Today at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Scientific Sessions in San Diego, results from the keenly anticipated PROMISE clinical trial confirmed what many cardiologists and radiologists have long suspected to be true: coronary computed tomographic angiography (coronary CTA) is extraordinarily effective in accurately diagnosing patients with low to moderate chest pain.  In most cases, coronary CTA is at least as effective as diagnostic methods such as stress tests such as SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging. 

Coronary CT angiography (CTA) and functional testing came out on more or less equal footing for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD) in symptomatic patients, according to results from the PROMISE trial presented March 14 at the American College of Cardiology scientific session. But CTA pulled ahead in other ways.

On the eve of ACC.15, GE Healthcare’s Al Lojewski, general manager of cardiovascular ultrasound, answered some questions for Cardiovascular Business.

Agfa HealthCare announced today the commercial launch of a new version of HeartStation ECG Management System featuring improved workflow capabilities that facilitate access and sharing of ECGs across the hospital enterprise. The solution will be on display at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2015 Scientific Session & Expo, March 14-16, 2015 in San Diego, CA.

The cath lab is itself high-tech but some reports generated by its physicians still rely on old-fashioned dictation and transcription. Structured reporting offers a way into the present.

Hospitals and health systems across the U.S. are answering the mandate of the Affordable Care Act to cut unnecessary costs. Florida Hospital Cardiovascular Institute in Orlando, a member of the Adventist Health System, is a hyperachiever—having cut more than $5 million thanks to a fully integrated, RFID-based inventory management solution deployed across their 13 interventional labs. If improving inventory management isn’t part of your arsenal for supply chain savings strategy, it’s time to take a closer look. 

FACTOR-64 showed that screening diabetic patients who are at high risk of asymptomatic artery disease (CAD) using coronary CT angiography (CCTA) wasn’t justified. It was a well-designed, randomized clinical trial, the crème de la crème. Case closed.

Appropriate use criteria (AUC) can be useful for decision-making, but is it a hard and fast answer? A prospective study found approximately one-third of patients diagnosed with blocked arteries would have been deemed inappropriate for angiography with 2012 AUCs.