Terumo Aortic today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough device designation for its Thoraflex Hybrid stented device for complex aortic arch repair.

Mardil Medical has announced the successful completion of treatment for the third patient in the clinical trial of its improved VenTouch device for type IIIb functional mitral valve regurgitation. A press release reports that the device is a combination therapy which simultaneously treats the distorted valve, the dilated ventricle and the displaced papillary muscles. It adds that VenTouch is a minimally invasive surgical treatment for a condition associated with accelerated heart failure.

Sebastian Debus (University Heart Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany) is joined by Birgitta Sigvant (Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden) and Rupert Bauersachs (Clinic Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany) for a special ESVS Educational Webinar: “From Science to Practice: Impact of the VOYAGER PAD trial on interventions for PAD [peripheral arterial disease].”

Simon Ray, president of the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS), has told the COVID-19 Cardiovascular Conference that a lack of consistency in national guidance around personal protective equipment (PPE) during COVID-19 had led to a “vacuum” which has had to be filled by individual societies and membership organisations. This, he said, has created “a piecemeal approach, which does not necessarily join up”.

The longest follow-up to date of patients with left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) has found no significant differences in rates of death, myocardial infarction or stroke between patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and those who had coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

In stable atherosclerosis, a combination of aspirin plus rivaroxaban provided a similar relative degree of benefit on coronary, cerebrovascular, and peripheral endpoints in patients with and without diabetes, a prespecified analysis of the COMPASS trial has shown. It also noted that, given their higher baseline risk, the absolute benefits appeared greater in those with diabetes, including a three-fold greater reduction in all-cause mortality.

Treatment with aspirin plus rivaroxaban following lower extremity revascularisation in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) leads to a 15% reduction in the risk of major adverse limb and cardiovascular events when compared with aspirin alone.

A viewpoint in the Journal of the American Medical Association has offered potential solutions to modifying ongoing randomised clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to “minimise disruption and preserve integrity”, while still ensuring participant health and safety.

CroíValve has announced the successful first human use of its Duo Tricuspid Coaptation Valve technology for tricuspid repair. The company says the procedure was performed by an experienced heart team in St James’ University Hospital (Dublin, Ireland).

The president of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Chris Imray (University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK), has issued a letter to Vascular Society members on the COVID-19 virus and vascular surgery, offering “general principles” on vascular patients and COVID-19, elective surgery and outpatients, urgent vascular surgery, trainees, other specialities, the appropriate use of scarce resources, documentation, personal safety, mental health and burnout, research, clinical training/education, and audit. Imray stresses that “local decision making is key”.

Straub Medical (United States), the US direct-sales subsidiary of Straub Medical AG (Switzerland), has announced the launch and first intervention performed with the Rotarex S atherectomy device designed for treating occlusive peripheral vascular disease (OPVD). 

European CE mark has been awarded to the TriGUARD 3 cerebral embolic protection (CEP) device from Keystone Heart, a Venus Medtech Company.