December 24, 2009 - The suggested use of fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements in new guidelines is expected to greatly expand the technology’s usage, and one manufacturer said sales have already increased dramatically.

December 23, 2009 – An investigational beta-blocker drug may be tested to see if it helps slow the progression of chronic heart failure in patients who have a specific genotype.

December 22, 2009 – A new study is the first to specifically identify the year immediately around a woman’s final menstrual period as the time of most adverse changes in the lipid profile in women. The study appears in the Dec. 15-22, 2009, print double issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) and the Prevention and Outcomes Quarterly Focus Issue.

December 21, 2009 – Revised guidelines on the use of beta-blockers for noncardiac surgery say therapy should neither be initiated on the day of surgery, nor stopped abruptly peri- or postoperatively.

December 18, 2009 – Results from the Europella registry, evaluating the safety and feasibility of the Abiomed Impella 2.5 circulatory assist device in high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures, was published in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

December 17, 2009 – The University of Virginia (UVa) in Charlottesville and AstraZeneca this week entered into a strategic research collaboration to enhance development of new treatments, primarily for coronary artery disease (CAD) with a secondary focus on peripheral vascular disease (PAD).