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Web Exclusives
Feature: As Maryland stent investigations continue, more oversight is needed
After 585 patients at the St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC) in Towson, Md., received word that their cardiac stent procedures may have been unwarranted, Maryland attorneys filed a 19-page lawsuit against the facility alleging that Mark G. Midei, MD, director of the SJMC cath lab violated the Maryland Medical Practice Act. The court documents accuse Midei of performing "hundreds, if not thousands, of unnecessary cardiac stent procedures on patients." Now, this case and others like it have left most wondering what this will mean for the industry.
Financial News
Philips invests in healthcare technology companies
Royal Philips Electronics will participate in a new venture capital fund, Gilde Healthcare III, which will focus on early- and growth-stage healthcare technology companies in Europe and the U.S.
Clinical Studies
JACC: Same-day discharge safe for uncomplicated PCIs
Proper patient selection and adherence to set protocols allow same-day discharge after uncomplicated cases of elective PCI, despite using femoral access, according to a study published in the August edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.
JACC: Two-device option increases suitability for arotic valve implantation
For patients with severe aortic stenosis, offering either the Edwards Lifesciences Sapian or Medtronic CoreValve devices allows a greater number of patients to be suitable for transcatheter aortic valve implantation, according to a study published in the August edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.
CCI: DES benefits validated out to five years
Drug-eluting stents (DES) sustain a prognostic benefit up to five years following PCI, based on a survival analysis published in the September issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.
Lancet: Kidneys from cardiac-death equal to those from brain-death patients
For first-time kidney recipients, kidneys from controlled cardiac-death donors were equivalent to those donated from brain-death donors and had similar rates of graft survival and graft function, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the Lancet.
Industry News
UN: Medical imaging radiation is main source of rad exposure
The use of radiation in medicine accounts for most human exposure to ionizing radiation, according to a report issued by the United Nations scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation.
EHJ: Cards need to bone up on mitral valve regurgitation guidelines
Guidelines suggest repair rather than replacement should be the first course of action for asymptomatic severe mitral valve regurgitation, but more often it is not. Researchers suggest that cardiologists should become more familiar with the guidelines to ensure proper surgical referral, according to a study in the Aug. 16 edition of the European Heart Journal.
HHS announces $46 million to ensure transparency in health insurance markets
Affordable Care Act grants totaling $46 million will be distributed to 45 states and Washington, D.C. to help improve the oversight of proposed health insurance premium increases, take action against insurers seeking unreasonable rate hikes and ensure consumers receive value for their premium dollars, announced U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Medco to acquire United BioSource for $730M
Medco Health Solutions has signed a definitive agreement to acquire United BioSource in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $730 million.
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