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Surgeons successfully transplant pig hearts into recently deceased humans

Surgeons at NYU Langone Health successfully transplanted two genetically engineered pigs hearts into recently deceased humans in June and July.

Health Exec

Machine learning predicts drug cardiotoxicity

Machine learning is playing a key role in predicting all major forms of drug cardiotoxicity, potentially helping reduce late-stage clinical trial failures.

Health Exec

After heart attack, older patients have longer hospital stays but smaller total bills

Heart attack patients aged 65 and up stay hospitalized longer than those aged 65 or under—yet the seniors ring up significantly smaller bills per stay. The bad news is that the “savings” likely come in the form of fewer percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs, aka angioplasties) to open blocked heart arteries nonsurgically.

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has become a primary cardiovascular imaging modality in the past 20 years, and was recommended as a 1A recommendation in the 2021 chest pain assessment guidelines. CT calcium scoring has became a primary risk assessment for coronary artery disease and whether patients should be on statins. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is used to for anatomical assessment of the arteries for plaque burden and to identify areas of blockage that may cause ischemia and heart attacks. Additional use of contrast CT perfusion or fractional flow reserve CT (FFR-CT) can offer physiological information on the function of the heart. CT plays a primary role in structural heart assessments for heart valves, repair of congenital defects and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) for both pre-procedure planning and procedural guidance. Find more news on general radiology CT use.

Imaging results more helpful than genetics when predicting heart disease, new head-to-head study confirms
The new analysis, published in JAMA, suggests that CT results can help identify medium- and high-risk patients who may need to be considered for statin therapy or other preventive treatments.
Get Ready: CT-guided PCI Is Coming to a Cath Lab Near You
Change is on the horizon for cath labs all over the world as more and more interventional cardiologists are starting to use coronary CT angiography to plan and guide PCI procedures. Patients, physicians, catheterization labs and healthcare systems all stand to gain from this growing trend.
Cardiology has embraced AI more than most other specialties
Cardiology is linked to the second largest group of FDA-cleared clinical AI algorithms, and the number is still growing.
What is the ROI for adopting AI in cardiac imaging?
Marcelo DiCarli, MD, and Rob Beanlands, MD, discussed the long-term value of investing in the development and implementation of AI technologies.
$An example of FFR-CT technology, which takes the cardiac CT dataset and uses computational fluid dynamics to create virtual fraction flow reserve values. The FFR measurement can help determine if a coronary lesion is significant enough to require revascularization, or if the patient should be treated with medication. FFR-CT was included as a recommendation in select patients in the 2021 Chest Pain Guidelines.$
Researchers question FFR-CT’s value compared to other cardiac imaging options
FFR-CT has grown in popularity due its ability to provide noninvasive evaluations of patients being considered for revascularization procedures. According to a new study in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, however, stress imaging strategies may still provide more value in certain scenarios.

A CTA scan being performed at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan by cardiac CT expert Kavitha M Chinnaiyan, MD. CCTA has largely been used at academic medical centers for the past decade, but it is now expanding in 2022 to community hospitals and clinics thanks to a Class 1A recommendation in the 2021 chest pain guidelines. #CCTA #CTA #Beaumont

Imaging results more helpful than genetics when predicting heart disease, new head-to-head study confirms

The new analysis, published in JAMA, suggests that CT results can help identify medium- and high-risk patients who may need to be considered for statin therapy or other preventive treatments.

May 23, 2023

Get Ready: CT-guided PCI Is Coming to a Cath Lab Near You

Sponsored by GE Healthcare

Change is on the horizon for cath labs all over the world as more and more interventional cardiologists are starting to use coronary CT angiography to plan and guide PCI procedures. Patients, physicians, catheterization labs and healthcare systems all stand to gain from this growing trend.

May 23, 2023

An example of HeartFlow's new RoadMap Stenosis software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to show areas of interest for possible stenting based on a patient's CT scan and FFR-CT. This software is still undergoing beta testing at several hospitals and will likely be rolled out commercially later in 2023.

Cardiology has embraced AI more than most other specialties

Cardiology is linked to the second largest group of FDA-cleared clinical AI algorithms, and the number is still growing.

May 12, 2023

Marcelo DiCarli, MD, chief, division of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, executive director for the cardiovascular imaging program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting cardiac imaging.

What is the ROI for adopting AI in cardiac imaging?

Marcelo DiCarli, MD, and Rob Beanlands, MD, discussed the long-term value of investing in the development and implementation of AI technologies.

May 11, 2023

$An example of FFR-CT technology, which takes the cardiac CT dataset and uses computational fluid dynamics to create virtual fraction flow reserve values. The FFR measurement can help determine if a coronary lesion is significant enough to require revascularization, or if the patient should be treated with medication. FFR-CT was included as a recommendation in select patients in the 2021 Chest Pain Guidelines.$

Researchers question FFR-CT’s value compared to other cardiac imaging options

FFR-CT has grown in popularity due its ability to provide noninvasive evaluations of patients being considered for revascularization procedures. According to a new study in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, however, stress imaging strategies may still provide more value in certain scenarios.

May 10, 2023

To hear about key trends in cardiac imaging, Cardiovascular Business spoke with two experts in cardiac imaging at American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2023 meeting, Marcelo DiCarli, MD, chief, division of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, executive director for the cardiovascular imaging program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Rob Beanlands, MD, is director of the National Cardiac PET Centre at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Canada.

What's new in cardiac imaging? 2 experts discuss the latest trends

Marcelo DiCarli, MD, and Rob Beanlands, MD, shared their thoughts on the current state of cardiac imaging at ACC.23.

May 9, 2023

Cardiologist Martha Gulati, MD, who specializes in both preventive cardiology and cardiovascular disease in women, has been named the Anita Dann Friedman Endowed Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine and Research at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

SCCT honors cardiologist Martha Gulati for her research on heart disease among women

Gulati, known for her work in the field of preventive cardiology, is also being recognized for her role in the development of the 2021 chest pain guidelines.

May 3, 2023

HeartFlow announces US launch of AI-powered solution for evaluating coronary arteries

The AI-powered tool gained FDA clearance back in October 2022.

April 18, 2023