Catheter News and Research

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In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters . In most uses, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube ("soft" catheter), though in some uses, it is a larger, solid ("hard") catheter. A catheter left inside the body, either temporarily or permanently, may be referred to as an indwelling catheter. A permanently inserted catheter may be referred to as a permcath.

Labor induction methods show similar effectiveness and differing safety profiles

A new review including over 100 clinical trials has found that no induction method was clearly effective than low-dose vaginal misoprostol, although some methods were less effective and safety profiles varied.

27 Jan 2026

New copper-based drug shows promise against antibiotic-resistant MRSA

A research team at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is developing a drug that works in combination with copper to kill bacteria, including those that cause MRSA, a type of staph infection that is resistant to usual treatments.

22 Jan 2026

Major trial questions the need for invasive monitoring in heart surgery

Australians undergoing open-heart surgery could soon benefit from safer, simpler care and get home earlier thanks to the results of a world-first clinical trial led by Monash University's Victorian Heart Institute.

21 Jan 2026

UT Southwestern performs first regional whole-liver chemotherapy for rare eye cancer

A team at UT Southwestern Medical Center this week became the first in Texas and neighboring states to successfully perform a novel procedure to deliver whole-liver chemotherapy to treat metastatic uveal melanoma, a rare and deadly eye cancer.

21 Jan 2026

HonorHealth patient first in Arizona to receive new investigational treatment for ischemic stroke

A stroke patient at HonorHealth Research Institute is the first in Arizona to receive a new investigational treatment that targets platelets - rather than traditional clotting proteins - to help reopen blocked blood vessels in the brain.

20 Jan 2026

Researchers successfully perform coronary artery bypass without cutting the chest wall

In a world-first, a team of researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, has successfully performed a coronary artery bypass - a normally open-heart surgery - without cutting the chest wall.

6 Jan 2026

Women may derive greater long-term benefits from coronary artery bypass grafting compared with stents

Women with severe coronary heart disease causing narrowing or blockages in the arteries may derive greater long-term benefits from coronary artery bypass grafting compared with percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as stenting, according to a large study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

22 Dec 2025

New evidence supports ablation for high-risk patients with AFib and sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation are two conditions that share a potentially deadly link. Having one increases the odds of developing the other, and together, the breathing difficulties of sleep apnea combined with the irregular heartbeat of atrial fibrillation (AFib) can result in life-threatening cardiovascular risks.

1 Dec 2025

Researchers engineer a novel technique for guiding endoscopes to deep lung tumors

Researchers at The University of Osaka have engineered a novel technique, Balloon-Assisted Bronchoscope Delivery (BDBD), to guide endoscopes to small, early-stage lung cancers hidden deep within the periphery of the lungs.

17 Nov 2025

Magnetic microrobots guide drugs directly to blood clots

Every year, 12 million people worldwide suffer a stroke; many die or are permanently impaired. Currently, drugs are administered to dissolve the thrombus that blocks the blood vessel.

14 Nov 2025

Cardiologists recommend reassessing need for additional stents later

A blocked coronary artery causing an acute heart attack must be opened immediately with a stent procedure. However, if other coronary arteries also appear to be narrowed, it is safe to wait and treat those later. This approach cuts the number of stent procedures in half, according to cardiologists from Radboud university medical center, writing in The New England Journal of Medicine.

14 Nov 2025

Modular magnetic microrobots achieve precision drug delivery

A magnetically guided microrobotics system is capable of navigating the body's intricate passageways and vasculature to deliver drugs with pinpoint accuracy, according to a new study.

13 Nov 2025

Metformin shows promise in treating AFib recurrence after ablation

People with atrial fibrillation (AFib) and obesity may have fewer episodes of AFib after ablation if they take the diabetes medication metformin in addition to standard care, according to a preliminary, late-breaking science presentation today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025.

11 Nov 2025

Anticoagulants increase bleeding post-ablation with no added stroke benefit

A minimally invasive heart procedure to correct irregular heart rhythms called catheter ablation may reduce the risk of stroke enough that some patients can discontinue blood thinners, according to a preliminary late-breaking science presentation today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025.

11 Nov 2025

Standard care found to be the better choice for older people with irregular heart rhythms

For older people with irregular heart rhythms who are at high risk of stroke and bleeding, standard care (including the use of blood thinners when indicated) was found to be the better choice compared to a promising, catheter-based procedure, according to a preliminary late-breaking science presentation today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025.

10 Nov 2025

Texas' transitional dialysis program led to significant decline in utilization of emergency dialysis

The cost of emergency dialysis is estimated to be 8-times that of in-center dialysis. A new study reveals that a transitional dialysis program piloted in Travis County (Austin, TX) resulted in a significant decrease in emergency department visits and hospital admissions for emergency dialysis by providing a pathway for outpatient dialysis in uninsured patients.

10 Nov 2025

Over one-third of men would rather endure stressful situations than discuss prostate health

A new survey from Orlando Health reveals that over one-third of men (38%) would rather endure stressful situations, such as watching their team lose a big game or being stuck in traffic, than discuss their prostate health.

4 Nov 2025

Sirolimus-eluting balloon emerges as a safe and effective option for coronary in-stent restenosis

A new drug-eluting balloon can perform just as well as the standard treatment for patients with coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) undergoing repeated percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

31 Oct 2025

Study highlights non-inferiority of super-high-pressure non-compliant balloons in coronary interventions

New study findings show that utilizing super-high-pressure non-compliant balloons (NCB) is non-inferior to intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) balloon catheters for lesion preparation and stent expansion in severely calcified lesions during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

28 Oct 2025

Artificial intelligence guides personalized treatment for heart patients

A landmark international study led by the University of Zurich has shown that artificial intelligence can assess patient risk for the most common type of heart attack more accurately than existing methods.

16 Oct 2025