Multimodality imaging is dramatically changing the landscape of cardiology PACS (C-PACS). To get a complete picture of the patient’s condition, clinicians want access to vascular ultrasound, angiography images and echocardiography and data.

Delivering vivid and insightful CT images of the coronary vessels directly into the cardiac catheterization laboratories (cath labs) has proven very effective by helping save staff from re-acquiring images of the heart and boosting patient throughput. But CT images are only part of the bigger picture.

When cardiologists send their high-risk patients home, they may be protected with a host of tools, including implantable cardiac devices and pacemakers and strict regimens of medications.
While the tools and regimens are powerful, cardiologists know that they are still limited when it comes to preventing adverse events. Without constant check-ups, serious coronary issues can occur.

February 5, 2008 - The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), a division of NEMA, said today that the budget President Bush presented to Congress is an important step toward restoring seniors access to life-saving diagnostic and therapeutic medical imaging services.

February 5, 2008 – A medical team led by Adrian Ebner, M.D., of French Hospital and Lutz Buellesfeld, M.D. of Helios Heart Center, Siegburg, Germany, performed the first implantation of the Mitralign Percutaneous Annuloplasty System for mitral valve repair at French Hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay.

The Mitralign System was able to remodel the valve and reduce the patient’s mitral regurgitation from 3 to 2 , 24 hours after the procedure based on core lab assessment. The patient spent less than 48 hours in the hospital after the procedure and continues to do well at home.

February 5, 2008 - The FAMILION test for Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) has met the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Technology Evaluation Center’s (TEC) criteria for establishing the diagnosis of LQTS in certain individuals, representing another step toward personalized medicine.

TEC completed this assessment at its October 2007 Medical Advisory Panel meeting and posted it in online in January 2008.

February 5, 2008 - Premera Blue Cross has revised its Corporate Medical Policy to make Microvolt T-Wave Alternans Testing a covered benefit, as CMS and the American College of Cardiology consider it an important diagnostic test for the evaluation of patients with LV dysfunction.

February 5, 2008 – CV Therapeutics Inc. and Medlogics Device Corp. entered into an agreement under which Medlogics has licensed CV Therapeutics’ proprietary biopolymer stent coating technology to develop a drug eluting stent (DES), as Medlogics recently received CE Mark for its Cobalt Super Alloy (COBRA) stent.

CV Therapeutics received Medlogics stock and is entitled to development milestone payments, royalties and other potential payments on future sales of any products incorporating the technology.

The Sentinel by Spacelabs reportedly integrates an entire range of noninvasive diagnostic cardiology solutions including: ECG exercise testing, 12-Lead ECG, holter monitoring, ECG event recording and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring into one central data management system.

The system reportedly centralizes all solutions in a central networked database that reduces the need for paper records.

Subscribe to
© Copyright Wainscot Media. All Rights Reserved.
Subscribe Now