As an early career electrophysiologist, Richard I. Fogel, MD, learned to raise his hand when projects needed a captain. Now he’s CEO of the St. Vincent Medical Group in Indianapolis and president of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). His formula? Listen, ask good questions, surround yourself with talented people and let them do their jobs, he explains in a Q&A with Cardiovascular Business.

Think of fractional flow reserve (FFR) as a hex wrench. Or intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as a screwdriver. Both imaging methods are highly useful in the right situation, according to physicians. Both methods can be highly effective, when used. However, there is some disagreement about where and when these tools should be applied.

The FDA issued a warning in late 2013 about rare but serious adverse events in some patients who received regadenoson, one of nuclear cardiology’s favorite pharmacologic stress agents. That didn’t dampen enthusiasm for it in the least. Instead, physicians show it has much more to offer. 

Three-dimensional imaging adds a needed perspective to cardiac procedures. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the field of valvular interventions. 

For patients with stable chest pain, utilizing coronary CT angiography before cardiac stress imaging was cost-effective, according to a microsimulation model.

The cardiology community has heeded the call to protect patients from radiation exposure in the cath lab. Now it is time to focus on the operators and staff.

Whole-heart 3D myocardial perfusion cardiac MR (CMR) accurately detected coronary artery disease (CAD) in a study that used fractional flow reserve as a reference, making CMR a possible contender to techniques that are invasive and expose patients to ionizing radiation.

Today the founders of VasCore, The Vascular Ultrasound Core Laboratory, announce the opening of the VasCore Training & Education Center (VTEC).