In Global News: Nuts for Heart Health, Immunotherapy Prior to NSCLC Surgery, and Treatment for Children With CHD [1]
Patient Care
The Chinese Red Cross has announced that 25 Afghan children with congenital heart disease will receive free medical treatment in China [3].
The National Health System England has chosen HeartFlow™ FFRct Analysis to be funded [4] through the Innovation and Technology Payment program [5], which may allow more patients with coronary artery disease to avoid angioplasty.
The Children’s Heart Foundation and the Adult Congenital Heart Association will host a number of Congenital Heart Walks around the US in 2018 [6] to promote disease awareness and to raise funding for research and educational programs.
Drugs and Devices
In the latest development in a patent spat over transcatheter heart valve technologies, the European Patent Office has revoked a patent owned by Edwards Lifesciences in favor of Boston Scientific [7]. In March, however, the US Patent and Trademark Office ruled in favor of Edwards Lifesciences that claims made by Boston Scientific were invalid [8].
Research, Trials, and Funding
Researchers report that 45% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received nivolumab prior to surgery showed a major pathologic response [9] in the resected tumor, presenting their findings at the recent annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Cardiome Pharma has completed enrollment for the Phase 4 SPECTRUM study [10] in the EU evaluating vernakalant hydrochloride for recent onset atrial fibrillation.
A recent study of Swedish adults found that nut consumption was inversely associated with one’s risk for atrial fibrillation and for heart failure [11].