May 11, 2010 - “Echocardiographic quantification is crucial in the diagnosis and management of patients with acquired and congenital heart disease,” said Leo Lopez, M.D., FASE, of Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, N.Y., in a report published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography (JASE).


As intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) becomes a more common tool in cath labs to assess lesions and stent treatments, new innovations loom on the horizon. These tools include forward-looking IVUS and a combination IVUS/balloon catheter.


May 11, 2010 – A cellular accessory has been added to an implantable cardiac device remote monitoring system to make it easier for patients to securely send information to their physicians. The Medtronic M-Link allows transmission of information via the CareLink Network using cellular signals, rather than a telephone landline.

May 11, 2010 – A wireless USB adaptor allows patients with implantable cardiac devices to stay connected with physicians without the need for a standard landline phone connection. Today St. Jude Medical launched its Wireless USB Adaptor for the Merlin@home electrophysiology (EP) device transmitter.

May 11, 2010 – An new iPad application integrates with and enhances the reporting and workflow management capabilities of a Web-based electrocardiogram (ECG) application. LifeWatch Services Inc. today launched the remote ECG report TeleViewer application for the Apple iPad.

May 11, 2010 – A software upgrade provides enhanced functionality, including the ability to view an expanded history of a patient’s remote follow-up data for electrophysiology (EP) devices. The U.S.

May 10, 2010 – Patients treated with the Zilver PTX drug-eluting peripheral stent maintained clinical improvement at two years, according to interim results from the Zilver PTX Global Registry. The results were presented last week as a late-breaking clinical trial at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions.

May 10, 2010 – A new metabolic stress testing system combines an integrated 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) for heart function and a pulmonary assessment system. The Ultima CardiO2 metabolic stress testing system was created through a partnership between Angeion Corp. and Mortara Instrument Inc.

May 10, 2010 – A catheter-based procedure is providing relief to patients who suffer from shortness of breath and fluid overload as the result of a severely leaky heart valve, but who are too sick for open-chest surgery. This was the finding of a study presented last week at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions.

May 10, 2010 - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) just released a technical correction to the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which results in payment increases for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), cardiac computed tomography (CT), and cardiac catheterization codes.

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