Demand for cardiovascular care was on the rise before COVID-19, thanks to an aging population and increased access to care.

Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute named Thomas MacGillivray, MD, physician executive director of cardiac surgery May 25, effective Sept. 1.

Six firsts in the cardiology field Becker's has covered since May 3:

​​Newark (N.J.) Beth Israel Medical Center celebrated the longest-living patient in the state on a left ventricular assist device May 18.  

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring classifications and regulations for children and adolescents have been simplified in new guidance from the American Heart Association.

Biofourmis Care, a comprehensive care management platform including virtual multidisciplinary care teams, to be evaluated against in-person care among underserved patients with chronic cardiovascular conditions

An Initiative to Improve Outcomes for Patients With Congestive Heart Failure 

Children's Hospital Colorado recently became the first in the world to implant the newly FDA-approved G-Armor Stent.

Cleveland-based University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute recently became the first to report using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging on a minimally invasive procedure amid the imaging dye shortage. 

Compression socks or stockings, anti-seizure medicines and steroids are among treatments with uncertain effectiveness in treating intracerebral hemorrhages, or bleeding strokes, according to new guidelines from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. 

Healthgrades released its State Hospitals Rankings List May 10, which includes the top hospitals for cardiac surgery.

Pediatric heart failure emergency department visits and primary heart failure hospitalizations rose dramatically between 2012 and 2016, according to a new study led by researchers at Cleveland Clinic. 

Cytomegalovirus, a common virus among pigs, may have been one of several factors in the death of the patient who received the first genetically modified heart, USAToday reported May 5.

Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Washington Hospital Center recently performed the first robotic mitral valve surgery in the region.

Cardiologists from Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian reported what is believed to be the first patient with heart failure and a blood clot to undergo a minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement using computed tomography fusion imaging. 

Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Health plans to create and renovate more than 260,000 square feet of its heart and vascular facilities, it said May 4.

Four cardiologists who have recently stepped into new roles: 

Surgeons at Hollywood, Fla.-based Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital recently treated a patient with an opening defect in the wall of their heart using the first nonmetallic-framed transcatheter occluder.

Moultrie, Ga.-based Colquitt Regional Medical Center recently became the first in the state to offer patients the MyoSPECT, a new single-photon emission computerized tomography device, The Moultrie Observer reported May 2.

Here are the top 10 cardiology stories Becker's covered in April: