Repeated cycles of weight loss and gain may be linked to higher risk for stroke, heart attack and death in people with pre-existing coronary artery disease, according to a study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

AtriCure Inc. announced it has sold more than 100,000 AtriClip Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion System devices worldwide. This makes it the most widely used of all devices for excluding the left atrial appendage (LAA), according to the company.

A recent study conducted at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) of Saint-Étienne, France validated the advantages of the Niobe ES magnetic navigation system over the Niobe II system in terms of procedure and fluoroscopy times for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation procedures. The study was published in the International Journal of Cardiology and represents the first comparison study of Stereotaxis’ latest-generation remote magnetic navigation system to its predecessor.

The Structural Heart Program at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, (Birmingham, Ala.) recently became the first center in the Southeast to implant the newly U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved CoreValve Evolut Pro.

Cardiovascular Systems Inc. (CSI) announced April 18 it had initiated a voluntary recall of its 7-10014 Saline Infusion Pump. CSI initiated a customer communication of the recall by letter and informed customers that they may continue to use the affected Saline Infusion Pumps until they receive a replacement.

Eating potassium-rich foods like sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach, beans, bananas and even coffee could be key to lowering blood pressure, according to Alicia McDonough, Ph.D., professor of cell and neurobiology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).

A collaboration between stroke neurologists at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and bioengineers at the University of Massachusetts has led to the creation of a realistic, 3-D-printed phantom of a stenotic intracranial artery. The phantom is being used to standardize protocols for high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), also known as vessel-wall MRI, at a network of U.S. and Chinese institutions, according to an article published online by the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.