The 75th DGK Congress
In April, the 75th annual congress of the German Cardiac Society (DGK) was considered a great success, drawing in some 7,900 specialists.
Cardiovascular diseases
Congenital cardiac surgery in Russia
Last year a special cardiac surgery department was opened in the Filatov Children's Hospital in Moscow. Until then, the only one in all of Russia was at the Children's Hospital #1, in Saint-Petersburg, where cardiac surgeon Vadim Lubomudrov has led the field in this delicate work.
Cultural-sensitive care and the European Qualification framework
Healthcare services often do not reach the target groups because socio-cultural preferences and values of patients and their relatives are not properly considered.
Gene Test Determines Risk of Heart Surgery Complications
Genetic differences can explain why some patients undergoing heart surgery later experience shock and kidney complications, according to a study by German and Australian researchers. The results indicate that performing a genetic test on patients before they have surgery can help guide treatment after they leave the operating room.
Non surgical mitral valve repair: First enrollment in ACCESS-Europe study
Evalve, Inc., the leader in the development of devices for the percutaneous repair of cardiac valves, announced the first enrollment in the ACCESS-Europe study, a post-market observational study of the MitraClip therapy in Europe. The system is the first commercially available treatment option for non-surgical mitral valve repair for patients suffering from the effects of functional and…
Hybrid approach to treat coronary artery disease
Patients with coronary artery disease -- blockages of the vessels that feed the heart -- can be treated in a number of ways. With their doctor, they decide on the best course of action: surgery, stent placement or medication. Sometimes, a combination of these is the best approach.
Deutscher Kardiologenkongress startet in Mannheim
Von Donnerstag, 16. April 2009, bis Samstag, 18. April 2009, findet in Mannheim die 75. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Kardiologie (DGK) statt, zu der rund 7000 aktive Teilnehmer aus 25 Ländern erwartet werden.
The summit of science
For this year's ECR president, Professor Borut Marincek, there could be no more apt motto for the event than The Summit of Science. ‘Over the last 20 years, imaging procedures, particularly radiology, have revolutionised healthcare. At the same time, radiology as a high-tech discipline is dependent on an increased natural scientific and technological knowledge. Therefore, the objective is to…
Heart, body and mind
The clear focus of the numerous lectures given at the International MRI Symposium was on cardiac imaging.
GE's new Discovery PET/CT 600 scanners go global
GE Healthcare's first Discovery PET/CT 600-series scanners are being installed in a number of leading clinics around the world. "This first set of installations is a big step forward in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease", said Terri Bresenham, newly appointed vice- president and general manager of GE Healthcare's global Molecular Imaging business.
Cardiovascular MRI
The role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the effect of therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction was demonstrated in a series of papers during the 12th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR), held in Orlando, Fla. USA (29 Jan - 1 Feb).
Day Time sleepiness provides red flag for cardiovascular disease
Clinicians should be alert to patients reporting “excessive” day time sleepiness, says the European Society of Cardiology, after a French study found healthy elderly people who regularly report feeling sleepy during the day have a 49 % relative risk increase of cardiovascular death, compared to those who do not report sleepiness.
Royal Philips Electronics leads Sonodrugs Project
Philips leads the €15.9 million project to develop image-guided localized drug delivery technologies that could significantly impact the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The goal is to maximize therapeutic efficiency and minimize side effects of treatments for cancer and cardiovascular disease. The hope is that this level of control will also provide a means of tailoring the…
Better management of complex arrhythmias
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands and global company Bard Electrophysiology are starting a collaboration to develop new clinical tools for the work of electrophysiologists and lab staff. The ambitious goals are to improve the workflow with simpler and more intuitive approaches and to gain detailed visualization for interventions within the heart's electrical circuitry.
Cold winter months increase risk of hypertension
The colder the weather, the greater the increase in blood pressure in the elderly population - to this conclusion comes a French study from Bordeaux, Dijon and Montpellier. The authors recommend to improve the blood pressure management in the elderly when outdoor temperature is very low by close monitoring of blood pressure and antihypertensive medication.
Diabetes: Low-glycemic food decreases risk for heart diseases
A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently has found that those with type 2 diabetes who had a diet high in low-glycemic foods such as nuts, beans and lentils had greater improvement in glycemic control and risk factors for coronary heart disease than those on a diet with an emphasis on high-cereal fibre.
11% drop in AMI admissions
Less acute heart attacks in Italy five months after the introduction of a smoking ban in indoor public places.
Vielversprechende Forschungsergebnisse zu Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen
Das Center for Cardiovaskular Research (CCR) an der Berliner Charité konnte sich durch vielseitige Grundlagenforschung über die deutschen Landesgrenzen hinaus bereits einen Namen machen. Nun stellt das CCR in einem aktuellen Zwischen- bericht unter anderem vielversprechende Ent- wicklungen einer neuen Medikamentenklasse bei Endorganschäden und die Erforschung der Blutgefäßbildung bei…
Identifying Smokers via text messaging proves effective for CVD battle
An innovative scheme using mobile technology to identify patients 'at risk# of developing CVD by effectively establishing smoking status has recently proved a great success for NHS Hammersmith and Fulham.
Patient-worn telemetry system aids mobility
Dräger's new Infinity M300 patient-worn monitor has been installed at major hospitals in the USA and Germany. Though compact and patient-worn by adult or paediatric patients, this telemetry system performs like a full-size patient monitor, the manufacturer points out, adding that it runs on a hospital's existing 802.11 b/g network, saving costs on a separate wireless network.
From Dusseldorf around the world
This was not a quick birth. The concept began back in 1963. After finishing each day's work at the Women's Hospital, Dusseldorf, obstetrician Konrad Hammacher spent his nights at the Medical Academy, toiling over an idea.
CHD symptoms
Coronary heart disease (CHD) symptoms, presented in the context of a stressful life event, were identified as psychogenic when presented by women and organic when presented by men, which could help explain why there is often a delay in the assessment of women with CHD, according to research presented at the 20th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference.
Stents: Most patients don't receive stress tests to confirm need
Investigating the appropriate use of procedures to open narrowed coronary arteries, e.g. angioplasty and stenting, researchers at UCSF (University of California, USA) found that less than 50% of Medicare patients had documented non-invasive stress testing prior to elective percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI (clinical name for these procedures).
The first cross-border European University Hospital
During the MCC Hospital World 2008 congress, held in Berlin this September, speakers from international firms and hospital chains discussed the demands and necessities for future healthcare.
Obese children at higher risk for premature heart disease
The obesity epidemic is increasingly affecting young teens worldwide. In the USA the epidemic is well-established: more than 17% of children are obese and about a third of those have high blood pressure, which places them at risk for premature heart disease.
