Every picture tells a story
Cardiologists are looking beyond on-screen images of the heart to extract data behind these scans that describe coronary dysfunctions and can reveal hard evidence of the cause of disease reports John Brosky.
Cardiovascular diseases
IQ is strong predictor of cardiovascular disease
While lower intelligence scores have been associated with a raised risk of cardiovascular disease, no study has so far compared the relative strength of this association with other established risk factors such as obesity, smoking and high blood pressure. Now, a large study has found that lower intelligence scores were associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and total mortality at…
The Syntax Study
Bypass or stent? In Germany alone, every year 370.000 patients have to decide which kind of surgery they will undergo. The Syntax study (Synergy between PCI with taxus and cardiac surgery), presented in September, looked at 1.720 patients and aims to provide help to answer this crucial question.
ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Imaging now available
The idea of publishing a Textbook of Cardiovascular Imaging which accumulates the expertise of European cardiovascular imagers, is long awaited. The new textbook by the European Society of Cardiology is written with a patient rather than technology-based approach, helping clinicians to explain the condition to the patient, with the aid of imaging.
Different heart motions by age and gender revealed
Using a new noninvasive imaging technique, scientists said they have discovered important, fundamental differences in heart motion by age and gender. Their study - reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, a journal of the American Heart Association - is the first to provide gender- and age-specific data on the motions of the normal heart based on a regional analysis of myocardial…
Imaging and computing power leading to breakthroughs for cardiac surgery
Two members of the Heart Center at the University of Leipzig teamed up during Medica for a tour de force presentation on Future Trends in Cardiac Surgery. "The aim of the game is opening the chest through little keyholes to operate in the most minimally invasive way possible and avoid sternotomy," said Prof. Friedrich Mohr, Program Director at the Leipzig Heart Center, who review new surgical…
CardiAid CT0207 AED
Manufactured by Amsterdam-based company CardiaTech Holland BV, which specialises in defibrillators and AED trainer units, the CardiAid Automated External Defibrillator (AED) has been designed to provide electroshock treatment for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
A Stroke prevention device
Patients with atrial fibrillation, so at risk of stroke, are usually treated with medication to prevent coagulation. The Hanover Medical School (MHH) has devised an alternative treatment.
Immediate evaluation of ECG and movement signals
The evaluation of long-term ECGs is currently performed by the attending physician, who enters the ECG data into a computer for preliminary analysis by a software programme after the patient´s visit. The physician then considers the flagged critical areas to make a diagnosis.
ECG machines from China
Comen Medical instruments Co. Ltd, which manufactures a range of advanced ECG machines, is showing its CM1200 12-channel ECG machine with 12.1" fold-up colour TFT screen, which provides a more comfortable multi-angle observation, the firm reports.
Monitoring CHF patients
Close monitoring of vital signs such as ECG, BP and body weight are vital for many patients suffering cardiovascular disease. MyHeart, an integrated project involving 10 EU Member States, aims to produce better devices and better parameters than currently available, i.e. traditional sensor systems with digital upgrades. The ongoing clinical study has involved six European academic centres and 200…
Smoking bans have lowered AMI rates
Strongly enforced legislation to restrict smoking produces rapid and substantial reductions in community rates of heart attack, according to a meta-analysis published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.
Measuring tissue stiffness without compression
French expert Dr Jacques Souquet PhD, President of SuperSonic Imagine, describes the value and potential of ShearWave elastography, the latest development in ultrasound that enables radiologists to acquire user independent information about tissue stiffness by measuring both, ultrasound and shear waves.
The Nanomaxx System
‘Supremely portable and incredibly tough, the NanoMaxx ultrasound system combines Best in Class performance with affordability and simplicity,’ the Erlangen-based manufacturer SonoSite reports.
Taking part in clinical trials is good for health
Patients with chronic heart failure who agree to take part in clinical trials have a better prognosis than those who do not, according to a study reported in the November European Journal of Heart Failure. The finding, say the authors, may even call into question the commonplace ethical requirement of most clinical trials that by choosing not to take part in the study a patient will not be…
Cigarettes on Sale on the Internet
The European Society of Cardiology comments on media reports last week that France is preparing to authorise the sale of cigarettes on the internet, to conform to European rights. Although Budget Minister Eric Woerth denies that this is the intention, the news is disappointing given the drop in heart attack rates following last year´s smoking ban.
Invatec launches Self-Expanding Peripheral Stent System
Invatec, a comprehensive innovator of interventional products, launched their latest self-expanding peripheral stent system, Maris Plus, at CIRSE 2009. The Maris Plus stent has a “lesion-specific” design with larger sizes to meet the clinical requirements of the iliac region.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation
Today, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) represents an effective therapeutic alternative to conventional aortic valve replacement for patients who are at high risk or with contraindications to surgery, and the combination of the transfemoral and transapical approaches further increases the number of patients who can be treated.
The role of exercise training in cardiovascular health
Western societies are struggling to pay for their ever increasing medical budgets. In the US up to 393 billion US-$ were spent in 2005 for cardiovascular diseases alone. Based on epidemiologic studies in primary prevention it is reasonable to estimate that 30% of coronary heart disease and stroke could be prevented by 2.5 hours of brisk walking per week.
From cell to man to society
"We have taken particular care in organising the ESC Congress, as we are aware of the stringent competition with other congresses in the light of economic difficulties" ,said Professor Roberto Ferrari, this year´s Congress President. The result is that there will be 500 hours of ESC peer sessions, over 100 hours of industry sessions, accreditation by the European Board for Accreditation in…
Mitral regurgitation
A pioneering new treatment to repair leaking heart valves is being performed at a UK hospital as part of a clinical research trial. The minimally-invasive procedure to treat mitral regurgitation involves surgeons passing a device through a vein in the neck and into a patient's heart.
Telemonitoring in cardiology: Who benefits?
Cardiology centres worldwide experience an almost exponential rise in the number of in-hospital follow-ups of patients with implantable devices or heart failure (HF).This not only strains the available personnel resources, it also means a rapidly increasing cost to healthcare payers, especially in fee-for-service reimbursement situations.
CARDIOVIT CS-200 - new design and additional features
CS-200: SCHILLER´s complete Diagnostic Solution has been redesigned, offering now even more added value. Discreet but important external modifications encompass a large, swivel-mounted 19`` monitor, as well as an ergonomic design. A new, simplified user-interface as well as various new holders and mounting kits for external devices such as gel bottles, bar code scanners, spirometry sensors and…
Cardiovascular research
As Professor Valentin Fuster pointed out this year, the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) is now a splendid reality thanks to the support of the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III institutions on which, now and for the future, it depends. Along with that public sector backing, CNIC will also receive civil support from the ProCNIC…
Validation of the value of cardiovascular MR
After two years of intensive work the results from the German pilot phase of the EuroCMR Register are due to be published in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology*, and also presented and discussed in detail at this year's ECR in Barcelona.