Clinical Study JAMA Percutaneous Coronary Interventions Angiography

In a clinical study that included nearly 6 million Medicare Advantage and Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from 12 states, rates of angiography and percutaneous coronary interventions were significantly lower among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries and geographic variation in procedure rates was substantial for both payment type. The study was published in the July 10 issue of JAMA.

 

Researchers have announced the results of a five-year study that shows early fetal echocardiography provides reliable prenatal diagnosis of major congenital heart disease (CHD). First trimester screening looks very promising for detection of heart problems and increases the need for scheduling early and detailed cardiac evaluations.

 

Epsilon Imaging Inc. announced a clinical study demonstrating EchoInsight for Cardio Oncology to be a high quality, efficient application for comprehensive assessment of left ventricle (LV) function. The study, presented at the ASE 2013 Scientific Sessions in Minneapolis, Minn., further indicated EchoInsight for Cardio Oncology facilitates monitoring of patients at risk for cardiotoxicity. EchoInsight for Cardio Oncology is a vendor neutral application designed to assist clinicians in improving confidence and workflow of study interpretation and reporting when monitoring oncology patients.

Researchers have announced the results of a retrospective five-year study, which shows that echocardiography can be useful in identifying new strategies for combating the growth failure in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). The high mortality and morbidity rate for these high-risk infants with congenital cardiac anomalies has been difficult to change, but this is a promising step for medical intervention.

Sectra has recently registered a new Class 1 software medical device, Sectra DoseTrack, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Researchers have announced the results of a study which shows that among patients readmitted for congestive heart failure (CHF), a high E/e’ (a measure of elevated left ventricle filling pressure via ultrasound) at admission is significantly associated with higher 30-day readmission rates.  Focusing on lowering elevated E/e’ levels will be important to control healthcare costs and to reduce the high rates of morbidity and mortality in this patient population.

Medical Imaging U.S. Healthcare Overtesting New England Journal of Medicine

Big changes are coming to the U.S. healthcare system — some in response to the mounting scrutiny of medical imaging. New task force recommendations, the Choosing Wisely campaign and Affordable Care Act policies are all attempting to curtail overtesting — with computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and any other screening often ordered unnecessarily — that can drive up medical costs, lead to waste and unnecessary radiation, and prompt undue anxiety about false positive results.

Researchers have announced the results of a clinical study that shows a key difference in the patient’s baseline heart size and function following transcatheter valve replacement (TAVR) that may help predict their medical outcomes. Previous work by these researchers showed that even mild paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR), detected by echocardiograms performed on these patients, appears to correlate with increased mortality. The current study revealed that certain baseline characteristics found on the echocardiograms could help predict which patients were more likely to have PAR.

Philips Healthcare has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its AlluraClarity live image guidance system in the United States.

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