Press Releases

Results for a pilot registry on the management and treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Europe were presented yesterday by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). AF is the commonest cardiac rhythm disorder and each of us have a one-in-four lifetime risk of developing it. Statistics show that oral anticoagulant use has increased, but new oral anticoagulant (NOAC) use is still low. Authors also concluded that compliance with treatment guidelines for patients with the lowest and higher stroke risk scores remains suboptimal.

Digisonics and Medis are proud to announce a partnership to provide a comprehensive single system solution for image analysis and structured reporting of pediatric and adult CV MR studies. The integrated system solution between Digisonics and Medis will result in a seamless, efficient MR workflow.

Texas Children's Hospital is proud to be named the first Accredited Pediatric Heart Failure Institute in Texas by The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a new technology that could dramatically reduce the number of open-heart surgeries for people with pacemakers.

Tryton Medical, Inc., the leading developer of stents designed to treat bifurcation lesions, today announced the launch of the Bifurcation Institute. The Bifurcation Institute is a comprehensive education resource established to advance the standard of care for bifurcated coronary artery disease, a common, and often untreated, clinical need.

The American Thoracic Society Foundation and the American Lung Association announced today that they are co-funding an $80,000 grant that will support important research into the mechanisms underlying Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS), a rare inherited disease which affects a number of organs including the lungs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) today announced the launch of a joint initiative to share information on inspections of bioequivalence studies submitted in support of generic drug approvals. This collaborative effort provides a mechanism to conduct joint facility inspections for generic drug applications submitted to both agencies.

Rounding out a very successful year, Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) reports they have reached record-breaking numbers of accreditation applications for cardiac cath labs in 2013. “Accreditation applications have more than doubled since 2012,” said Mary Heisler, RN, BA, ACE Executive Director. “More labs are realizing the importance of accountable metrics and know it’s time to get started on the quality journey with ACE.”

In a time when competition for federal research funding  is tougher than ever before, the University of Kentucky has been awarded one of the largest health grants ever made to the institution: an $11.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant  supporting research focusing on issues that plague the Commonwealth - the twin scourges of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has been named one of 25 regional stroke centers by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the only one in Texas.

A San Diego medical group's disease management program increased patient engagement rates from 28% to 67%, leading to a decline in both hospitalizations and 30-day readmissions for program participants. In recognition of its innovative chronic care program, Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers received the 2013 Doyle Award from MCG (formerly Milliman Care Guidelines), a leading provider of clinical guidelines to payor and provider markets.

More than 2,000 experts in the field of cardiology will join together at this year's three-day American College of Cardiology 46th New York Cardiovascular Symposium from December 13-15 in New York City. The event, which is one of the most prestigious cardiology events in the world, will review and highlight the latest advances in cardiology for 2013 and the next big things to expect in cardiology in 2014.

With increased penalties in effect for hospitals with excessive readmissions for heart attack and heart failure, the American College of Cardiology is launching a program that applies a team approach to keeping patients at home and healthy after discharge.

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced today CE Mark (Conformité Européenne) in Europe and Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) listing in Australia for its highly flexible 4 Fr multi-electrode Symplicity Spyral™ catheter and Symplicity G3™ radio frequency (RF) generator. 

Despite significant medical advances, there continue to be significant gaps in the health care of the growing number of patients with valvular heart disease. In the USA, the total number of people aged 65 years or older with valvular heart disease will grow to approximately 5.2 million by year 2020, and 6.8 million individuals by the year 2030 1. The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation™ (MHIF) has created a scientific program, "Valve Summit 2014: The Science and Delivery of Optimal, Multi-Disciplinary Care," to address the ongoing, complex evolution in the clinical management of patients with valvular heart disease. The conference will be held on April 25th and 26th at the Radisson Blu in downtown Minneapolis.

At the 99th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), December 1-6 in Chicago, Siemens Healthcare (booth #1934, South Building/Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, Hall A) will introduce a new angiography system optimized for broad clinical utilization. Artis one¹ is designed for routine interventions, including revascularizations of peripheral arterial or venous occlusions, functional tests of dialysis shunts in patients with kidney failure, diagnostic angiographies of narrowed coronary arteries, and pacemaker implantations.

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research & Education (R&E) Foundation awarded the 2013 Toshiba America Medical Systems/RSNA Research Seed Grant to Soterios Gyftopolous, M.D. and two 2013 Toshiba America Medical Systems/RSNA Research Resident Grants to Daniel S. Chow, M.D. and H. Benjamin Harvey, M.D., J.D. These grants are made possible by Toshiba America Medical Systems’ support of the RSNA R&E Foundation.

Chosen for nearly one out of every two endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repairs worldwide, the Endurant II AAA stent graft system from Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) continues to demonstrate long-term durability and consistent outcomes at three years in a real-world setting.

AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Xigduo™ (dapagliflozin and metformin hydrochloride) for adults aged 18 and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control in patients inadequately controlled on their current metformin-based treatment regimen or who are currently being treated with the combination of dapgliflozin and metformin as separate tablets.

The first device of its kind to undergo clinical evaluation in the United States, the Valiant "Mona LSA" branch thoracic stent graft system from Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) has demonstrated proof of concept in a first-in-human study being conducted under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s "Innovation Pathway" early feasibility pilot program, according to data presented today at the 2013 VEITHsymposium(tm).

Sidra Medical and Research Center today announced that Dr. Ziyad M. Hijazi has been appointed Clinical Chief for Pediatrics. In this role, the pioneering and highly experienced clinician will drive the strategic direction of the Department of Pediatrics and integrate research and education priorities into a program of excellent clinical service delivery. He will also hold the position of Chair of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College – Qatar, Sidra’s partner for medical education.