NEW YORK — The COBRA trial suggests that cryoplasty for post-dilation of nitinol stents in the superficial femoral artery is an effective adjunctive treatment for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in diabetics.

SAN DIEGO--Recurrence of symptoms is common for many patients treated for atrial fibrillation, at least partly because the source of the arrhythmia is unknown. New research seeks to remedy that situation.

SAN FRANCISCO — Depression increases the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to researchers who recommend that clinicians pay more attention to mental-health issues in patients with the disease.

BOSTON — Mandatory public reporting appears to make it less likely that patients entering hospitals with heart attacks receive angioplasties, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the VA Boston Healthcare System.

By Sandra Basu

WASHINGTON — Frustrated by the high level of backlogged VA claims in the state, Texas has developed “State Strike Force Teams” to gather required paperwork on claims to speed processing, officials from the state told Congress recently.

FORT LEWIS, WA — Is the duodenal-switch (DS) procedure better than the commonly-used gastric bypass (GB) in prompting weight loss and control of coexisting conditions, especially for the super-obese?

SAN FRANCISCO — While non-obese patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia respond to both of the antibiotics vancomycin and linezolid, obese patients are best treated with linezolid, according to a VA researcher.

SAN ANTONIO — Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery resulted in significant weight loss for severely obese patients, and the weight loss was sustained for an average of six years after the surgery, according to a new study.

WASHINGTON — Barriers to information technology (IT) compatibility between VA and DoD are endemic to joint healthcare projects across the country, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation. The report lists problem areas, the worst being the ability to access and share each other’s healthcare information.

WASHINGTON — While medical care has not been compromised in the Iowa City VA Healthcare System, a “pervasive lack of support for staff problem-solving” could threaten patient safety, a recent investigation concluded.