thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) solution combining new levels of control with the proven legacy and trusted performance of the Conformable GORE TAG Device. The device and delivery system provide new precision and predictable patient outcomes in the endovascular repair of aneurysms, transections, and Type B dissections of the descending thoracic aorta. A smaller-diameter primary delivery sleeve gives the device and system a lower profile across 10 device sizes.

Biotronik has launched the PK Papyrus covered coronary stent system in the United States for use in the emergency treatment of acute coronary perforations. PK Papyrus is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved device for the treatment of acute perforations in nearly two decades.

Current US guidelines recommend the use of embolic protection during saphenous vein graft percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) but, according to a new study, embolic protection is only used in 37.9% of cases with a significant decrease over time. Furthermore, use of embolic protection varies from site to site with a patient having 15.5-fold increased odds of undergoing saphenous graft PCI with embolic protection if they underwent the procedure at a site more likely to use embolic protection than a patient with similar characteristics undergoing the procedure at a site less likely to use embolic protection.

Intact Vascular has announced the first commercial use of its Tack Endovascular System in multiple sites across the USA. Recently FDA-approved for above-the-knee interventions, the first-of-its-kind dissection repair device is implanted post-angioplasty to resolve dissections in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

As part of the CX Vascular Access Masterclass on Wednesday, Colin Deane (London, UK) considered the role of surveillance in thrombosis, asking whether there exists a test that is simple, safe, precise and timely. While it has been established that using angioplasty, stenting or surgery to treat thrombosis associated with stenosis is effective and that intervention is effective in reducing morbidity, questions remain regarding surveillance.

In collaboration with the China Endovascular Course (CEC), this year’s Charing Cross Symposium (CX; 15–18 April, London, UK) played host to CEC@CX. Wei Guo (Beijing, China), Daqiao Guo (China) and Sheng Wang (Beijing, China) co-chaired a session focused on endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

On Wednesday, during the Aortic Podium 1st session at Charing Cross (CX) Symposium, Fabio Verzini (Turin, Italy) reported that endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) with an iliac branch endoprothesis (Gore) is safe and effective. He added that the procedure was associated with improved quality of life in the short term and walking capacity was preserved.

Medtronic has issued the following statement regarding revised clinical study data:

Recently, Medtronic became aware of a programming error in the clinical data reporting isolated to the two- and three-year follow-up periods in our IN.PACT Global post-market study, part of the IN.PACT Admiral clinical programme for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery disease.

Boston Scientific has announced results from sub-analyses of the IMPERIAL clinical trial for the Eluvia Drug-Eluting Vascular Stent System at the 41^st Charing Cross (CX) Symposium (15–18 April, London, UK). Data demonstrated that the efficacy and safety performance of the polymer-coated Eluvia drug-eluting stent does not appear to be affected by challenging lesions, defined as being severely to moderately calcified or completely blocked within the superficial femoral and proximal popliteal arteries.

The first-in-human case using the new deep vein thrombosis (DVT) device Vetex thrombectomy catheter (Vetex Medical) has recently been completed in a multicentre study. The device has the potential to reduce hospital stays and costs associated with DVT treatment, a press release announces.