|
ATLANTA--Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter (AFL) who transition to dronedarone (Multaq, Sanofi-Aventis) following prior treatment with amiodarone (Cordarone, Wyeth) were not associated with adverse events, according to a post-hoc analysis of pooled data from the EURIDIS and ADONIS trials presented Monday at the ACC.10 conference.
Written by Kaitlyn Dmyterko
ATLANTA—For patients with implanted cardiac devices, MRI has never been a viable way to obtain diagnostic tests due to device contraindications and risks. However, new research has found that MRI testing in this patient population can be performed at little or no risk, Robert H. Helm, MD, from Boston Medical Center, said during a presentation at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific sessions on Monday.
ATLANTA—Contrary to current guidelines, taking a lenient approach to controlling heart rate in patients with atrial fibrillation appears to be just as good as taking a strict approach and poses no greater risk of death or other serious complications, according to the RACE II trial presented today during the late breaking clinical trials session at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 59th annual conference. Slides»
Written by Justine Cadet
ATLANTA—In high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation who can’t tolerate standard blood thinners, such as warfarin, a combination treatment of aspirin and the more expensive clopidogrel (Plavix, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi-Aventis) is clinically effective for preventing stroke as well as being cost-effective, according to an ACTIVE-A economic substudy presented Sunday at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 59th annual scientific session. Slides»
Sunday, March 14, 8:39 AM - 8:52 AM
In this state-of-the-art imaging symposium, Joao A. Lima, MD, from John Hopkins University will elucidate how cardiac MR can help EPs before and after procedures.
Lima penned a state-of-the-art paper on this topic back in 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Since the publication of that article, many technological advances have taken place regarding MRI and Lima has been at the forefront of that field. Attendees will surely learn how to best use cardiac MR to enhance procedural success and patient safety.
Medical robotics technology developer Hansen Medical has selected Peter Osborne to serve as its interim chief financial officer (CFO) after Steve Van Dick resigned from the position.
Use of an implantable leadless cardiac monitor in patients can better detect and monitor atrial fibrillation (AF) due to an algorithm that can detect the presence or absence of the heart arrhythmia, a study published online in the Feb. 16 issue of Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology found.
Boston Scientific has rebutted a case study, published Feb. 13 in Heart Rhythm, which claimed there was inappropriate shock from an uncommon cause of non-physiologic noise during a subcutaneously implantation of the company’s Cognis N119 cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D).
C. R. Bard has reported an increase in net income for the fiscal year 2009, despite an earnings dip in the 2009 fourth quarter that ended Dec. 31.
St. Jude Medical has reported strong year-over-year and 2009 fourth quarter net income.
|
Written by Gina Narcisi
ATLANTA – While quality improvement measures in the inpatient setting may have been described and collected at healthcare practices for years, performance measures in the outpatient setting have not been systematically collected and the current performance in the outpatient setting is unknown, according to a presentation at the “Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes” session at the 59th annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference on March 16.
Written by Justine Cadet
ATLANTA--Ablative intervention was more effective than drug therapy for preventing recurrent symptomatic atrial fibrillation, according to the CABANA trial results presented Monday during a late-breaking clinical trial session at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 59th annual conference. Slides»
ATLANTA—A wireless monitoring system that automatically sends information about an abnormal heart rhythm from a device in the patient’s chest to the cardiologist’s office significantly cuts the time between when a problem arises and a treatment decision is made, according to the CONNECT trial presented today during the late breaking clinical trials sessions at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 59th annual conference. Slides»
Written by Justine Cadet
ATLANTA--In order for providers to eliminate top revenue drains, they must adopt better coding techniques and integrate the coding team into the hospital setting, said Karna Morrow, from Coding Strategies in Atlanta, during her presentation at the American College of Cardiovascular Administrators (ACCA) conference on March 12. Slides»
Monday, March 15, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Of course, radiation exposure from medical imaging is a concern of cardiologists, but how large of a problem is it? Come to this session and find out.
Boston Scientific has financial results for the fourth quarter and full year, which ended Dec. 31, 2009, indicating a reduction in net losses for both.
Boston Scientific has begun to restructure its leadership team and modify the organization--including significant changes to its international headquarters in Natick, Mass.--and initiated layoffs of 8 to 10 percent of its non-direct labor base.
The European Union has granted CE mark of approval for St. Jude Medical’s Fortify ST implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and its Unify cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator for distribution throughout Europe.
A $3.5 million, three-and-a-half-year study, will gather data from 3,500 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) to analyze the risks and benefits associated with ICDs in patients who are at risk of death from ventricular fibrillation.
The Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta has installed the Toshiba American Medical Systems' Infinix VF-i-vascular x-ray system to its 481-bed facility.
|
RSS 
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).