July-August 2010

Digital Edition
Big Strides Made to Expand Interventional Offerings
Three companies made significant purchases and product introductions in May and June in efforts to gain a larger share of the interventional, cath lab device market. Combining IVUS, Therapeutic Devices
OSF HealthCare System Implements CVIS to Accelerate Diagnosis, Improve Patient Care
OSF HealthCare System, owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, Peoria, Ill., is a seven-hospital enterprise serving 2.5 million patients throughout Illinois and Michigan.
Clot-Busting Tools
Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy (PMT) devices are increasingly being used to remove clots from coronary and peripheral vessels. They offer a faster treatment option than using traditional systemic thrombolytic (lytic) or catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT).
Thrombectomy to Treat Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is generally treated with blood thinners, but a more aggressive treatment may be required for massive PE in hemodynamically compromised patients, said Ali Amin, M.D., a vascular surgeon at The Read Hospital and Medical Center in Reading, Pa.
Contrast Injectors Cut Dose, Keep Quality
Automated contrast media injectors are used in cardiac imaging to help improve patient safety and enhance image quality. These devices control contrast dosage, record the amount used, speed injections to keep up with fast CT scanners, and warn of potential hazards, such as air embolisms or extravasations. Key Differences in Injectors
Planning for a Hybrid Suite
The barriers that once separated interven-tionalists, cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons and electrophysiologists are rapidly being reduced by the convergence of transcatheter technologies and the need for high-quality fluoroscopic imaging systems.
SPECT/CT Scanners Improve Imaging, Offer Options
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) nuclear imaging and computed tomography (CT) scanners have been used separately for cardiology, oncology and neurologic imaging for more than 20 years. In recent years there has been a trend toward combined SPECT/CT systems to enable faster and more accurate functional and anatomic assessment using a single imaging system in one imaging session.
Transitioning to Transradial
Transradial access is slowly gaining ground in the United States as more physicians make the switch due to greatly reduced bleeding complications, increased patient comfort and earlier ambulation. St. Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta is a big supporter of radial access and has taken the concept a step further by creating the first transradial recovery lounge in the country.
Crusading to Expand Radial Access
Outside the United States, transradial artery access is used in 50-90 percent of percutaneous interventions over femoral access, while U.S. usage rates are less than 5 percent. However, a patient safety advocacy organization is attempting to accelerate radial access adoption through education and speaking with lawmakers in Washington.
Renals: To Stent or Not to Stent?
There is no consensus about whether atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis should be stented or treated medically. There are strong opinions on both sides and clinical data up to now is heavily debated. Many see the trials that could have answered this question as flawed.
Closing Holes in the Heart
Transcatheter structural heart repair devices deployed in the cath lab have largely replaced open-heart surgery as the therapy of choice. Percutaneously deployed septal occluders make it possible to repair atrial septal defects with better outcomes, fewer complications, faster patient recovery and lower health care costs.
Structural Heart Occluders in Development
In addition to the FDA-cleared Gore Helex and the AGA Amplatzer transcatheter devices for atrial septal defects (ASDs), there are several others in development or already cleared for use outside the United States.