July/August 2015

A Medtronic Evolut Corevalve TAVR valve in use at Emory.

The prevailing wisdom is that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) will waltz into the intermediate-risk category and then skip over to low-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. 

The stethoscope appears to have a name branding issue. The word “scope” derives from the Greek word for “to look,” yet stethoscopes only let physicians listen to a patient.

Managing revenue cycles has become increasingly important with healthcare reform’s emphasis on value and efficiency. Analytics help medical systems know where they stand and how they can improve.

Presenter delivers one of the late-breaking electrophysiology (EP) clinical trials at the annual Heart Rhythm meeting sponsored by the Heart Rhythm Society.

The Heart Rhythm Society focused on the latest developments in electrophysiology and the management of patients with rhythm disorders and heart failure at its 2015 meeting on May 13-16 in Boston. The event included 12 late-breaking clinical trials.

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) held its annual meeting May 6-9 in San Diego. Here are some highlights from the late-breaking clinical trials.

Interventional cardiologists are taking the lead in quality initiatives for peripheral artery disease (PAD) revascularization. That includes developing guidelines, appropriate use criteria and promoting a vascular team model.

Biomarker testing may allay concerns yet provide little clinical benefit. Eliminating unneeded tests can save big bucks, one hospital has shown.

In the U.S., the state of blood pressure monitoring is changing. Recommendations published in February by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggest the use of 24-hour ambulatory, home or automated blood pressure monitoring instead of conventional office measurements for the diagnosis of hypertension.

A multidisciplinary panel tackled the challenge of testing for coronary artery disease (CAD) in women. Their roundtable discussion touched on the current evidence, appropriate use and new approaches.

The annual MedAxiom Cardiovascular Service Line Symposium, which this year took place June 10-12 in Atlanta, allowed presenters and attendees to examine the nuts and bolts of high-quality patient care and share insights on what works and what doesn’t.

Patient safety is a major concern for every health professional. However, for cardiologists, the interaction of certain drugs and heart conditions make vigilance against contraindications and complications an added battle. EMRs can help, but only if they work reliably and clinicians observe alerts.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has progressed at lightning speed. Some cardiologists now debate what may be getting lost amid this rapid change.

High costs and slow recruitment have hampered many a randomized controlled clinical trial in recent years.

Select an Issue
View the Digital Edition