News • 3D nano-images
Revealing ‘bicycle spoke’ structure of heart cells
Newly released images revealing the ‘bicycle spoke’ structure of a heart cell may hold key clues to reducing damage from a heart attack.
Cardiology
Endurance athletes should be tested for fatal heart condition
Some athletes who take part in endurance exercise such as marathon running, endurance triathlons or alpine cycling can develop irregularities in their heartbeats that can, occasionally, lead to their sudden death. Evidence published in the European Heart Journal by Professor La Gerche and colleagues has shown that doctors who try to detect these arrhythmias by focusing on the left ventricle of…
News • Call for papers
Ultrahigh Field MR: Cutting Edge Technologies Meet Clinical Practice
The tremendous progress of ultrahigh field magnetic resonance (UHF-MR) is a powerful motivator to transfer the lessons learned from basic research into the clinic. These efforts are fueled by the quest for advancing the capabilities of biomedical and diagnostic MRI, today. With this in mind momentum is gathering for broader clinical studies and applications. Realizing these opportunities, MAGMA -…
News • i-STAT®
Increase efficiency, reduce costs & improve care
Abbott's i-STAT® 1 Wireless System is now available for use in hospitals, emergency rooms, physicians' offices and other health care environments in Europe and regions that recognize CE Mark. A portable, handheld blood analyzer, the i-STAT® uses two to three drops of a person's blood to perform common tests right at the bedside. By providing and transmitting test results within minutes to a…
Researchers grow cardiac tissue on “spider silk” substrate
Genetically engineered fibers of the protein spidroin, which is the construction material for spider webs, has proven to be a perfect substrate for cultivating heart tissue cells, MIPT researchers found. They discuss their findings in an article that has recently come out in the journal PLOS ONE.
Article • Management I
Successful TopSharing
In the late 1990s, management consultant Julia K Kuark and Swiss communication consultant Hans Ulrich Locher coined the term ‘TopSharing’ – as in job-sharing but, in this case, to describe splitting a senior management role. In Germany, Dr Ulrike Ley, who coaches female doctors, considers the TopSharing model, expanded over a decade by Kuark, is a valid management model for hospitals.…
Article • Cardiology II
Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinics
Many NHS hospitals in the United Kingdom have established Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinics (RACPC) to work in tandem with them in offering primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) – the gold standard treatment for heart attacks – 24 hours a day. Report: Mark Nicholls
Article • Cardiology I
Chest pain units in Germany
The German care system for patients with acute and unspecific chest pain is unique in Europe. The closely knit and countrywide network of accredited Chest Pain Units (CPUs) ensures fast and targeted diagnosis of acute cardiac events. The German CPUs may soon serve as a blueprint for other European countries. The German Cardiac Society (DGK) has already accredited the first institutions – others…
Article • Cardiology III
Restrictive ruling on cardiac procedure
In the future, TAVIs can only be carried out in German hospitals with cardiac surgery departments and cardiac wards, as decided by the German Government’s Expert Panel on Health (G-BA) last January. An interim arrangement in force until 2016 is anticipated for Heart Centres that currently carry out the TAVI procedure without cardiac surgery departments on site. The Federal Ministry of Health is…
News • Stroke
Effectiveness of treatment confirmed
A research paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) today confirms earlier findings that a procedure called endovascular therapy (ET) for ischemic stroke is the best treatment option for many patients by reducing the incidents of disability. This is the fourth research paper published this year that confirms the efficacy of the treatment.
News • Medical devices
Pacemakers with Internet connection
The ageing of society needs new, more cost-effective solutions to improve the life quality of patients and cut the burden that is placed on the social welfare system. In modern western societies the fitting of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) is growing rapidly.
Article • Influential innovations
Unfolding new vistas for MRI, PET and PET/CT
The importance of cardiac imaging is increasing, but nuclear medicine procedures are by no means obsolete, observes Okan Ekinci, during our EH interview with the Siemens Vice President for Healthcare Consulting & Clinical Affairs about the latest innovations for cardiology.
News • Heart failure
Researchers identify 'missing culprit'
Working with lab animals and human heart cells, scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions have identified what they describe as "the long-sought culprit" in the mystery behind a cell-signaling breakdown that triggers heart failure.
Article • Education
Cardiologists gain MRI training
Seeing a substantially increasing importance of the cardiac MRI procedure, cardiologists have developed a specialist cardiac MRI training programme for their colleagues.
Sponsored • Detector
Cardiac CT scanner drops radiation dose 40%
A British Society of Cardiac Imaging (BSCI) survey has confirmed that Toshiba’s Aquilion One scanner not only delivers exceptionally low radiation doses for cardiac CT, but also widens the scope of diagnostics in Cardiac CT because even patients with conditions eliminating them from a CT exam before this machine arrived can now be scanned.
Sponsored • R/F Digital
Shimadzu - Deep insights for extended applications
In the year of Shimadzu’s 140th anniversary, new systems continue the company’s tradition in diagnostic imaging providing innovative technologies and industry firsts.
News • CARDIS
New European effort targeting mobile cardio vascular disease
Imec, Medtronic, Ghent University and their project partners today announced the launch of the CARDIS project. Together they will develop and validate an early-stage cardio vascular disease detection platform using integrated silicon photonics.
News • Twitter
Twitter can predict rates of coronary heart disease
Twitter has broken news stories, launched and ended careers, started social movements and toppled governments, all by being an easy, direct and immediate way for people to share what's on their minds. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have now shown that the social media platform has another use: Twitter can serve as a dashboard indicator of a community's psychological well being…
News • ECR 2015
Carestream Scientist To Present Scientific Paper At ECR 2015
Carestream scientist Dr Samuel Richard will present a scientific paper documenting the impact of advanced imaging technologies on lung nodule conspicuity at the 2015 European Congress of Radiology (ECR).
Firm imposes press embargo
Another patient in the final stages of heart failure has received an artificial heart at Nantes UniversityHospital Centre, according to Carmat, the manufacturer of the device. Report: John Brosky
Article • Cardiac MRI
Cardiomyopathy: the chameleon disease
Cardiomyopathy is a disease with many faces, a 'chameleon', according to Professor Jeanette Schulz-Menger. MRI benefits and potential should be communicated better and to a wider clinical audience. Report: Axel Viola
Article • Paediatric imaging
MRI in paediatric cardiology
'In paediatric cardiology, echocardiography is the method of choice for preoperative diagnostic purposes,' explains Professor Dr Emanuela Valsangiacomo-Büchel, senior cardiologist and director of cardiovascular imaging at the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Report: Axel Viola
Article • Vulnerable plaque imaging
Looking for the perfect modality
What's the ideal solution for vulnerable plaque imaging? 'A non-invasive imaging procedure with high spatial and temporal resolution, and without radiation exposure, and which provides information on coronary plaque composition precisely and in series.' Report: Axel Viola
Article • Cardiac MRI
How does that work again?
You are curious to know what this cardiac MRI thing is all about? You want to brush up on your cardiac MRI knowledge? Then we are afraid you have to delve into the technical basics. Sounds boring? It sure isn’t, says Dr Harald Quick.
Article • Hybrid Imaging
Fusing PET-MRI – a winning combination
Someone once described the fusion of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a great technology looking for an application. Report: John Brosky
