Press Releases

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects up to a third of the general population, and in most cases causes no signs, symptoms, or complications. Now liver specialists and cardiologists at Saint Luke’s are adding to a growing body of research indicating a direct link between NAFLD and a high risk for cardiovascular disease. The research is compelling enough that cardiologists at Saint Luke’s are considering changing their practices to include liver and spleen images in CT scans as a screening indicator of coronary artery disease risk.

A new $11 million grant to Kaiser Permanente Northern California and UC San Francisco will support a multifaceted research program aimed at lowering stroke risk among black populations and younger stroke victims by targeting high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

A promising bipartisan bill that increases vital access and reimbursement for obesity screening and counseling services has been introduced in Congress, thanks in part to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Fisher-Titus Medical Center and The Bellevue Hospital today announced an affiliation with Cleveland Clinic's Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. The affiliation will bring world-class heart care to area residents and provide greater access to Cleveland Clinic’s academic, clinical and research best practices in cardiovascular and thoracic care.

Today, members of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) are visiting 35 congressional offices on Capitol Hill to raise visibility and support for two proposals: the “Medicare Program Integrity Improvement and Education Act” and the “Teaching Children to Save Lives Act.” HRS is advocating for the support of these two bills because both intend to deliver outcomes aligned with the Society’s mission to improve the care of patients by advancing research, education and optimal health care policies and standards. 

Newport Beach-based nonprofit Coalition Duchenne has awarded a $150,000 grant to a Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute team investigating whether an experimental cardiac stem cell treatment could be used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients who have developed heart disease.

UltraSPECT, a leading provider of nuclear medicine (NM) image reconstruction technology that reduces radiopharmaceutical dose and acquisition time, announces today the installation of its proprietary Wide Beam Reconstruction (WBR™) software at nearly ten healthcare facilities.

POZEN Inc. (NASDAQ: POZN), a pharmaceutical company committed to transforming medicine that transforms lives, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review, the New Drug Application (NDA) for PA32540/PA8140.

In a world-first study, researchers from The University of Queensland are using innovative pulse-reading technology to measure blood pressure to reduce cardiovascular disease.

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute is honoring the physician widely known as  the leading pioneer in modern mitral heart valve repair, Alain Carpentier, MD, PhD, with the second annual Eliot Corday, MD, International Prize in Heart Research. The Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute established the Corday Prize to recognize physicians and scientists conducting groundbreaking research, or individuals who significantly advance the practice of heart medicine.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine will study gender differences in how the heart uses and stores fat -- its main energy source -- and how changes in fat metabolism play a role in heart disease, under a new $2 million, 4-year grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

The delayed healing of the coronary artery following physicians’ use of drug eluting stents (DES), which increases patients’ risks of developing thrombosis, is a top concern today of interventional cardiologists, according to the results of a survey announced at EuroPCR 2013 in Paris.

Data showing improved quality results for cardiac cath labs that apply for accreditation through the Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) were presented during the SCAI Scientific Sessions in Orlando, FL, May 8-10, 2013.

Agfa HealthCare announces today that it will highlight its comprehensive IMPAX Cardiovascular suite of products at the EuroPCR congress, the official congress of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), from May 21-24, in Paris, France.

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) announces the finalists for the 7th Annual Toshiba Young Investigator Award (YIA).  Sponsored by an educational grant from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc., the YIA program supports the professional and clinical development of top radiology residents and cardiology fellows within five years of completing a training program.   

Kavitha Chinnaiyan, M.D., director of Advanced Cardiac Imaging Education at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, has received the Frank J. McDevitt, D.O., Award for Excellence in Health Policy Research for Physicians.

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, today announced that Thomas M. Abate, the company's chief financial officer, plans to retire later this year. Abate, who turns 60 in August, plans to remain CFO until his successor is in place. The company has retained Peter Crist of Crist/Kolder Associates to assist in the CFO search.

Hugh Calkins, MD, FHRS, CCDS, was named the president of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) during the 34th Annual Scientific Sessions, held in Denver last week.  Announced during the Presidents’ Reception on Friday, May 10th, Dr. Calkins now serves as the 35th president of HRS, making Anne M. Gillis, MD, FHRS, the immediate past president. Dr. Calkins is currently a Nicholas J. Fortuin Professor of Cardiology and Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.  

The American Heart Association and Macy’s have awarded 16 scholarships of $2,500 each to increase culturally-sensitive, patient-centered care.

Today Ted A. Bass, M.D., FSCAI, announced that the focus of his term as the 36th President of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions will be to expand SCAI’s commitment to quality improvement in invasive and interventional cardiology. Dr. Bass was inducted at the SCAI 2013 Scientific Sessions, where he led a Town Hall-style discussion among attendees about the opportunities and challenges facing the specialty. 

Providing clinicians real time data to optimize radiation dose management during cardiac procedures, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. introduces the FDA-cleared Dose Tracking System for InfinixTM-i cardiovascular X-ray. The Dose Tracking System visualizes X-ray emissions like never before through an easy-to-read color-coded display.