July 8, 2014 — A Huntington Memorial Hospital patient has become the first patient in the San Gabriel Valley in southern California to be implanted with a tiny, leadless cardiac pacemaker. Developed for patients with bradycardia, St. Jude Medical’s Nanostim device is designed to be placed directly in a patient’s heart without the visible lump, scar and insulated wires (leads) required for conventional pacemakers.

July 8, 2014 — Humana Inc. announced earlier this year an expanded coverage policy for cardiac CT (computed tomography). Many of the new Humana indications have long been advocated for by the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and described in the model local coverage determination policy (LCD) developed by the organization.

Use of catheter ablation is not only beneficial for treating atrial flutter but also can significantly reduce hospital visits — both inpatient and emergency — and lower the risk for atrial fibrillation, according to research by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).