Much of a cardiologist's work centers around the findings of imaging studies. It is important, therefore, for them to understand the cutting-edge science and landmark trials that inform today’s practice, as well as tomorrow’s.
ACC.10, taking place next week at in Atlanta, will feature many sessions devoted to cardiovascular imaging. Cardiologists use various imaging modalities in their daily work and can find sessions that explore the complementary roles of echo, nuclear medicine, CT and MRI. As reimbursement for certain imaging procedures wax and wane, and as the supply of nuclear medicine isotopes remains precarious, cardiologists must stay up to date on how these complementary imaging techniques can be substituted in times of need, with no loss of diagnostic confidence.
In addition, cardiologists are well aware of the risks involved with certain imaging procedures. The ACC regularly issues evidence-based guidelines so cardiologists are armed with the safest and most current practices. Nevertheless, cardiovascular imaging has come under fire lately for a number of reasons including self-referral, inappropriate testing, excessive radiation exposure and scant evidence to support a technique’s widespread adoption. Cardiologists can expect to find the right practice management sessions at ACC.10 that will help them navigate the sometimes complex world of imaging medicolegal issues.
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Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have created a new method to test the activity of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mKATP) and identified a molecule, phosphatidyilnositol-4, 5- bisphosphate (PIP2), that holds the ability to restore heart activity once it has stopped, according to research published in the Feb. 25 issue of Circulation Research.
Behavioral changes such as reducing salt intake, eating healthier and exercising could help reduce the number of Americans with hypertension by 22 percent and reduce healthcare expenditures by $17.8 billion, according to a report published by the Institute of Medicine.
In an American Heart Association survey of 1,105 adults pre-identified with a heart condition, stroke or high blood pressure, 56 percent reported trouble paying their medical expenses, 16 percent had no health insurance coverage at all and 29 percent reported that medical costs to treat cardiovascular disease consumed most of their savings.
In a trial to assess gender differences in coronary plaque composition, researchers found that women presented less coronary segments with calcified and mixed plaque than men and had exhibited lower rates of coronary segments with stenosis equal to or fewer than 70 percent. The study was published in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Many more people could survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest if regional systems of cardiac resuscitation care were established, according to an American Heart Association (AHA) policy statement published Jan. 14 in Circulation.
The projected estimated costs for cardiovascular disease and stroke treatments in the U.S. will reach $503.2 billion in 2010, which is a 5.8 percent increase over the previous year, according to the “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2010 Update,” published online Dec. 17 in Circulation.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has recently reinforced his crusade to inquire into potential conflicts of interest between industry and physicians. Concurrently, the state of New Jersey has issued recommendations, placing the burden of disclosure of industry payments on physicians.
The results of the first-ever, multinational attitudinal survey concerning the performance of CPR by healthcare professionals showed that a mere 25 percent of healthcare professionals actually perform CPR in accordance with the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines. Following the results' presentation, an expert panel discussed the ramifications of the survey, as well as potential solutions to improve the overall delivery of CPR.
A survey has revealed several perceptions of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance that are at odds with reality: that the overall quality of CPR is excellent; that training is vital where little exists; and that CPR technology improves outcome but is little used. Survey results were presented during the American Heart Association’s (AHA) conference in Orlando, Fla.
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In patients undergoing carotid artery stenting, use of the FiberNet Embolic Protection System (EPS) proved 97.5 percent effective and put stroke rate levels below the American Heart Association’s (AHA) standard of 3 percent following carotid endarterectomy, according to the EPIC trial published online March 3 in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.
A joint science advisory statement issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) warns about the use of thiazolidinediones (TZDs) as a treatment for diabetes after a report from the U.S. Senate Finance Committee outlined the drug's potential to cause adverse cardiac events.
Hospitals that participate in the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke initiative have narrowed the age-related gaps in care and outcomes for acute ischemic stroke patients in all age groups, but particularly benefiting the elderly, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in Circulation.
Heart rhythm disturbances called Torsade de Pointes can produce serious complications for patients including sudden cardiac arrest. A scientific statement issued jointly by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology said healthcare professionals should pay more careful attention to the risks associated with ECG monitoring and drug-induced long-QT syndrome administration.
The absence of coronary calcification does not exclude obstructive stenosis or the need for revascularizations in patients suspected to have coronary artery disease (CAD), based on results of a substudy of the CORE 64 registry data published in the Feb. 16 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
When examining the correlation between carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and coronary artery disease (CAD), researchers found that the utilization of CMIT can predict CAD, according to a study published in the Dec. 31 issue of Cardiovascular Ultrasound (CVUS).
Thursday, December 17 2009
Patrick Sips, PhD, a research fellow in the department of anesthesiology and critical care at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, was awarded the third annual American Heart Association-Philips Healthcare Resuscitation Fellowship Award.
The chance of surviving a cardiac arrest outside a hospital was found to be twice as high when bystanders performed continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing than when bystanders performed standard CPR. These are the latest findings reported by the Resuscitation Research Group at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center and the SHARE Program (Save Hearts in Arizona Research and Education) at the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Written by Kaitlyn Dmyterko
In previous research, investigators have found a direct correlation between hospital primary angioplasty volume and mortality rates in STEMI patients, resulting in a volume criteria for provider settings. However, Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, told Cardiovascular Business News that based on the findings of a recent JAMA study, the volume surrogate should be reconsidered as basis for hospital quality.
Even though hospitals that perform a higher number of angioplasties are more likely to follow evidence-based guidelines and have shorter times to the angioplasty procedure, there appears to be no significant difference in outcomes such as length of hospital stay or risk of death, according to registry findings published in the Nov. 25 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Middle age introduces itself in many ways; one is atrial fibrillation (AF). My onset of AF seems to have coincided with a mountain bike accident in the woods of North Carolina that resulted in some cracked ribs.
The use of health IT to reduce rehospitalizations will be welcome but also disruptive, said Stephen Jencks, an independent consultant in healthcare safety during a Feb. 24 webinar on the potential use of health IT to mitigate rehospitalizations, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
A new hospital breaking ground usually isn’t breaking news. But the vision of patient care at one new facility, tentatively named Palomar Medical Center West (PMC West), is currently illegal under California state law.
There are cases presented to all physicians when we have to balance benefits of a particular treatment with concerns around safety for certain patients. In interventional cardiology, we see this dilemma with drug-eluting stents (DES). While this technology provides effective therapy for many patients with ischemia-inducing coronary lesions, there are certain patient groups that encounter problems for different reasons.
U.S. News & World Report and HealthGrades surveys that rank “Best Hospitals” according to their high-quality cardiovascular care do not create the most comprehensive list and may create confusion by excluding hospitals that provide the same quality of care, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.