October 17, 2011 — Maquet Cardiovascular announced it has signed a three-year, dual-source contract with Premier Healthcare Alliance to provide intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP) to the Premier membership.

October 17, 2011 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have established a pilot program for concurrent review of medical devices. Under the process, certain FDA premarket review submissions and CMS national coverage determinations will be simultaneously reviewed.

October 17, 2011 — The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) are helping organizations provide more comprehensive care for patients at certified primary stroke centers and heart failure programs nationwide.

October 17, 2011 – The number of Americans who report they have coronary heart disease – which includes heart attack and angina (chest pain) – continues to decline but rates vary widely from state to state and by race and ethnicity, according to a new report published today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

October 14, 2011 — The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is preparing a guideline document on using strain echocardiography to evaluate cancer patients for early signs of cardiac toxicity due to their medical treatments. The group has also funded a research study to enhance identification of patients who are at risk.

January 20, 2011 – Drug-coated stents hold promise as a safe and lasting solution for the treatment of clogged leg arteries, suggest two-year results of the Zilver PTX Trial being presented at the 23rd annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET). Blocked leg arteries are a symptom of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects 8 to 12 million Americans.