As of January 2021, in the United States we are now on month 10 of the COVID-19 pandemic. One year ago, we followed events unfolding in China. One of the first takeaways from the Chinese experience was that this virus was different than the flu were the reports of multiple manifestations of the COVID, including a significant cardiovascular impact in sicker patients.

HeartSciences has been developing a new type of ECG system called Wavelet ECG that may offer a new way of looking at the heart. The MyoVista system uses continuous wavelet transform (CWT) signal processing to provide new frequency and energy information to detect cardiac relaxation abnormalities associated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction commonly associated with hypertension, diabetes, valvular disease, ischemia, and reduced systolic function. Artificial intelligence is used to read the exam.

Here are a few trends to watch for in electrocardiogram (ECG, or if you prefer the original German EKG) systems. The biggest advancement in ECG systems in recent years has been the movement to greater interoperability and digital formats. But other technologies are beginning to be integrated into ECG systems, such as aids to properly place leads, artificial intelligence and a ways to extract additional information from ECGs to increase diagnostic value.

Here are some trends in these newer ECG systems:

January 20, 2021 — The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revised its National Coverage Determination (NCD) to expand coverage for the Abbott MitraClip to include patients with secondary (or functional) mitral regurgitation (MR) resulting from heart failure.

The procedure is known as transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER), but is also referred to as transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR).

More complex, longer interventional procedures such as structural heart interventions or this revascularization of a coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, requires angiography imaging systems that have improved image detail and lower radiation dose. However, purchase of new systems was put on hold by many hospitals in 2020 due to the sudden drop in elective procedures and diversion of resources due to the COVID-19. Photo by Dave Fornell. Interventional X-ray market.

January 19, 2021 – With the postponement of non-essential elective surgeries and medical procedures in 2020 to conserve medical resources for COVID-19 patients during the start of the pandemic, cardiovascular procedures were severely impacted. The increased costs of caring for COVID patients, personal protective equipment (PPE) and the loss of elective procedure revenue caused a massive financial burden on healthcare providers.
Clinicians reviewing a COVID-19 patient's lung CT that reveals the severity of COVID-caused pneumonia. The impact of COVID on radiology was a major, over arching trend at the 2020 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting. Getty Images #RSNA20 #RSNA2020

Not surprisingly, many of the key trends observed at the 2020 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting focused around COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) and the impact it has had on radiology and healthcare.

January 18, 2020 — The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), in collaboration with the North American Society of Cardiovascular Imaging (NASCI), recently released a new expert consensus document on coronary CT imaging of atherosclerotic plaque. 
 

January 18, 2021 — According to a new national survey released Jan. 13 by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), nearly 40 percent of Americans still do not feel safe going to the doctor's office while coronavirus (COVID-19) is still a risk.

January 13, 2021 — FineHeart, a preclinical-stage medical device company developing a novel left ventricular assist device (LVAD), successfully completed a seven-day study of its Transcutaneous Energy Transfer (TET) System for recharging the ICOMS implantable battery without any cords or drivelines through the skin. 

January 11, 2021 — In a letter published in the December issue of the American Heart Association (AHA) medical journal Circulation a group of researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) dispute the most recent findings of the incidence of myocarditis in athletes with a history of

January 12, 2021 — The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) are joining forces to accelerate a critical new research initiative studying cardiac conditions in athletes, in part to speed new insights into the impact of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) to the cardiovascular system of college athletes and safety of return to play after diagnosis.

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