PHOTO GALLERY: AHA 2022

Attendees look at the Resila surgical aortic valve, which was displayed alongside it Sapien 3 TAVR valve in the Edwards Lifesciences booth at the American Heart Association 2022 meeting.

American Heart Association President Michelle Albert, MD, discussed health in equities and approaches to addressing them with Cardiovascular Business Digital Editor Dave Fornell at the AHA 2022 meeting today. Albert is the immediate past president of the Association of Black Cardiologists and director of the Center for the Study of Adversity in Cardiovascular Disease at the University of California San Franscisco. Health equity has become a growing discussion at cardiology meetings in the past few years. Discussion at AHA and other meetings is move from defining the issue and discussing ways to address it in the real world. 

The entrance to the AHA expo and technology floor.

The "puppy snuggle zone" at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2022 meeting where attendees could play with puppies in between sessions.

Example of a noninvasive computed tomography (CT) imaging derived fractional flow reserve (FFR-CT) assessment for a patient with an ischemic coronary artery segment. This physiological data on the impact of a lesion on hemodynamic flow can offer pre-planning in the cath lab, or help determine if a patient can be managed medically and avoid an invasive diagnostic angiogram. Image at the HeartFlow booth on the expo floor.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has 35 late-breaking studies and 42 featured science sessions presented at the 2022 annual meeting. Find a complete list of the late-breakers and links to more information.

This is a simplified, disposable ECG 12-lead system that allows fast patient setup with leads that will not get confused as to where they should be placed. This was shown by QT Medical on the expo floor of the 2022 American Heart Association (AHA). The leads have FDA and CE mark clearance.

An artificial blood vessel made from human smooth muscle cells from the aorta from a donor being shown by the vendor Humacyte on the expo floor at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2022 Scientific Sessions this week. It was designed for use in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The company is currently working toward an FDA indication for trauma repair and eventually for CABG.

Manesh R. Patel, MD, FACC, FAHA, chair of AHA Scientific Sessions program, chief, Division of Cardiology, chief of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, and professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, speaks at the opening session of AHA 2022. Find out more about the key take aways from Patel in this video and article.

Example of noninvasive electrophysiology (EP) computational arrhythmia electromapping in less than 3 minutes using a 12-lead ECG and an AI application from the vendor Vektor Medical at AHA. The technology transfers the ECG waveform electrical data from various vectors of the heart to recreate the 3D image that is color-coded activation map. The vendor said this can help show EPs where to concentrate mapping efforts during ablation procedures to help significantly reduce procedure times. One physician at the booth said it dropped procedure times enough to be able to schedule two patients for the EP lab each day.

An artificial blood vessel made from human smooth muscle cells from the aorta from a donor being shown by the vendor Humacyte on the expo floor at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2022 Scientific Sessions this week. It was designed for use in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The company is currently working toward an FDA indication for trauma repair and eventually for CABG.

The electro-mapping images show AF arrhythmia activity in the posterior wall of the left atrium, pre and post endovascular ablation following PVI. A new hybrid approach to AFib ablation was shown at the American Heart Association (AHA) meeting by Atricure. It involves both epicardial and endocardial ablations for long standing AF with previous failed ablations. The epicardial ablation system to create scars on the posterior wall of the left atrium, in the space between pulmonary vein isolations (PVIs) where the arrhythmia sometimes migrates.

A new hybrid approach to AFib ablation was shown at the American Heart Association (AHA) meeting by Atricure. It involves both epicardial and endocardial ablations for long standing AF with previous failed ablations. Atricure supplies the epicardial ablation system to create scars on the posterior wall of the left atrium, in the space between pulmonary vein isolations (PVIs) where the arrhythmia sometimes migrates. The surgery uses a minimally invasive key hole approach with a 2-inch incision. 

Clyde Yancy, MD, vice dean for diversity and inclusion, chief of cardiology in the Department of Medicine, and a professor of medicine in cardiology and medical social sciences, at Northwestern Medicine, took time to speak with Cardiovascular Business Digital Editor Dave Fornell at the 2022 AHA meeting. They recorded two video interviews on how cardiology departments can increase diversity training and how Northwestern is directly addressing health disparities by opening a new hospital in 2023 in the heart of the South Side of Chicago.

Teddy bears for sale at the AHA Store in the registration area at #AHA22.

Example of fractional flow reserve (FFR) calculated using AI and assessment of the plaque in the vessel on a CT scan of the coronaries. This new type of FFR-CT was shown as a work-in-progress by the vendor Elucid. It was shown for the first time at AHA 2022.

A female CPR training dummy on display at AHA 2022. The American heart Association created this female dummy because it was found there are many men who hesitate delivering CPR to women because of social concerns about touching a women's chest and breasts. The dummy is designed to get first responders to get past that and ensure they deliver CPR in life-threatening situations without hesitation

Poster presentation discussion in the Get with the Guidelines" area of the AHA expo floor.

Items for sale at the AHA Store at registration at #AHA22

An attendee shakes hands to congratulate with Foluso Fakorede, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Cardiovascular Solutions of Central Mississippi, for his major efforts to address a massive health disparity in critical limb ischemia (CLI) and leg amputation in Blacks. Fakorede concentrates of revascularization in one of the epicenters  of CLI amputations in Mississippi. He went into practice to personally begin addressing the problem with more access to care. For this effort, he has been recognized with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) 2022 PULSE-SETTER CRUSADER award. 

Examples a pacemaker-like device to help manage heart failure displayed on the American Heart Association (AHA) expo floor. The Impulse Dynamics Optimizer device operates by delivering precisely timed electric pulses called cardiac contractility modulation therapy. Patients receiving CCM therapy experience a higher quality of life by reducing CHF symptoms such as overwhelming shortness of breath and fatigue.

A slide from FDA Commissioner Robert Califf's AHA opening session speech, where he called on U.S. cardiologists and  the American healthcare system to do better. Current data shows the U.S. spends much more than other developed countries, while it had poor outcomes in terms of life-expectancy. 

The opening session at AHA 2022 in Chicago.

Example a pacemaker-like device to help manage heart failure displayed on the American Heart Association (AHA) expo floor. The CVRx Barostim neuromodulation implantable device works by stimulating baroreceptors. These natural sensors in the body tell the nervous system how to regulate heart, kidney and vascular function. These effects reduce the heart’s workload and help it pump more efficiently, helping to relieve the symptoms of heart failure.

A group photo after the AHA opening session with all the opening session speakers, from left, Manesh R. Patel, MD, chair of AHA Scientific Sessions program, former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, AHA President Michelle Albert, former former U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, and FDA Commissioner and cardiologist Robert Califf.

Example of an AI initiated acute care team alert for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) detection from a CT scan. The technology can speed diagnosis and treatment for these critical patients. Demo by Vis.AI at AHA 2022.

Example of an alert on a mobile device for a stroke alert, initiated by the Viz.AI artificial intelligence platform. The AI will flag any findings for stroke before the CT images are even loaded into the PACS, and sends an alert to the stroke care team with links to the imaging to speed diagnosis and interventions.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams spoke at the opening session of AHA and said cardiologists can do more to help end COVID and to tackle the event bigger epidemic of hypertension. Read more in the article Former surgeon general says cardiologists need to address hypertension and remaining COVID cases

Pediatric cardiologist Deepika Thacker, MD, Nemours Hospital, shows the number and spikes in the COVID related illness Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). Nemours was one of the first hospitals to diagnose U.S. cases. Thacker and Shubhika Srivastava, MD, from Nemours did a video interview at AHA with Cardiovascular Business on the lessons learned from MIS-C cases. 

Cupcakes in the Heartflow booth the morning after the presentation of the late-breaking PRECISE trial. The study showed use of the vendor's FFR-CT technology combined with cardiac CT improved patient outcomes over the current standard of care.  Find out more about the PRECISE trial.

Advanced imaging combined with AI are seen by several cardiology experts as a way of the future to change practice in the next few years.  Leading a discussion on this were (left to right) are former president of both the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and Society of Cardiovascular CT (SCCT) Leslee Shaw, PhD; Kavitha Chinnaiyan, MD, Beaumont; Peter Libby=, MD, Brigham and Women's; and Todd Villines, formerly University of Virginia and now chief medical officer of the AI vendor Elucid. 

Preclinical echo system for cardiac evaluation of mice used in studies on display by Fujifilm on the AHA 2022 expo floor.

Many attendees shot selfies in front of the the massive heart on display in the Cytokinetic booth at AHA 2022.

There were numerous sessions and an AHA information booth on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) at the American Heart Association 2022 meeting.

Level Ex showed gamified medical procedures on the iPad and smartphones that clinicians can use to test themselves and practice the basic procedures they need to know, complete with complications thrown at them. The photo shows a knee procedure, but they also demoed their Cardio Ex app for cardiac procedures.

Example of fractional flow reserve (FFR) calculated using AI and assessment of the plaque in the vessel on a CT scan of the coronaries. This new type of FFR-CT was shown as a work-in-progress by the vendor Elucid. It was shown for the first time at AHA 2022.

Pam Douglas, MD, principal investigator of the PRECISE trial, delivers the results during a late-breaking session at AHA. The study was one of the big headliners, showing CT imaging with FFR-CT can improve patient outcomes and care as compared to the current standard of care. Find out more about the PRECISE trial.

A traveling, mobile health clinic that provides free screenings for peripheral artery disease (PAD) in at-risk communities, which was on display at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2022 Scientific Sessions. The EMPOWER-PAD mobile unit leverages ankle brachial Index (ABI) technology to help screen for PAD. It is a quick, noninvasive test that measures blood pressure in the ankle and compares it with blood pressure in the upper arm. This is a partnership project of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Cardiovascular and Metabolism U.S. Medical Affairs and U.S. Mobile Health Exams to help raise awareness and provide PAD screening and education in communities across the country.

A traveling, mobile health clinic that provides free screenings for peripheral artery disease (PAD) in at-risk communities, which was on display at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2022 Scientific Sessions. The EMPOWER-PAD mobile unit leverages ankle brachial Index (ABI) technology to help screen for PAD. It is a quick, noninvasive test that measures blood pressure in the ankle and compares it with blood pressure in the upper arm. This is a partnership project of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Cardiovascular and Metabolism U.S. Medical Affairs and U.S. Mobile Health Exams to help raise awareness and provide PAD screening and education in communities across the country.

The principal investigators of the late-breaking BEST-CLI trial at #AHA22 getting a selfie with Cardiovascular Business Digital Editor Dave Fornell just before a video interview. the PIs include, from the left, Alik Farber, Boston Medical Center, Matthew Menard, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Ken Rosenfield, Mass General. The results of the ground-breaking trials compared surgery to endovascular revascularization for critical limb ischemia (CLI). Surgery came out on top. Read more

HeartLab performing a demo of its echo reporting system at AHA 2022. The company has most of its business in Australia but is working break more into the U.S. market.

Bayer and Merck Booth at AHA22.

Attendees wait in a long line for frozen yogurt at one of the large pharma booths on the show floor at AHA22.

ECG 12-lead waveforms called up from a patient record on a smartphone to demonstrate the ability of an artificial intelligence app to pull together cardiac patient data from various sources and make it immediately available on mobile platforms. This is a new release from the vendor Viz.AI.

There has been an explosion of interest in cardiology in diagnosing and treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) since the the FDA approval of the first HCM drug treatment Camzyos (mavacamten). Photo of booth at AHA 2022.