Sometimes it's the smallest things that leave the strongest impression.
Of the dozens of technologies with which I came into contact during ACC07, it was a new device in the Siemens booth that made one of the more distinct marks on my memory: it's the next plane in cardiac ultrasound's evolution into further miniaturization.


Technological trendsetters within the cardiology arena have been embarking on a path of seamless integration of their information technology platforms for more than a decade. For many, that pathway may have seemed like an endless uphill battle considering the enormous amount of information that is generated within the complex field of cardiology.


If the cardiologists at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC) in Jackson have been facing an uphill battle against cardiovascular disease, at least they’ve got some new state-of-the-art weapons. With four faculty members and nine fellows, the hospital’s Division of Cardiology has grown substantially over recent years. And to top it off, the hospital just received a new cardiovascular center that houses a large outpatient clinic.
Figure 1 - As the demand for cardiology services is increasing, the supply has not kept pace. This has led to a shortage of doctors in the U.S.

In 2006, the baby boom generation (those born from 1946 - 1964) started turning 60 at the rate of 330 per hour, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2031, almost 60 million baby boomers will be over 65. See Figure 1.
Looking at the coming tsunami of seniors raises a lot of issues, especially in cardiology. Along with reaching their golden years, this generation will also be entering the peak cardiovascular disease years.

May 8, 2007 - OBS Medical and Physio-Control Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic Inc., announced they have entered into a strategic relationship to improve patient safety through medical information innovations in external defibrillation monitoring technologies.

Arrow’s Transradial introducers provide for durable radial artery access while being vessel friendly. Our newest kit contains our .018 micro-puncture wire guide and needle set to minimize vessel trauma. The 6 French sheath and dilator track well over the smaller wire and we’ve applied a hydrophilic coating on the polyurethane sheath to enhance insertion and removal.

May 7, 2007 — Citing issues related to potentially suboptimal therapeutic dosing of paclitaxel, Conor Medsystems, LLC, has concluded that the COSTAR II (CObalt Chromium STent with Antiproliferative for Restenosis) trial, the pivotal study for the CoStar(R) cobalt chromium paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent, failed to meet its primary endpoint. The trial did not identify safety issues, and the overall rates of death, myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis were consistent with those observed in other clinically relevant drug-eluting stent studies.

May 7, 2007 — Thoratec Corp., a global maker of products to treat cardiovascular disease, says the FDA has approved an IDE (Investigational Device Exemption) supplement that allows enrollment of up to an additional 60 patients in the Bridge-to-Transplantation (BTT) arm of the company's HeartMate II Phase II trial under a Continued Access Protocol (CAP).

This is the third CAP the company has received for this trial, and the company recently received CAP approval for the Destination Therapy (DT) arm of the trial.

May 7, 2007 Stereotaxis Inc. announced today that it has developed an innovative new single-screen user interface that provides an unprecedented level of interventional lab integration. The product, Odyssey, is a proprietary Stereotaxis design that consolidates multiple information sources and screens within an electrophysiology interventional lab into a single visual display.

May 7, 2007 — Australia's adult stem cell company, Mesoblast Limited, has announced that the FDA has cleared the Investigational New Drug Submission (IND) of its U.S.-based sister company, Angioblast Systems Inc., to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial of its allogeneic, or 'off-the-shelf,’ adult stem cells for patients with heart attacks.

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