The Handoff: Your Week in Cardiology News – 11/4/16

The Handoff is a weekly roundup of cardiology news covering various developments in subspecialties, as well as pharmaceutical industry, association, and society news.

• Transcaval access, a new method of performing TAVR, has been developed by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The results of the groundbreaking study were also presented at the 2016 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting in Washington, DC.
• Cardiac bypass surgery pioneer W. Dudley Johnson, MD, died on October 24 from complications related to a stroke. According to a New York Times article, Dr Johnson was considered “a healer of last resort for heart patients around the world.”
• Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland have developed a smartphone app that detects heart attacks by utilizing a phone’s built-in motion sensors. The phone should be placed on a person’s chest when they feel acute chest pain, and after about 2 minutes, the app collects and analyzes the data.
• Gerard Silvestri, MD, MS, FCCP, an international expert in lung cancer and interventional pulmonology, has been named as the new President of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), along with John Studdard, MD, FCCP, as the President-Elect, and Clayton Cowl, MD, MS, FCCP as President-Designate.
• The 2016 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions will take place beginning Saturday, November 12 through Wednesday, November 16. Cardiology Advisor will be covering the latest news live from New Orleans. 
• Bioethics experts are calling a case of a 13-year-old boy’s sudden death and his family’s subsequent genetic testing for heart conditions a cautionary tale. The results initially pointed to long QT syndrome and the boy’s brother was implanted with a cardiac defibrillator to prevent fatal heart rhythms. However, it turned out none of the family members—including the 13-year-old boy himself—actually had long QT syndrome.
• In conjunction with National Diabetes Month, the National Institutes of Health released a statement from Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, director of National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, who encouraged patients to build a support network to stay healthy. Dr Rodgers also noted 2 promising ongoing trials for both type 1 and 2 diabetes patients.
• The Ohio State University and the Women’s Heart Alliance are teaming up to educate and empower young women about heart disease and stroke. Among several activities, a campus codeathon called HACKOHI/O 2016 will have competing teams develop heart health-related solutions, such as “an app that utilizes wearable devices.”