Most “risk calculators” used by clinicians to gauge a patient’s chances of suffering a heart attack and guide treatment decisions appear to significantly overestimate the likelihood of a heart attack, according to results of a study by investigators at Johns Hopkins and other institutions.

Certain types of chemotherapy are associated with heart issues known as cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction. However, symptoms don’t appear until the issue is already advanced and potentially deadly. Experts at Baylor College of Medicine say early screening and monitoring using echocardiograms could be the key to helping cancer survivors stay heart-healthy and get their life back.

Boston Scientific and C. R. Bard announced a deal where Boston Scientific will distribute the Lutonix 035 drug coated balloon (DCB) percutaneous transluminal angioplasty catheter in the United States under a limited distribution agreement reached with Bard. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Medi-Lynx Cardiac Monitoring LLC and Medicalgorithmics have announced their participation in a research project investigating the impact of lifestyle modification on ablation outcome in atrial fibrillation (ISOLATE). Medicalgorithmics’ PocketECG cardiac monitoring system will be used for collecting and analyzing the electrocargiogram (ECG) data in the project.

A manufacturing error caused the balloon inflation ports to be mislabeled on Covidien’s Trellis 6 and Trellis 8 Peripheral Infusion systems, prompting a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Class I recall of the devices.

Ablative Solutions Inc. announced the addition of Michael Weber, M.D., FACP, FACC, FAHA, to its Scientific Advisory Board.

Zoll Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced that RAV Gelderland-Midden in the Netherlands has equipped its fleet of 20 ambulances with the Zoll AutoPulse Non-invasive Cardiac Support Pump.