Cardiac Diagnostics

This channel includes news, videos, podcasts and other content on new technology innovations for cardiac diagnostic systems and techniques. This includes laboratory testing, blood tests including troponin testing, electrocardiogram (ECG) systems, point of care testing systems, genetic testing, cardiac patient monitoring devices including wearable sensors, and studies showing new ways to diagnose heart diseases.

The AcQMap 3D Imaging and Mapping System, left, and the AliveCor KardiaMobile device and app for personal ECG monitoring using a smartphone, right. The companies plan to use remote monitoring to see if it helps improve care for ablation patients.

News | EP Lab

AliveCor and Acutus Partner to Evaluate Arrhythmia Management and Treatment

July 27, 2021 — AliveCor Inc., which offers FDA-cleared, smart-phone enabled personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology ...

July 27, 2021

AHA president says COVID has a direct impact on the heart and preventive measures for heart disease largely went out the window during the pandemic

News | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID-19 Long-term Impacts Will Likely Include Higher Rates of Heart Disease

July 26, 2021 — Heart disease and stroke continue to kill more people in the U.S. than any other cause, despite, and ...

July 26, 2021

The CathWorks angiography image derived FFR assessment system has received national reimbursement approval in Japan. The system uses a rotational angiography image dataset taken while the patient is in the cath lab to quickly reconstruct a 3-D coronary tree showing FFR numbers for all of the artery segments.

News | FFR Technologies

CathWorks FFRangio System Receives National Reimbursement Approval in Japan

July 26, 2021 – CathWorks announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the ...

July 26, 2021

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Several wearable, less-obtrusive ECG monitors fhave been cleared by the FDA for longer wear. This example is Cardiac Insight’s Cardea SOLO device.

Blog | ECG

BLOG: Moving Beyond Holter ECG: The Rise in Next Generation Technology

When the patients of Michael Boler, M.D. need cardiac monitoring, the Holter monitor is no longer his first choice. “The ...

August 24, 2022

In the past decade there has been a proliferation of clinical-grade wearable monitors and implantable devices such as pacemakers, ICDs, implantable cardiac monitors, and new pacemaker-like devices that can control hypertension. In the near future, these devices will be tied into a body-wide internet of things for specific patients that can transmit patient data to clinicians wirelessly to enable an integrated, more robust form of telecardiology and telemedicine.

Feature | Telecardiology | Victor Wollesen

Next Generation Cardiac Wearables and Implantables Will Integrate Into Wireless Body Area Networks

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death for people over 65 years old in North America and Europe ...

July 23, 2021

Videos | Stethoscopes

VIDEO: Use of a Digital Stethoscope in Cardiac Care

Nelson B. Schiller, M.D., FACC, professor of medicine and the John J. Sampson and Lucy Stearn Endowed Chair of ...

July 16, 2021

An example of HeartFlow's FFR-CT analysis of blockage severity in a patient's coronary vessels based on a cardiac CT scan.

News | FFR Technologies

HeartFlow Becomes Publicly Traded Company in Merger With Longview Acquisition Corp.

July 15, 2021 — HeartFlow, which has commercialized noninvasive computed tomography derived fractional flow reserve (FFR ...

July 15, 2021

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Feature | ECG

Moving Beyond Holter ECG: The Rise in Next Generation Technology

When the patients of Michael Boler, M.D. need cardiac monitoring, the Holter monitor is no longer his first choice. “The newer ECG devices we have now are so much less cumbersome. It’s like wearing a Band-Aid versus carrying a bulky device,” said the Greenwood, Mississippi internist. “My patients prefer the more comfortable, wire-free form factor, and the quality is as good as, or better, than the Holter,” continued Boler. “Plus, my patient compliance has increased. With the Holter, the leads sometimes come off. The patient may think the device isn’t working, so they take it off and we have to restart the process.”

February 19, 2020

Diluting of a blood sample for real-time deformability cytometry testing. Researchers at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in Erlangen. Germany, were able to show for the first time COVID-19 significantly changes the size and stiffness of red and white blood cells, sometimes over months. From the study How a COVID-19 Infection Changes Blood Cells in the Long Run. Reasons for long COVID.

News | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID-19 Changes Properties Blood Cells

July 15, 2021 — Using real-time deformability cytometry, researchers at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in ...

July 15, 2021

Medtronic announced clinical trial results from the STROKE AF trial demonstrating the superiority of the Reveal Linq Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) to detect abnormal heartbeats, otherwise known as atrial fibrillation (AF), in both large and small vessel stroke patients compared to standard of care.

News | Implantable Cardiac Monitor (ICM)

Medtronic Insertable Cardiac Monitor Detects Significantly Higher Rates of Atrial Fibrillation in Large and Small Vessel Stroke Patients Compared to Standard of Care

June 13, 2021 — Medtronic announced clinical trial results from the STROKE AF trial demonstrating the superiority of the ...

July 14, 2021

An example of a strain echo from the study showing reduced peak longitudinal/reservoir left atrial strain in a COVID-19 patient who developed atrial fibrillation during admission. Average left atrial strain here is 20% (normal should be above 38%).

News | Cardiovascular Ultrasound

Speckle Tracking Strain Echo May Predict Heart Complications From COVID-19

July 13, 2021 — Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have shown that speckle-tracking strain echocardiograms may ...

July 14, 2021

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Most professional athletes participate in cardiovascular screening to identify often-asymptomatic heart disorders, but the debate continues on whether to mandate ECGs as part of pre-participation screening for student athletes. Photo courtesy of Play for Patrick.

Feature | Sudden Cardiac Arrest

As Interpretation Criteria Evolve, False Positive Athlete ECG Screening Rates Can Decrease

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading medical cause of death in young athletes and its impact is consistent worldwide. Most professional athletes in the United States are required to take part in comprehensive cardiovascular screening programs to identify often-asymptomatic congenital or inherited heart disorders, and other cardiac risk factors. There remains a debate however, whether to mandate ECGs as part of pre-participation screening programs for student athletes at the collegiate and high school levels or even at younger ages.

October 16, 2018

The FDA has cleared Angel Medical Systems' second-generation AngelMed Guardian device. The implantable cardiac device detects and warns patients if they are having an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event, including silent heart attacks. The new, second-generation device is enhanced with ease-of-use adaptations and an updated, long life battery that could potentially double the life of the implanted device

News | Cardiac Diagnostics

FDA Approves AngelMed Enhanced Real-Time Cardiac Monitor for Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) Events

July 1, 2021 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Angel Medical Systems Inc. second-generation ...

July 01, 2021

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced June 25 it has added a warning on the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine fact sheets to explain they may cause myocarditis in rare cases as a side effect. The agency said the side effect is very rare and patients generally recover quickly, but it can disportionally affect younger patients in their teens and early 20s. Getty Images

News | Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Dave Fornell, Editor

FDA Adds Myocarditis Warning to COVID mRNA Vaccine Clinician Fact Sheets

June 28, 2021 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced June 25 it has added a warning on the Moderna and ...

June 28, 2021

A small number of patients develop myocarditis after receiving the messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. This recently raised concerns after numbers for this adverse reaction jumped in April and May, prompting review this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on the Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Feature | Coronavirus (COVID-19) | By Dave Fornell, Editor

Overview of Myocarditis Cases Caused by the COVID-19 Vaccine

A small number of patients develop inflammation leading to myocarditis after receiving the messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 ...

June 24, 2021

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Use of traditional Holter monitor leads can be an issue for patient compliance and comfort. The newer generation ambulatory cardiac monitors use an adhesive patch that sticks directly on the patient's chest and allows them to shower and go about daily activities without a belt mounted monitor or leads getting in the way. This is especially important for longer term monitoring of seven days or longer.

Feature | ECG

How Advances in Wearable Cardiac Monitors Improve the Patient and Clinician Experience

Advances in the technology of wearable cardiac monitors are improving both the experience of the patient and the ...

September 27, 2018

Feature | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Small Number of Patients Have Myocarditis-like Illness After COVID-19 Vaccination

June 23, 2021 — Findings from a small study detailing the treatment of myocarditis-like symptoms in seven people after ...

June 23, 2021

Telecradiology remote monitroing programs grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. An example of a remote cardiac monitor that saw increased use is InfoBionic's MoMe Kardia device. It offers mobile cardiac telemetry with near real-time, on-demand full disclosure of ECG data 24/7. Using a wearable monitor, MoMe continuously records telemetry data, uploading it to a cloud-based platform that clinicians may access at anytime.

News | Remote Monitoring

Remote Patient Monitoring Represents Paradigm Shift After COVID-19

June 22, 2021 — It is no secret that the use of telehealth technologies rose dramatically with the onset of the COVID-19 ...

June 22, 2021

A new study found that differences between a person's age in years and his or her biological age, as predicted by an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled EKG, can provide measurable insights into health and longevity.

News | ECG

Study of AI-enabled EKGs Finds that Difference Between Numerical Age and Biological Age Significantly Affects Health, Longevity

June 18, 2021 — You might be older ― or younger ― than you think. A new study found that differences between a person's ...

June 18, 2021