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.
Cardiology
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.
The GE Venue 40 series
GE Healthcare is presenting its new Venue ultrasound product line at Medica. The Venue 40, the first product launched, provides visualisation for needle guidance procedures and rapid diagnostics in real-time at the bedside. These point-of-care (POC) settings are the fastest growing in ultrasound internationally (USA growth: 30% average in the last four years. Source: industry report by Klein…
The lightweight S8, with 15-inch monitor and much else, scoops F&S award
The S8, a high-end colour Doppler HCU (hand-carried ultrasound) recently received the 2009 Product Quality Leadership Award from the global consultancy Frost & Sullivan (F&S).
The Fetatrack DD250
Weighing just 2 KG, in a hospital, small clinic or doctor’s surgery the fully portable Fetatrack DD250 can provide continuous foetal and vascular dopler. The unit operates from a mains electricity supply for 30 hours; alternatively the built-in rechargable batteries can be used. ‘The system has all the necessary facilities for accurate antenatal foetal assessment in one compact unit,’…
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.
An affair of the heart
The heart of cardiac radiology set the rhythm for this October's 10th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Cardiac Radiology (ESCR) in Leipzig, when state-of-the art technology and progress in cardiac imaging were introduced alongside an educational programme that catered for experienced as well as novice cardiac radiologists
Role of New Software and Technology
In the last fifteen years, myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging (MPI) has been performed most commonly by dual-head conventional scintillation cameras with parallel-hole collimators, configured in a 90ºdetector geometry and image reconstruction based on standard filtered back projection (FBP) algorithms. Such arrangement, although clinically well established suffers from important limitations…
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.
Article • Picture Archiving and Communication System
The Carestream Cardiology PACS
From this October, a newly launched, web-based cardiology PACS will change the workload of cardiologists at Groene Hart Ziekenhuis, in The Netherlands, making the 500-bed hospital one of Europe's first to benefit from this valuable system that consolidates isolated cardiac lab systems into one centralised solution.
Philips forecasts advances for healthcare in 2020
Previewing technologies that may be in use in about a decade, Philips Healthcare recently introduced us to researchers who discussed their many current and ongoing projects.
www.heartfailurematters.org
Since 2007, when a special public information website was set up by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) intended to help heart failure (HF) patients, their families and carers by offering a broad range of information, reassurance and support, www.heartfailurematters.org has gained even greater international presence and use in the last 18 months, Mark…
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.
Post-MI mortality
Measuring left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) is the gold standard for determining the risk of cardiac death or sudden cardiac death after a myocardial infarction (MI). If LVEF is below 30%, a cardioverter-defibrillator is implanted to avoid such an event.
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…
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.
Improved diagnostic accuracy for acute myocardial infarction
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 presented at the 12th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR).
EuroPCR 2009
EuroPCR 2009 is focused on minimally invasive cardiac surgery, but narrowing the broad field of cardiology does not make this conference any less complex.
A multimodal approach strengthens non-invasive diagnostics
Echocardiography is the work horse of non-invasive cardiovascular diagnostics. Has this developed?
Edan Instruments Incorporated
In the Forbes China report this year, Edan is not only listed in the ‘Top 200 Chinese Enterprise with the Best Growing Potential´ (ranking 17th), but also this unlisted company's rapid rise on the score table made it the Forbes China star, being named as the Best Mover of Year 2008.
Telemonitoring changes working practice of cardiac nurses
The 9th Annual Spring Meeting of the European Society of Cardiology Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP), organised in cooperation with the Irish Nurses Cardiovascular Association (INCA), is being held at the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland, on 24-25 April.
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.
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).
