April 2020 News Roundup

Cath Lab Dispatch is TCTMD’s monthly roundup of recent news tidbits from journals and medical meetings around the globe.
 

The World Health Organization issued its annual report on the state of the world’s nursing. The 2020 report gives up-to-date information on the global nursing workforce and offers an evidence-based rationale for investment in nursing education, jobs, and leadership.

Real-world data from Spain’s FANTASIIA registry show no significant differences in embolic events, severe bleeding, or all-cause death whether octogenarians with A-fib are treated with a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) or a vitamin K antagonist (VKA).

A review article in the Journal of Advanced Nursing suggests ways human resource management can mitigate workplace violence against nurses.

Data from the Mayo Clinic PCI Registry indicate that women are 22% less likely than men to undergo PCI via radial artery access (RAA) despite being at higher risk for bleeding. “This suggests that despite growing acceptance of RAA as part of a bleeding reduction strategy, female sex itself may deter use of this technique,” the researchers write in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.

A research letter in JAMA Cardiology suggest that the revised national coverage determination (NCD) for TAVR, which provides new surgical volume requirements for hospitals wanting to start a TAVR program, could result in a doubling of the number of cardiac surgical hospitals offering the procedure. The authors say that close monitoring is needed to ensure that access expands to areas of need rather than existing markets.

A state-of-the-art review article in JACC: Heart Failure provides an overview and current regulatory perspective for three novel implantable devices that could be headed to the clinical arena. The authors say the three technologies—baroreflex activation therapy (BAT), interatrial shunts, and phrenic nerve stimulation—are creative device solutions for the growing burden of HF.

COVID-19 Resources

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association has put together a page of tips and resources to help frontline workers with their stress levels and self-care.

The Anticoagulation Forum has a free webinar that provides information on how to help warfarin patients who are having difficulty getting INR testing.

Emory University has printable PDFs explaining how to conserve and extend wear of a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) have published a consensus statement in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions to temporarily guide the triage of patients referred for structural heart interventions.

In light of the QTc-prolonging/torsadogenic potential of some COVID-19 pharmacotherapies, Mayo Clinic Proceedings has released a pre-publication guidance document on QTc surveillance strategies and best practices for healthcare workers monitoring these patients.