In Global News: 3D Echocardiography Goggles, US Lung Transplant Policy, and Training for OR Fires

Patient Care and General Interest
Uruguay’s fight against tobacco and Phillip Morris was highlighted at the recent Annual Meeting of the American College of Cardiology, and one physician shares her thoughts.
The University of California Los Angeles has opened a new center, the Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health, to focus on treatment, research, and education for esophageal disorders.
 
Drugs and Devices
Boston Scientific’s transcatheter Lotus Edge Aortic Valve System was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration. The company launched the system recently in Europe and will launch it in the US soon.
Goggles that facilitated a mixed-reality view of 3D echocardiography were used for a percutaneous mitral valve intervention in Poland.
 
Research, Trials, and Funding
Researchers from St. Louis, Missouri, USA, report on the impact of a 2017 change in US lung transplant policy that expanded the geographic boundaries for determining which patients get first priority for donor lungs.
Simulation training improves a team’s ability to manage operating room fires more than training that is exclusively didactic, say researchers from Illinois, USA.