Undersized Donor Hearts; Rise of Infective Endocarditis; IABP Inventor Dies

Undersized donor hearts were indeed associated with more post-transplantation mortality — but only among complex transplant recipients, a Nashville center found. (Annals of Thoracic Surgery)

In Japan, the incidence of infective endocarditis increased, while affected patients turned up older and more medically complex. (Journal of the American Heart Association)

Greek cardiologist Spyridon Moulopoulos, MD, PhD, who invented the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), died at age 98. (eKathimerini)

The HEARTS Act was signed by President Biden, the law now paving the way for a grant program at HHS to support CPR and automated external defibrillator purchases and training for schools. (ESPN)

A non-invasive, wearable acoustic cardiography device showed promise for flagging subclinical leaflet thrombosis after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. (Heart)

For patients with coronary artery ectasia of the culprit infarct artery in acute coronary syndrome, clopidogrel (Plavix) plus rivaroxaban (Xarelto) showed mixed results compared with dual antiplatelet therapy in a small randomized trial. (American Heart Journal)

Persistent racial disparities in the quality of coronary artery bypass grafting surgery may be explained in part by suboptimal physician referrals from primary care physicians and cardiologists. (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes)

Men faced a poorer prognosis in upper extremity artery disease. (European Heart Journal)

Intravascular ultrasound use increased slightly in aortic endovascular interventions, according to CMS claims. (Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions)

Machine learning-based models had much room for improvement in predicting in-hospital mortality for heart failure patients, according to a meta-analysis. (Clinical Cardiology)

A positive causal relationship between cardiovascular disease and cancer was not supported by a Mendelian randomization study based on European sample sets. (Scientific Reports)

Long-term risk of myocardial infarction was low following a transient ischemic attack, according to a Danish nationwide study. (Stroke)