Having a non-O blood group is associated with a higher risk of heart attack, according to research presented at Heart Failure 2017 and the 4th World Congress on Acute Heart Failure, April 29-May 2 in Paris, France.

Prevencio Inc. announced the publication of data demonstrating that a simple new blood test is more accurate than evaluating commonly-used risk factors in determining whether a person will have a heart attack, stroke or major cardiac event. Researchers believe the data, published in the American Journal of Cardiology (AJC), could revolutionize how doctors identify patients — not only higher-risk patients who need aggressive treatment, but also lower-risk patients who could avoid expensive and invasive procedures.

Researchers at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) have led the development of a new method for producing positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers. The discovery utilizes the transition metal rhenium to promote fluorine-18 radiolabelling under aqueous, low temperature conditions.

Biotronik’s Pulsar-18 bare metal stent (BMS) has yielded high primary patency in a real-world setting, according to the 12-month results of the BIOFLEX PEACE all-comers registry. The findings were presented this week at the Charing Cross Symposium, April 25-28 in London. Outcomes of the BIOLUX 4EVER study were also presented on the main stage, revealing 12-month results numerically comparable to drug-eluting stents (DES) when the Pulsar-18 was used in combination with the Passeo-18 Lux drug-coated balloon (DCB).

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, N.H., installed Toshiba Medical’s Infinix-i Sky + angiography system in its endovascular hybrid operating room (OR). Wentworth-Douglass is using the system to diagnose and treat a wide range of vascular disorders, such as aneurysms and peripheral vascular disease.

Mercator MedSystems Inc. announced the first patient enrollment into the TANGO (Temsirolimus Adventitial Delivery to Improve Angiographic Outcomes Below the Knee) clinical trial. TANGO will study the effects of using Mercator’s proprietary Bullfrog Micro-Infusion Device for the adventitial delivery of the drug Torisel (temsirolimus) after revascularization of lesions below the knee (BTK) in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI).

Boston Scientific announced results from the RANGER SFA trial for the Ranger Paclitaxel-Coated PTA Balloon Catheter at the Charing Cross Symposium, in London. Data demonstrated that the drug-coated balloon (DCB) exhibited both a high rate of primary patency and freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 12 months, reducing the need for re-interventions to re-establish flow in previously blocked blood vessels.