December 9, 2011 — Abbott announced Thursday the initiation of ABSORB II, the first randomized, controlled, multi-center clinical trial evaluating the safety, efficacy and performance of the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS). The Absorb BVS will be compared to the company's Xience Prime everolimus-eluting coronary stent system.

December 8, 2011 — Two new studies report that echocardiography has a central role to play in identifying patients at risk of suffering heart damage from cancer therapies. They also report the procedure can be used in evaluating potential cardio protective treatments. Both studies were presented at EUROECHO 2011, held Dec. 7-10 in Budapest, Hungary.

December 8, 2011 — A new survey released by the Siemens Radiation Reduction Alliance (SIERRA) reveals awareness and familiarity with medical imaging tests lead to clearer decisions for United States adults about their healthcare. The survey — released at RSNA 2011 — was conducted in response to increased scrutiny over medical imaging scans and the use of radiation.

December 6, 2011 – Heart Imaging Technologies (Heart IT), which pioneered the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved zero-footprint medical imaging workstation, and Johns Hopkins Medicine, announced the award of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to enable the inclusion of medical images in the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). The NHIN is a federal initiative of the National Office of the Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

December 6, 2011 — Kaleida Health, part of the Buffalo Heart Group in Buffalo, N.Y., announced its first implant of the AngelMed Guardian cardiac monitor and alert system Nov. 29. The system is designed to reduce the time it takes patients to get to the emergency room during an impending heart attack. Hashmat Ashraf, M.D., performed the first implant in the state of New York, and is among the first physicians across the United States to implant the experimental device.