Aetna issued a positive coverage policy for long-term continuous monitoring of patients with suspected heart arrhythmias, which includes use of the iRhythm Technologies’ ZIO Service. The new policy now makes iRhythm’s solution – comprised of the ZIO Patch, proprietary algorithms and the ZIO report – available as a potential covered service for the insurer’s medical members.

Scientists at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai may have developed a tissue model for the human heart that can bridge the gap between animal models and human clinical trial patients. Mount Sinai researchers generated their engineered cardiac tissue from human embryonic stem cells. The resulting muscle has remarkable similarities to native heart muscle, including the ability to beat and contract like the human heart. This research study was highlighted as the cover story of the February 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal.

CardioDx Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company specializing in cardiovascular genomics. It published an analysis demonstrating that the Corus CAD gene expression score is significantly associated with plaque burden and luminal stenosis. The holds true in symptomatic patients being evaluated for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), as measured by CT-angiography. The study, "A Peripheral Blood Gene Expression Score is Associated with Atherosclerotic Plaque Burden and Stenosis by Cardiovascular CT-Angiography," appears online in the journal Atherosclerosis.

Biotronik, a manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices and wireless remote monitoring technologies, has been added to the list of cardiac rhythm management (CRM) device suppliers to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).


Advancements in technologies are paving the way for many healthcare providers to connect with patients outside their hospitals more quickly and efficiently. For cardiology departments, technologies that allow for video collaboration, rapid transmission of scans and images and other forms of telemedicine are supporting the initiative to improve productivity, an initiative many are striving for as the U.S. healthcare landscape continues reform.

At Johnston Medical Center in Smithfield N.C., StatVideo’s EchoCart streams real-time images of babies’ hearts and live video conferencing over the web to pediatric cardiologists at Duke Children’s Hospital. EchoCart is a telemedicine system designed specifically for tele-echocardiography.

Vascular Solutions Inc. launched the ThrombiDisc topical hemostat designed for use around indwelling lines up to 12°F. ThrombiDisc contains both the power of thrombin to facilitate hemostasis and the antimicrobial properties of silver. 

After several months of intense review and assessment of its specialized worker training program by an independent agency, Operon Resource Management of Lowell, Mass. received ISO 13485 certification.

A University of Utah-led study for treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (A-fib) provides strong clinical evidence for the use of 3-D MRI to individualize disease management and improve outcomes. Results of the Delayed-Enhancement MRI Determinant of Successful Radio-frequency Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation (DECAFF) study will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Subscribe to
© Copyright Wainscot Media. All Rights Reserved.
Subscribe Now