Nov-Dec 2009

Digital Edition
The Future of Stent Technology Highlighted at TCT 2009
Standard drug-eluting stent technology seemed to have taken a backseat at this year’s TCT as cardiologists look forward to the next-generation DES using bioresorbable polymer coatings and totally bioresorbable stents.
Advanced Visualization Aids Cardiac Imaging
The use of advanced visualization software has become a necessity due to the vast image data sets produced by cardiac computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MR). The technology is known for making pretty, color 3D pictures, but users say the technology goes a long way to help increase efficiency, speed diagnoses, and can guide procedures in the OR and cath lab.
The Cardiac Device Market Outlook for 2010
In recent years, the U.S. cardiac device market has focused on dynamics in the drug-eluting stent (DES) segment – including events ranging from the 2006 BASKET-LATE trial that caused a tremendous decline in DES usage to the 2008 launch of three new DES brands in the U.S. Focus in 2010 will shift somewhat, with a relatively steady DES market leaving room for other areas to heat up.
Cardiac PET Adoption Gets a Boost
Our profession faces one of the most significant crises in its history,” said Michael Graham, M.D., president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM), regarding the shortage of nuclear medicine radioisotopes.
Insights Into Cardiac Imaging for 2010
With new CPT reimbursement codes for cardiac computed tomography (CT) starting in January 2010, there will likely be renewed interest in CT this coming year.
Changing the CRT Clinical Pathway with 3D Ultrasound
Echocardiography has played an integral role in the diagnosis and treatment of millions of patients with cardiac diseases. Recent advances in echocardiographic technology have improved patient care and created novel ways to diagnose disease, which have had an immediate impact on patient management.
VADs May Be More Effective Than Balloon Pumps
Intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs), introduced in the 1970s, have been considered the standard of care for short-term circulatory support for more than two decades. However, there has been a growing trend over the past few years toward percutaneous ventricular assist devices (VADs), which some cardiologists say have some big advantages over IABPs.