TCTMD’s Top 10 Most Popular Stories for February 2024

Our top story this month offered tips and tricks for how to manage patients coming up against the semaglutide shortages, with some advice for transitioning to other agents. Other popular stories tracked with US Food and Drug Administration news in the tricuspid valve arena, both surprising and unsurprising. A story on salt substitution and new hypertension diagnoses landed in third place, followed by a tribute to TAVI valve pioneer Alain Cribier, MD. Rounding out the list were some big new from the ISET, International Stroke Conference, and Society of Thoracic Surgeon meetings, as well as some sobering numbers on CPR survival following in-hospital cardiac arrest.

1. Injectable Semaglutide Shortage Forces Physicians to Pivot

As demand for the drug continues to rise, alternatives like the oral formulation and other injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists come into play. TCTMD reached out to some experts to learn more.

2. FDA Approves First Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement Device

Taking many by surprise, the agency made the decision based on incomplete clinical trial data, although the sponsor says there are “favorable trends” in hard outcomes at 1 year.

3. Salt Substitute Slashes New Hypertension Diagnoses: DECIDE-Salt

A “passive” strategy of replacing salt in food without patients needing to make major changes to their eating patterns may have profound effects, one expert suggested.

4. Alain Cribier’s Death Mourned, His Legacy Celebrated Around the World

Famous for his “crazy dream” of implanting the world’s first TAVI, and loved for his energy and humility, Alain Cribier, MD, passed away this month.

5. FDA Panel Takes a Positive View of TriClip in Tricuspid Regurgitation

After a day of discussion and a hard look at the TRILUMINATE data, the FDA advisory committee concluded the benefits of TriClip outweigh the risks.

6. ISC ZODIAC: Laying Flat Equals Better Outcomes for Stroke Thrombectomy Candidates

”Zero-degree positioning” may be one of the most important first steps in managing large-vessel occlusions, a new study shows.

7. ISET AI in Pulmonary Embolism: ‘Transformative’ for Patient Care

Two physicians at ISET 2024 shared their firsthand impressions of what AI can bring to PE diagnosis, triage, and treatment.

8. STS SAVR After Failed TAVI on the Rise, With High Mortality

All cardiac surgeries after TAVI are increasing, but how to treat this high-risk group will be a new—and in some cases worrisome—challenge for surgeons.

9. STS TAVI, SAVR Almost Equally Performed in California Patients Under 60

Surgery is the guideline-preferred strategy in younger adults, yet numbers point to TAVI being increasingly common. What’s more, numbers from 2013-2021 hint at more deaths at 5 years with TAVI.

10. Lengthy CPR for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Tied to Worse Outcomes

Survival and functional outcome at discharge grow worse by the minute, raising the question of how long is too long to keep trying to save a life.