Based on its ongoing analysis of the medical imaging market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. with the 2015 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Medical Imaging Company of the Year. The company has changed the way it approaches the imaging market by offering scalable, upgradable technologies and a patient-focused view of partnerships. This value-based approach positions the company for continued success in the medical imaging market by allowing it to re-orient many of its imaging customers away from a cyclical sales model and toward deeper, more renewable strategic partnerships.

One life-threatening complication of lung cancer surgery is the formation of blood clots in the lungs (also called pulmonary embolism, PE) or in the legs (also known as deep vein thrombosis, DVT). Together, they would be defined as venous thromboembolic events (VTE). Several presentations at AATS 2015 shed new light on this serious problem. In the first prospective study of its kind, the incidence of VTE was found to be higher than previously reported, with a 5.4 percent VTE-specific mortality rate. Of concern to clinicians, most events were asymptomatic and occurred after patients were discharged from the hospital. The second report highlights the importance of screening for VTEs, especially since the majority of lower extremity VTEs found after pneumonectomy would have gone undiagnosed and untreated without screening. The third report describes a risk assessment tool for VTEs that is applied for the first time to predict an individual’s risk of VTEs after lung cancer surgery, which can help clinicians decide whether prolonged anti-clotting therapy is warranted.

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) announced the following late-breaking clinical trials to be presented at its 2015 Scientific Sessions, May 6-9 in San Diego.

AstraZeneca announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) and granted Priority Review for Brilinta (ticagrelor) tablets for patients with a history of heart attack. The sNDA is based on the results of the PEGASUS-TIMI 54 study, a large-scale outcomes trial in more than 21,000 patients that investigated ticagrelor tablets plus low dose aspirin, compared to placebo plus low dose aspirin, for the chronic secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events in patients who had experienced a heart attack one to three years prior to study enrollment. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date will be in the third quarter of 2015.

Two global trials have found that the addition of the Solitaire device stent thrombectomy procedure to current pharmaceutical treatment significantly reduced disability in patients suffering stroke. Results of the trials were published online in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented at the European Stroke Organization Conference; they confirmed the findings of three previous trials also published in NEJM.

Watchman, LAA, left atrial appendage
Watchman, LAA, left atrial appendage

The long awaited U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the first transcatheter left atrial appendage (LAA) occluder in March is seen by many cardiologists as a disruptive technology in the management of stroke risk in some atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. The FDA approval of Boston Scientific’s Watchman device offers a new stroke risk reduction option for high-risk patients with non-valvular AF who are seeking an alternative to long-term warfarin anticoagulant therapy.

Kaiba was just a newborn when he turned blue because his little lungs weren’t getting the oxygen they needed. Garrett spent the first year of his life in hospital beds tethered to a ventilator, being fed through his veins because his body was too sick to absorb food. Baby Ian’s heart stopped before he was even six months old.

With higher deductibles and more price-conscious healthcare consumers, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, improving the performance, comfort and speed of MRI scans can be an important strategy for imaging centers that must compete by offering the best patient care and experience.

COR Medical Technologies (COR) announced that Gregg W. Stone, M.D. has been appointed to its Senior Editorial Board.

For the first time, cardiac catheterization laboratory stakeholders now have quality metrics that confirm the value of Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) accreditation. Three new studies validating the benefits of ACE accreditation were presented during the 2015 Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California, May 6-9.

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