The American Heart Association has published a report demonstrating that adolescent boys have a significantly increased risk of high systolic blood pressure compared to adolescent girls. That fact may account for the higher prevalence of adult hypertension among men compared to women identified in previous studies, researchers report in “Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.”

One of the major dilemmas faced by clinicians in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is the determination of volume status and the predictability of the response to volume administration. Many of these patients are also hypotensive and in need of hemodynamic assessment. The evaluation of the hemodynamic status is often complicated by body habitus and medical condition. Previous methods of monitoring include echocardiography and the placement of a pulmonary artery catheter.


Pulse oximetry, which directly monitors the patient's oxygenation, came into its own as standard medical practice 20 years ago. It was about that time that its companion application, capnography, was first introduced to the medical community in the U.S.
Capnography continually and instantaneously monitors a patient's carbon dioxide concentrations in respiratory gases and is an indirect monitor of oxygenation that helps in the diagnosis of hypoxia so that corrective measures can be taken.

Recent downplay of the media’s attention to DES-related thrombosis during both the TCT and AHA conferences this fall may have been premature in light of a new study coming out of the Cleveland Clinic.

A meta-analysis published in the December issue of the American Journal of Medicine indicates that patients with drug-eluting stents have a four to five-fold increased relative risk for developing late thrombosis compared to those with bare-metal stents. It is the first published analysis of its kind, PRNewswire reports.

The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has extended the abstract deadline for its 30th Annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando, May 9-12, 2007. The new deadline is December 22, 2006 at midnight (EST).

The top three abstracts will received awards, and the top 10 abstracts selected will be featured for oral presentantion. All accepted abstracts will be published in the May 2007 edition of SCAI's Journal, “Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.”

CV Therapeutics has announced it will file a new drug application to the FDA for its regadenoson agent in mid-2007 following positive results from a late-stage trial, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Regadenoson is used in myocardial perfusion imaging studies, or studies on coronary artery disease. CV Therapeutics said in late-stage trials regadenoson was comparable to Adenoscan, another drug used in MPI studies.

Toronto-based Cedara Software, a Merge Healthcare company and an independent developer of medical software technologies for the global healthcare market, has announced a strategic partnership with Medical Imaging Applications LLC (MIA) of Coralville, Iowa. As part of the agreement, Cedara will distribute MIA’s vascular software applications to OEM companies through its global distribution network on an exclusive basis. MIA will focus on clinical development and continuing advancement of its toolset.

AngioDynamics, Inc. has announced FDA 510(k) clearance for Oncobionic, Inc. to market Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) — a technology approved for the surgical ablation of soft tissue, including cardiac and smooth muscle.

AngioDynamic’s acquisition of Oncobionic for a total of $25 million will be completed following successful human use of its IRE technology, testing that is expected to begin mid-year 2007.

Two novel polymer-free drug-eluting stent coating technologies tested in a comparative animal study has concluded with positive results, according to a release from Atlanta-based MIV Therapeutics.

Possis Medical, Inc. has received clearance from the FDA to market its AngioJet Xpeedior catheter to remove blood clots (thrombus) from upper- and lower-extremity peripheral veins. Used with the company’s AngioJet System, Xpeedior is the only device cleared for thrombectomy in peripheral veins.

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