In the United States, radial artery catheterization is performed in the minority of diagnostic angiograms and cardiac stenting procedures despite the benefits it offers to patients in terms of reduced complications and faster mobility after the procedure. However, new data now suggests there might also be a cost savings. Research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Washington Medical Center, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, indicates that radial access may also offer a significant cost savings benefit to hospitals. The findings are published online first in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

An otherwise healthy pregnant woman who suffered cardiac arrest and was resuscitated, therapeutically cooled and then re-warmed, delivered a healthy, full-term baby 19 weeks later. Researchers published a unique case report online last week in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Over the past decade there have been several advancements in prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ration (INR) point-of-care testing (POCT) devices. This is usually performed at an outpatient Coumadin clinic or at the physician’s office, which can be inconvenient for patients, so there is a growing trend toward patient self-testing (PST) devices.

July 10, 2012 — A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) shows that medical imaging is increasing even in health maintenance organization systems (HMOs), which don’t have a financial incentive to conduct them.