November/December 2008

Since the FDA placed a black-box warning on echocardiography contrast agents in October 2007, the market for the agents dropped tremendously. However, the subsequent movement to educate both regulators and providers led to a modification of the agencys contraindications and may have generated a resurgence in their use, along with a better understanding of their clinical value.

In 1996, physicians told Pat Gibbs, a 67-year-old cardiac patient from Alabama with severe angina, that nothing could be done for her. Refusing to give up, Gibbs underwent transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMR) therapy and today, lives pain-free. Some cardiologists say TMRs benefit is merely a placebo effect, others say it is real. A growing market for the procedure, however, could muzzle the naysayers.

Its not the data that are necessarily importantits what you do with that data, and practices are discovering more ways to use their management resources intelligently.

Using coronary calcium scoring as part of an early coronary artery disease detection and heart attack prevention program is an effective way to enhance CT departmental revenue while positively impacting the community.

If Europe is any indication of where mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is heading, interventional cardiologists in the U.S. should get ready to welcome the devices into their cath labs. European researchers have begun to validate the technique in arrested patients undergoing PCI.

Within the past year, endocrinologists and federal regulators have become much more conscientious about the risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease with type 2 diabetes patients, due to their natural propensity for CV events, along with the potential adverse events associated with particular medications, such as Avandia.

You can hardly blink today without hearing the words conflict of interest. And with good reason: to preserve the integrity of science despite the source of research funding.

Much has been made about conflicts of interests in the medical communitys relationships with industry. This includes relationships with physicians as well as those with medical schools and professional organizations. Some reports, in fact, suggest egregious findings that make all of us concerned. Transparency about our relationships with industry is critical to a fair and balanced review of available science.