Among deployed U.S. service members who died of combat or unintentional injuries between 2001-2011 and underwent autopsies, the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis was 8.5 percent, with factors associated with a higher prevalence of the disease including older age, lower educational level and prior diagnoses of dyslipidemia, hypertension and obesity, according to a clinical study in the Dec. 26 issue of JAMA.
Pulse Oximetry Screening is a life-saving test that can detect critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) in newborn babies before an infant is discharged from the hospital. The test is easy to perform, however, appropriate interpretation of the results can be challenging. In order to aid health care providers in interpreting the results of the screening, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has created the Pulse Ox Tool, a ground-breaking app for smart phones that automates the Pulse Oximetry Screening test and improves the accuracy of detecting children with possible CCHD.
The past year in cardiology has continued to see progress and innovation in medicine. As the year comes to an end, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) identified some of the top cardiovascular stories of 2012.
Providing exceptional cardiovascular care for patients to achieve the best possible outcomes is the number one goal for ...
Resuscitation, cell regeneration, a new high blood pressure treatment and developments in devices for treating stroke are among the key scientific findings that make up this year's top cardiovascular and stroke research identified by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
December 28, 2012 — Researchers have discovered that adding lovastatin, a widely used cholesterol-lowering drug, to traditional antimalarial treatment decreases neuroinflammation and protects against cognitive impairment in a mouse model of cerebral malaria.
December 27, 2012 — Cardiosonic Inc., a private developer of technology in the field of renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension, announced it has closed on the first $6.1 million of a planned $16.1 million Series B financing.
Cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) is growing in popularity among cardiologists because it provides the ability ...
December 27, 2012 — Biotronik announced that the first implant has taken place in the BIOHELIX-I trial in the United States. The BIOHELIX–I trial is set to evaluate the safety and performance of the Pro-Kinetic Energy coronary bare metal stent.
According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), a company focused on global medical technology market intelligence, approximately 80 percent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures are being performed on high-risk patients who are ineligible for surgical heart valve replacement. New clinical evidence that supports TAVR in treatment of intermediate and high-risk operable patients has led to expanded reimbursement for a new patient base for the procedure. The inclusion of these patients will fuel much of the growth of the TAVR market in Europe over the next four years. The market will grow by 60 percent between 2012 and 2016, following 30 percent growth from 2011 to 2012. The European TAVR market will have a total value of $650 million dollars by 2016.
A dozen years ago, controversial clinical trial results caused an international medical society to warn against the use of stents in leg arteries. But recent years have brought significant improvements in stent technology. One-year follow-up results of a worldwide, multicenter trial with 744 patients show that 90 percent of participants had successful procedures that did not require a repeat treatment.
When performing radiofrequency (RF) ablation to treat cardiac arrhythmia, medical professionals must balance the safety ...
December 26, 2012 — St. Jude Medical Inc. announced the first patient enrollment in its ILUMIEN I clinical study. The observational study is designed to show the optimal way optical coherence tomography (OCT), combined with the PressureWire Aeris, a wireless interventional tool that measures fractional flow reserve (FFR), can guide stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease.
December 26 , 2012 — Congress last week affirmed its dedication to securing a sustainable, domestic supply of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) as it passed the American Medical Isotope Production Act of 2011 (S.99). The bill, sponsored Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ark), was passed out of the Senate by Unanimous Consent and referred to the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment. S.99 was included in the Conference Agreement for the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013. The president is expected to sign the final legislation.
December 26, 2012 — Flexible Stenting Solutions Inc. (FSS) announced it gained CE mark in the European Union for its 6 French Reconstrainable FlexStent Femoropopliteal self-expanding stent system. FSS is a developer of next-generation peripheral, neurovascular and biliary stents. This new device combines advanced FlexStent technology with unique reconstrainable stent delivery technology.
Change Healthcare Cardiology Hemodynamics is an integrated hemodynamic monitoring system for monitoring vital signs and ...
December 26, 2012 — Covidien announced a definitive agreement to acquire CV Ingenuity. The companies expect to complete the acquisition in the first calendar quarter of 2013. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. CV Ingenuity, a privately held company based in Fremont, Calif., is focused on improving patient outcomes in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
At RSNA 2012, GE Healthcare focused attention on next-generation products and solutions in its computed tomography (CT) and Advantage Workstation (AW) businesses with the announcement of three scanners now available — the Optima CT660 FREEdom Edition, the Optima CT540 and the Discovery CT750 HD FREEdom Edition.
The annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting brings many cutting-edge technologies to the forefront during its five days of clinical sessions. This is my editor’s choice of the most innovative technologies discussed during TCT 2012.