Using catheter-based ablation instead of medications alone reduces the risks of death and stroke in patients with the common heart arrhythmia known as atrial fibrillation (AFib), new research from UC Davis physicians shows.

The PQ Bypass Detour System showed promising 12-month durability for patients with extremely long blockages in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) in new results from the DETOUR I Trial. The data were presented as a late-breaking clinical trial session at the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Vascular Annual Meeting, June 20-23 in Boston, Mass. The trial enrolled lesions longer and more complex than those typically studied in SFA clinical trials, with an average lesion length of 37cm, 100 percent TASC II C/D, 96 percent chronic total occlusions (CTO) and 81 percent with moderate-to-severe calcification.

Investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) have demonstrated the feasibility of implanting a micropacemaker system in the pericardial sac surrounding the heart. The development represents a breakthrough that may open up new cardiac pacing options for children and adults.