Cardiovascular diseases

3D targeting of the heart

The heart is a structure in three dimensions and today we see it in three dimensions,’ Jose Luis Zamorano Gomez MD declared with satisfaction.

Hardly unnecessary blood tests

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center used two relatively simple tactics to significantly reduce the number of unnecessary blood tests to assess symptoms of heart attack and chest pain and to achieve a large decrease in patient charges.

Pumping synchronously with the heart

Synchronised Cardiac Assist i-cor, which the company reports to be the first system that links mechanical circulatory support to the heartbeat.

Disappointing HTN-3 trial results challenge future of procedure

It was the quiet before the storm. At the end of March, during the American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting in Washington, the future of renal denervation was about to be decided with the presentation of the Medtronic-funded Simplicity HTN-3 clinical trial.

First pacemaker with event-triggered IEGM transmissions

Biotronik, a leading manufacturer of cardiovascular medical technology, announced CE approval for its new Eluna pacemaker series. The new generation of pacemakers includes single and dual-chamber as well as cardiac resynchronization (CRT-P) devices.

Renal denervation on razor's edge ahead of trial results

It is the quiet before the storm. At the end of March, the future of renal denevation will be decided with the presentation of the Simplicity HTN-3 clinical trial at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Washington.

Promising substitutes for human hearts

Fully implantable mechanical hearts bring hope to 121,000 heart failure patients who will never receive a heart transplant

European approval for advanced SAPIEN 3 Valve

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, announced that it has received CE Mark in Europe and is initiating the launch of its most advanced transcatheter aortic valve, the Edwards SAPIEN 3 valve.

New AF classification by ECG will deliver personalised treatment

Despite the availability of cardioversion, ablation and medications to treat AF, outcomes are often poor because it is unclear which patients will benefit most. A new classification of atrial fibrillation (AF) by electrocardiogram (ECG) is set to be developed by European experts to aid personalised management of this devastating condition.

From MIS to optimally invasive cardiac surgery

Since minimally invasive surgery (MIS) entered cardiac surgery in the mid-1990s it became unthinkable not to use this medical specialty. However, MIS procedures do not always result in the best outcome for patients.

Characterising plaques with millimetre-waves

The Plaque-CharM project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is to develop novel sensor technology that can characterise arterial tissue in the smallest space – the tip of a catheter.

Esaote showcases new Prevention Suite at EuroEcho 2013

Prevention Suite’s four combined imaging technologies enables practical pre-clinical assessment of cardiovascular disease risk .

Trinity Biotech hits high mark for cardiac test

Ahead of regulatory approval that is expected before the end of the year, Trinity Biotech chose Medica to present the novel point-of-care (POC) analyzer Meritas with the Troponin I (TnI) that are expected to disrupt a €700 million market.

Extra-aortic counter pulsation

The C-Pulse, manufactured by Australian-American company Sunshine Heart, Inc. is neither a pulsatile artificial heart nor one of the well-known non-pulsatile left heart support systems

Personal shear rate therapy

In 1839 Richard Thoma was the first to observe that arteries respond to flow: he identified a fundamental relationship between blood flow and arterial calibre.

Heart failure

About 500,000 people in France people suffer heart failure (HF). In Europe the figure is six million and the same in the USA.

Cardiology drives innovation

‘Cardiology is one of the most innovative medical disciplines. Many modern technologies, such as catheterisations or imaging procedures, were triggered by cardiology,’ declared Professor Dr Gerald Maurer MD.

Cardiac disease death rates fall in the EU

Death rates from cardiac disease have more than halved in many EU countries since the early 1980s, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal.

Renal denervation

A new procedure may help people with persistent hypertension. By burning or ablating the nerves in the renal arteries, blood pressure levels can be reduced significantly.

Article • Healing hearts 1

Bioresorbable stents

Cardiologists believe they can restore coronary arteries thanks to a new generation of stents that help the body to strengthen collapsed vessels. Elsewhere, patients’ own stem cells are being programmed to rebuild cardiac muscle in HF patients.

TAVI will surpass heart surgery for aortic valve replacement

Each year the case grows stronger for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI). And it is only six years since the procedure was introduced in Europe.