Researchers are using speckle tracking imaging in heart ultrasound to monitor the health of transplant acceptance, and clinicians are redefining how to predict and classify the risk of a heart attack among women. These are some of the hot topics being presented at the 19th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), June 7-11, in Toronto.

June 10, 2008 - The use of ultrasound contrast agents during stress echocardiograms is safe, according to results presented at the 19th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Society of Echocardiography.

These findings are significant after the FDA mandated a black box warning on labels of contrast agents used for cardiovascular ultrasound.

June 10, 2008 – A new calcium scoring method, which takes into account not only the amount of calcified plaque build-up in the coronary arteries but also its distribution, may better predict a person’s risk of heart attack, according to a new multicenter study published in the June issue of the journal Radiology.

June 10, 2008 - OrbusNeich received CE Mark approval for the Scoreflex coronary dilatation catheter, a new product that extends OrbusNeich's balloon catheter portfolio.

Scoreflex is designed for use in focused force angioplasty, a technique in which the force resulting from balloon inflation in a stenotic lesion is concentrated at one or more locations within the stenosis. Published research has shown that focused force angioplasty is effective in resolving resistant stenosis, while reducing the frequency of complications with its use of gradual, low-pressure inflations.

OrbusNeich's Scoreflex coronary dilatation catheter, which is only CE Mark approval, but not yet FDA cleared, is a new product that extends OrbusNeich's balloon catheter portfolio.

June 9, 2008 - Siemens Medical Solutions gained FDA 510(k) market clearance for the SOMATOM Definition AS, what is said to be the first world's first adaptive CT scanner, adapting to each patient's clinical situation, available in 40-slice, 64-slice and 128-slice configurations.

June 9, 2008 - Siemens unveiled the ACUSON SC2000 volume imaging ultrasound system, which acquires nonstitched, real-time full-volume 3D images of the heart in one single heart cycle, during the 19th Annual Session of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) in Toronto, June 7-11.

Called “Echo in a Heartbeat,” this new technology generates non-stitched full-volume imaging reportedly of the entire heart with 90 degree pyramids and in just one second, according to the manufacturer.

June 9, 2008 - Atrium Medical has begun enrollment of the first patients for their CONFIRM 1, First-in-Man (FIM) drug-eluting coronary stent clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and performance of the stent.

June 8, 2008 - A new study about how shear stress improves adult stem cell attachment to vascular surfaces moves researchers closer to the development of a unique tissue-engineered stem cell vascular bypass graft, reported a study presented during the Vascular Annual Meeting, June 5-8, in San Diego, CA.

June 8, 2008 - Inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO) can reduce skeletal muscle injury after the following limb peripheral vascular disease (ischemia) when damage is caused after the blood supply returns to the tissue, according to researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital who presented results from their study during the Vascular Annual Meeting, June 5- 8, San Diego, CA.

The results came from a review of 23 mice from two groups: 10 who were given CO and 13 who were not, to determine how CO affects their recovery from such injuries.

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