January 19, 2009 - Updated with 23 new codes, the Heart Rhythm Society’s “Coding Guide for Heart Rhythm Procedures and Services, 2009” provides valuable tools, up-to-date information, scenarios and resources to create efficiency and optimize reimbursement.

HRS said the coding guide is a must-have tool for any EP lab or any physician performing heart rhythm procedures and services. Coding e-mail updates will also be provided to alert users about reimbursement and coding changes that take place during the year.

January 19, 2009 - W.L. Gore and Associates today said Peter A. Soukas, M.D., an interventional cardiologist from Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, MA, enrolled the first patient in the Gore EMBOLDEN Clinical Study Jan. 6.

The first patient was recently symptomatic and greater than 90 years old. The greater than 95 percent stenosis in the internal carotid artery was successfully stented under protection by the Gore Embolic Filter. The patient was discharged from the hospital and is doing well.

January 19, 2009 - Loudoun Cardiovascular Specialists in Lansdowne, VA has selected Digisonics' DigiNet Pro System for cardiovascular image management and reporting.

The system will reportedly provide the practice with fully functional remote reading of their cardiovascular studies from virtually anywhere at anytime via the Web, creating a complete, seamless workflow through integration with multiple vendors including GE, INVIA and Allscripts.

January 16, 2009 - St. Jude Medical Inc. said its ViewMate II Ultrasound System with the ViewFlex PLUS Intracardiac Echocardiography (ICE) Catheter was used for the first use outside the U.S., enabling physicians to view real-time images from inside the heart as they diagnose and treat conditions resulting from abnormal rhythms or structural problems.

By reportedly providing clear, accurate images of the heart’s interior anatomy and the position of devices, the system enables physicians to perform procedures with increased control.

January 16, 2009 - According to a report released Jan. 14, 2009, by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), eliminating the highly enriched uranium process (HEU) — the primary source of medical isotopes in the U.S. — would be technically and economically feasible; however, the conversion to an alternative source will be years away, is likely to be more costly than the report estimates and will not alleviate the current ongoing shortages of medically necessary isotopes, according to the Society of Nuclear Medicine.

January 16, 2009 – As EP procedure volume increases worldwide, clinicians are requesting intuitive, advanced tools to help shorten procedure times and gain detailed visualizations for interventions, which inspired Royal Philips Electronics to sign an agreement with Bard Electrophysiology, a division of C. R. Bard Inc., to co-develop new clinical tools to help electrophysiologists.

January 16, 2009 - St. Jude Medical Inc. today said results from the landmark FAME (Fractional flow reserve (FFR) vs. Angiography in Multivessel Evaluation) study, which demonstrate a statistically significant 30 percent difference in major adverse cardiac events (MACE) such as death, myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization, was published in the New England Journal and Medicine.

January 16, 2009 - AngelMed announced Phase II of the ALERTS trial for the AngelMed Guardian implantable cardiac monitor and alert system, and is actively seeking up to 50 U.S. clinical sites to participate in the trial.

Designed to reduce time to presentation by detecting significant changes in the heart's electrical signal and then alerting patients to seek medical attention, the AngelMed Guardian System is commercially available in Brazil and available for investigational use only in the U.S.

January 16, 2009 – The FDA granted Fluke Biomedical U.S. Food and Drug 510(k) clearance for the Impulse 7010 Defibrillator Selectable Load Accessory to test defibrillators beyond 175 ohms.

Used in conjunction with the recently introduced Impulse 7000DP Defibrillator/External Pacer Analyzer, the Impulse 7010 supports defibrillator performance through the spectrum of patient impedances, the company said.

January 16, 2009 - Royal Philips Electronics and Hansen Medical Inc. this week signed joint development and cooperation agreements to co-develop integrated products that may simplify complex cardiac procedures to diagnose and treat arrhythmias.

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