Interatrial Shunting for Heart Failure: Early and Late Results From the First-in-Human Experience With the V-Wave System.

Objectives: This was a first-in-human study to assess the feasibility, safety, and exploratory efficacy of interatrial shunting for treating high-risk heart failure (HF) in patients with reduced and preserved ejection fraction.

Methods: A single-arm open-label study of patients with New York Heart Association functional class III or IV HF on optimal therapy was performed at 6 centers. The V-Wave shunt, an hourglass-shaped implant containing a 1-way bioprosthetic valve, was implanted by transseptal catheterization.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator prescription in the elderly.

Background: Because sudden cardiac death increases with age, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) might greatly benefit the elderly. However, elderly patients are underrepresented in clinical trials, and comorbid conditions may attenuate benefit.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine ICD prescription in the elderly.