Organization

American College Of Cardiology


JACC: PET reveals higher glucose uptake in visceral adipose tissue

Clinical Studies | Monday, August 23 2010
Whole-body FDG-PET scans revealed that visceral adipose tissue has increased glucose uptake compared with subcutaneous adipose tissue and the differences in stromal metabolic activity can aid in cardiovascular risk stratification, according to a study published in this month’s Journal of American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
 

JACC: FFR trumps IVUS for assessing intermediate lesions for PCI

Clinical Studies | Monday, August 23 2010
The use of fractional-flow reserve (FFR) resulted in significantly lower PCIs compared with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients with intermediate coronary artery disease (CAD), based on study results in this month's Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.
 

Highmark to require preauthorization for MPI

Top Stories | Thursday, August 12 2010
Highmark, beginning in September, will require general practitioners, cardiologists and other providers to request an authorization before performing myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI).
 

Feature: Nuc med community urges senator to lift 'hold' on isotope bill

Web Exclusives | Monday, July 26 2010
Written by Manjula Puthenedam
SNM, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the American College of Cardiology and a coalition of medical and national security organizations have urged Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., to lift a "hold" on the American Medical Isotope Production Act (H.R. 3276), and permit a vote by the U.S. Senate, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 400-17. Several radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists spoke to their concerns if the U.S. continues to rely on foreign sources for medical isotopes.
 

JACC: SPECT IDs diabetics with renal dysfunction at risk of CV death

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, July 21 2010
The estimated glomerular filtration rate, which represents renal function, might play an important role in identifying high-risk diabetic persons who would benefit most from myocardial perfusion imaging by SPECT for suspected ischemia, according to a study published in this month's Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
 

JACC Feature: MPI studies responsible for 74% of cumulative rad dose

Web Exclusives | Monday, July 12 2010
Written by Manjula Puthenedam
Cardiac imaging procedures represent an important source of ionizing radiation in the U.S., and the distribution of cumulative effective doses can lead to sizable radiation exposure for many individuals, according to a study published online July 7 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Better strategies to minimize the radiation exposure from cardiac imaging procedures should be encouraged, said the study's lead author Jersey Chen, MD, in an interview.
 

JACC: Can SPECT perfusion imaging predict sudden cardiac death?

Clinical Studies | Thursday, July 08 2010
Among patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular ejection fraction greater than 35 percent, the extent of stress myocardial perfusion imaging perfusion defects is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a study published in the July 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. However, an accompanying editorial questions whether the study's design is equipped to make this conclusion.
 

Roche, ACC develop web-based clinical resource on biomarkers

Partnerships & Alliances | Tuesday, May 18 2010
Roche Diagnostics and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) have begun a collaboration to develop a peer-reviewed biomarkers clinical resource web portal.
 

CMS issues a 16% reversal in SPECT cuts to private practices, Lewin says

Top Stories | Friday, May 07 2010
Written by Justine Cadet
SAN DIEGO—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a 16 percent increase to SPECT nuclear imaging reimbursements, which was cut by 36 percent under the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, Jack Lewin, CEO of the American College of Cardiology, said in an interview. He also said the agency is committing to return payments back to Jan. 1, when the cuts took effect.
 

Medical societies establish new policy for industry influence

Industry News | Thursday, April 22 2010
The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) has released the CMSS Code for Interactions with Companies, which provides detailed guidance to medical specialty societies on appropriate interactions with for-profit companies in the healthcare sector.
 

JACC: Women, men benefit from different carotid measurements for CAD

Clinical Studies | Thursday, April 08 2010
In a prediction model, researchers found that adding carotid plaque measurements, rather than carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), to traditional risk factors better predicted coronary artery disease (CAD) in women, while men benefited from adding CIMT to traditional risk factors, according to a study published in the April 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
 

ACC: Making cuts to rad exposure does not equal loss of diagnostic quality

Conference News | Tuesday, April 06 2010
Written by Gina Narcisi
With six million people in the U.S. currently undergoing CT scans and the number of CT scans alone experiencing an annual growth rate of about 11-13 percent between 2000-2005, the exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation is quite concerning, reported Kavitha Chinnaiyan, MD, program director of advanced cardiac imaging education within the division of cardiology at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., during the ACC.10 conference in Atlanta last month.
 

ACC: MRIs can determine when to implant high-risk patients with ICDs

Conference News | Friday, April 02 2010
Written by Kaitlyn Dmyterko
Infarct size measured by MRI can be used as a predictor of ventricular tachycardia and may answer whether or not high-risk patients with an ejection fraction under 35 percent should be implanted with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), said Jeffrey J. Goldberger, MD, from Northwest Memorial Hospital in Chicago, during a presentation at ACC.10 in Atlanta March 15.
 

Better understanding of thoracic aortic disease leads to new guidelines

Industry News | Tuesday, March 30 2010
New strides in managing and diagnosing the serious effects of the rare, but deadly thoracic aortic disease (TAD) have pushed the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) to offer new guidelines for the prevention of TAD, a disease almost 10,000 Americans die from each year.
 

ACC: Calcium scoring protocol adds no benefit to CT in predicting CAD events

Conference News | Monday, March 29 2010
In patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), combined coronary artery calcium scoring and coronary CT angiography (CCTA) are no more beneficial than the CCTA protocol alone in the prediction of major adverse cardiac events, based on the results of a poster presentation at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) annual conference in Atlanta earlier this month.
 

ACC: Ziosoft highlights advanced viz integration

Conference News | Thursday, March 25 2010
Ziosoft highlighted its PhyZiodynamic technology for integration with its Ziostation, a cardiac function analysis application, at the 59th annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session earlier this month in Atlanta.
 

ACC: Vital upgrades Vitrea Enterprise Suite

Conference News | Wednesday, March 24 2010
Vital Images featured its second generation thin-client product, the Vitrea Enterprise Suite 1.2, a cardiac imaging tool designed to integrate visualization tools and applications, at the 59th annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific sessions.
 

JACC: Repeat scanning unnecessary for those with zero CAC score

Clinical Studies | Monday, March 22 2010
For patients with a coronary artery calcium (CAC) score of zero, repeat scanning is unnecessary, and for those with positive scores, CAC scoring becomes a “robust predictor" of its progression," according to a study published March 16 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
 

ACC: Fujifilm highlights Synapse 3D advanced viz software

Conference News | Wednesday, March 17 2010
Fujifilm Medical Systems showcased a 3D advanced visualization package called Synapse 3D for integration into its Synapse cardiovascular informatics portfolio, at the 59th annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Session in Atlanta this week.
 

ACC: FDG PET a sensitive, specific choice for myocardial imaging

Conference News | Wednesday, March 17 2010
Written by Gina Narcisi
ATLANTA -- Rob Beanlands, MD, director of the National Cardiac PET Centre and the Molecular Function and Imaging Program at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, sought to convince physicians that FDG PET is among the best choices in imagining modalities for the assessment of myocardial viability, during an imaging symposium at the 59th annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference on March 15.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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