Edwards Lifesciences is recalling the Miller Balloon Atrioseptostomy Catheter and Fogarty Dilation Atrioseptostomy Catheter because of the possibility of difficulty in balloon deflation after deployment, which may lead to balloon fragmentation or detachment upon attempted retrieval. The firm has received reports of balloon fragmentation or detachment, which may cause serious adverse health consequences including: damage to the heart, the inferior vena cava, and/or the femoral and iliac veins; additional procedures to retrieve the fragments; permanent patient disability; pulmonary embolism; stroke; damage to other organs; or death. One serious injury was reported in which an infant underwent an invasive, but successful surgical procedure to retrieve a detached balloon. There were no deaths reported.

The thickness of the coronary artery wall as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an independent marker for heart disease in women, according to a study published in the journal Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.

April 24, 2019 — New research from the University of Illinois at Chicago shows that when pharmacies close, people stop ...

Determining which elderly heart attack patients take longer to stand from a seated position and walk across a room may help predict who will be readmitted to the hospital within a month, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

The Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund, which funds Medicare Part A, will only be able to pay full benefits for Medicare beneficiaries until 2026, according to the 2019 annual report from the Medicare Board of Trustees. The Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund, which funds Medicare Part B and D, is expected to be adequately financed in all years, but the aging population and rising healthcare costs are projected to grow SMI costs from 2.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018 to approximately 3.7 percent of GDP in 2038.