An FDA-approved, cholesterol-lowering medication has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, certain kinds of heart surgeries and chest pain.
Lowering radiation dose and improving navigation abilities of angiography systems have been among the top priorities of manufactures over the past year. Another big trend is integration of angiography systems in hybrid cath lab/operating rooms (ORs) as collaboration between surgeons and interventionalists improves with increasingly less-invasive procedures.
Editor’s note: Jerome Granato, M.D., is the medical director of the coronary care unit at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa. His facility started looking at ways to cut its nosocomial infection rates several years ago. This issue has a broader importance today, with CMS now cutting reimbursements for hospital-acquired infections and other “never events.”
Providing exceptional cardiovascular care for patients to achieve the best possible outcomes is the number one goal for ...
The FDA’s approval of the Melody valve is widely viewed as a positive sign that may help other transcatheter valves to follow.
The FDA recently gave market clearance for Medtronic’s Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve, the first transcatheter valve approved in the United States. The cardiology community expects this to be the first of many transcatheter valves to come, which are predicted to replace open-heart surgery with much less-invasive cath lab procedures.
March 10, 2010 - The third annual Workstation Face-Off at the 22nd European Congress of Radiology, held in Vienna, Austria, and hosted by radiologists Anno Graser M.D., and Christoph Becker, M.D., of the Ludwig-Maximillians University in Munich, featured two challenging cases involving oncology and perfusion imaging and analysis with CT and PET, for three sequential timepoints.
Cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) is growing in popularity among cardiologists because it provides the ability ...
As cutting-edge technologies collide with innovative surgical and interventional treatments for multiple coronary or vascular issues, a hybrid approach is emerging as the best path of action.
The general public usually does not take a big interest in cardiology or the interventional devices used to treat cardiac conditions until a family member or someone famous makes headlines due to a cardiac condition. Stents were brought back to mainstream national and international headlines recently after former President Bill Clinton received two stents at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
March 9, 2010 – The most recent data from 30 late-breaking clinical trials is being highlighted during the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2010 scientific sessions, March 14-16 in Atlanta.
When performing radiofrequency (RF) ablation to treat cardiac arrhythmia, medical professionals must balance the safety ...
March 9, 2010 – As an alternative to the technetium (Tc-99M) isotope used in many nuclear imaging studies, UltraSPECT is advocating the use of thallium isotope (TI-201) imaging as an alternative.
Advanced imaging features are offered by Sonosite for cardiac imaging. These include SonoHD imaging technology and SonoMB multibeam imaging technologies, which provide superior contrast resolution and tissue differentiation, supporting complete diagnostic examinations and ultrasound-guided imaging procedures. The systems also offer customized presets for individual clinical applications.
March 8, 2010 – Cardiovascular death is the most common cause of mortality among type 2 diabetics and claims the lives of millions each year, with many diabetics experiencing their first “symptom” as a heart attack or sudden death. Understanding that diabetics are at high risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and many are asymptomatic, Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc.
Change Healthcare Cardiology Hemodynamics is an integrated hemodynamic monitoring system for monitoring vital signs and ...
March 9, 2010 – During the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 59th Annual Scientific Session, March 14-16, CardiacAssist will host its “Clinical Innovations in TandemHeart Support Symposium and User Group Meeting” from 6-8 p.m. Sunday, March 14, at the W Hotel Midtown, Altitude Room, 188 14th St. NE, in Atlanta.
March 9, 2010 — An analysis of six tests that are used to measure platelet function and help gauge the effectiveness of antiplatelet drugs for patients undergoing a cardiac procedure such as a coronary stent implantation found that only three of the tests were associated with a modest ability to predict outcomes such as heart attack or death, according to a study in the Feb.
March 9, 2010 — Initial clinical study results published in the journal Circulation indicates use of a physician-directed, patient self-management system guided by left atrial pressure can improve symptoms and outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF).