Intima media thickness to measure the thickness of artery walls
Intima media thickness (IMT) is a valuable research tool that can be used as surrogate end points in clinical trails, says Professor Stefan Agewall.
Monitoring
New Molecular Imaging Techniques Aim at Detection of Earliest Steps of Disease Development
An emerging discipline of noninvasive cardiac imaging, molecular imaging, has evolved constantly in the last few years and is increasingly being translated from the preclinical to the clinical level. Molecular imaging allows for unique insights into specific disease mechanisms and holds great promise to change the practice of cardiovascular medicine by facilitating early disease detection,…
Beijing Olympics research finds enlarged hearts can be good hearts
Cardiologist Dr Malissa Wood, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA, has reported that a study of Olympic athletes, using GE Healthcare's Vivid I cardiac compact ultrasound technology, has allowed the medical research team in Beijing to identify healthy patterns of heart enlargement that can differentiate it from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Article • Cardiology
Implantable cardiac monitors
Syncope (fainting) is a leading cause of hospital emergency visits. In almost 10% of patients, syncope has a cardiac cause; in 50%, a non-cardiac cause, and in 40% the cause of syncope is unknown. Syncope is difficult to diagnose as syncopal episodes are often too infrequent and unpredictable for detection with conventional monitoring techniques.
The source of medication errors
US- researchers found that inpatients experience an average of nearly one and a half potentially harmful errors in their medication record during a hospital stay. They started the search for the causes: admission and discharging are the most dangerous situations.
Olympus Analyser most reliable
It runs and runs and runs The Olympus AU640 clinical chemistry analyser is the most reliable analyser considering a period of 12 months. This is the result published in the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency Analyser Monitoring Programme Annual Report 2006-2007.
New modell to predict risks of heart failure
Hospital admission might probably determine the severity of heart failure. By analysing data from 260 hospitals across the United States researchers created a model to reduce in-hospital mortality and more quickly identify triage methods and treatment decisions.
HD-images of a stressed heart
Treadmill exercise testing is a common tool to detect of cardiovascular diseases. But clear images of the working heart are hard to obtain. Now researchers designed MRI equipment to provide high-resolution images of the heart at critical stages.
New treatment guidelines for HIV infection
An international panel of physicians has updated the guidelines and recommendations for antiretroviral treatment of adult human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection after evaluating recent data, according to an article in JAMA, a theme issue on HIV/AIDS.
Bright outlook for cardiovascular monitoring equipment in Europe
Technologically advanced, cost-effective cardiovascular monitoring systems are increasingly in demand in Europe. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan point out that the market will grow from $350.0 million in 2007 and to $491.3 million in 2014.
Cardiac rehabilitation by mobile phone
The Cardiomobile developed by the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University, Australia, contains a Mini ECG and a GPS system linked to a mobile phone via Bluetooth. That way heart patients can do rehabilitation exercises any place and any time they want to.
CRC-report shows urgent need for action
Limited public and political awareness of colorectal cancer (CRC), few formal screenings programms, delayed access to treatment - the first cross-country report on the management and funding of colorectal cancer (CRC) reveals an urgent need for action to improve the survival of patients in Europe and Australia.
Nosocomial infections
Report: Mark Nicholls
Siemens - special events at Booth #507
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics will showcase the combined strengths of Diagnostics Products Corporation (DPC), Bayer HealthCare Diagnostics and Dade Behring.
Optimising chronic wound care
Process optimisation concerns all primary and secondary processes in a hospital. Case management is a tool that supports the implementation of comprehensive optimisation efforts.
Pulsion and Philips Healthcare enhance their strong partnership
Pulsion Medical Systems and Philips Healthcare are two strong brands. Pulsion, one of the leading specialists for intelligent medical diagnosis and therapy management systems, now announced the extension of the alliance with Philips. Among other things the agreement will contain the integration of further Pulsion-technologies into the Philips patient monitoring systems.
SCHILLER group acquires Medilog
On 1st May, Medilog became part of the SCHILLER group. Medilog will be SCHILLER's high-end Holter system. Medilog's additional products are an ideal complement to SCHILLER's present product range. The SCHILLER group very much looks forward to the coming co-operation.
GE's portable ultrasound systems check USA's Olympic athletes
As the opening of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games nears, the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and the General Electric Company (a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games) are running two research programmes aimed at demonstrating that health monitoring and early intervention leads to injury prevention and enhanced health and sports performances for athletes.
The contrast media controversy
Before discussing a possible connection between gadolinium and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), Dr Herborn offered a brief background:
New applications for Dual-Source CT
Encouraged by the success of the Dual-Source CT system Somatom Definition with two X-ray tubes that simultaneously generate different energies, Siemens Healthcare has already developed six specific dual energy applications. At the ECR 2008, the company presents four new applications that simplify the diagnosis of diseases of the heart, brain, lungs and extremity joints.
MR contrast agents: A step up from compartmental to targeted imaging
Andrea Martini and Joerg Larsen, of the Institute for Roentgendiagnostics, Braunschweig Teaching Hospitals, Germany, discuss nanotechnology, hybrid imaging and the quest for a personalised medicine.
A novel PET tracer for early detection of Alzheimers
Amyloidb (Ab) plaque formation is a hallmark of Alzheimers disease (AD) and precedes the onset of dementia. Australian researchers reported the first data on the validity in humans of a new PET tracer binding to Ab. Their data suggest that 18F-BAY94-9172 of Bayer Schering Pharma AG can reliably detect Ab deposition and thereby aid early diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and therapeutic…
MR probes for molecular imaging
Molecular imaging aims at the in vivo quantitative visualisation of molecules and molecular events that occur at cellular level. The potential towards clinical translation is huge, because the same modalities used in medical imaging are used in molecular imaging investigations.
Non-invasive device detects early-stage respiratory irregularities
Evolving from an award-winning project carried out by undergraduates of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel's leading University for science and technology, a new non-invasive device for detecting early stage respiratory irregularities is momentarily in development. The novel respiration monitor is intended to immediately detect deterioration in lung ventilation of ICU patients.
Two mammograms on one screen
The first 15 megapixels display, which enables radiologists to monitor two mammograms on one screen, was launched at RSNA 2007 by the Japanese firm Totoku.
