Start-up company Procyrion Inc. is developing a catheter-deployed circulatory assist device intended for long-term use in the treatment of chronic heart failure. The 6 mm diameter Aortix device is narrower than a pencil and is delivered via a catheter in a minimally invasive outpatient procedure lasting about 10 minutes.

Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit used an Edwards Lifesciences Sapien transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device to repair a mitral valve that was narrowed with calcium buildup. William O'Neill, M.D., medical director of the Center for Structural Heart Disease at Henry Ford Hospital, estimates this new technique could help thousands of patients a year in the United States.

The topic of radiation safety and radiation dose monitoring has moved from state-specific regulations to a national trend with The Joint Commission’s (TJCs) recent announcement of their “New and Revised Diagnostic Imaging Standards.” The call for dose management and tracking has graduated from being advised to being mandated – from both a legal perspective and from within the world of healthcare’s patient safety foundation. The question that many organizations find themselves asking is “Where does this leave me?” and “Are we prepared for compliance?”