August 30, 2012 — Copeptin predicts prognosis in patients with heart failure, according to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress this week Professor Stefan Störk from Germany. This estimate of prognosis may be drawn from clinical information describing the patient´s general condition, dedicated diagnostic examinations, or laboratory measurements.

 

Elixir Medical Corp. announced it received CE (Conformité Européenne) mark approval for its drrug-eluting stent (DES) DESyne BD novolimus-eluting coronary stent system for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

August 30, 2012 — Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) improves heart function and could become a novel treatment option for heart failure, according to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich, Germany, by Hung-Fat Tse from Hong Kong.

August 30, 2012 — An ultra-fast, 320-detector computed tomography (CT) scanner can accurately sort out which people with chest pain need – or don’t need – an invasive procedure such as cardiac angioplasty or bypass surgery to restore blood flow to the heart, according to an international study.


Vascular closure devices that use an active method to immediately seal the femoral access site can enable faster patient ambulation, reduce nursing time and speed discharge. However, one of the biggest issues interventionalists have with active vascular closure devices is the use of a permanent piece of hardware to stitch or clip the arteriotomy closed. Three companies now offer fully bioresorbable, active vascular closure devices, including a recent release earlier this year.



The implementation of dedicated access site surveillance and educational programs, in tandem with pre-existent strategies to reduce access site complications, can reduce the overall incidence of femoral access-related bleeding events.



Cardiac computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), echocardiography and nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging each offer advantages and disadvantages, and frequently at least two of these tests are required to get the full picture of a patient’s cardiac health.  However, in this age of cutting healthcare costs, declining reimbursements and improving efficiency, it would be advantageous to have a single gold standard exam. Technology advances are now making that possibility. 

 

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