A reduction in stroke was observed in patients with atrial fibrillation who were receiving usual care, which included antithrombotic therapy and heart rate control, and were randomized to dronedarone (Multaq, Sanofi-Aventis), according to a post-hoc analysis of the ATHENA trial, published Sept. 10 online in Circulation.

BOSTONWhile the benefits of CRT plus ICD (CRT-D) based on the results of the MADIT-CRT study, presented last week at the Heart Failure Society of America meeting, have been widely touted, John G. F. Cleland, MD, questioned why the mortality results seem to contradict previous randomized trials of similar patient populations.

CardioNet has released clinical and reporting enhancements to its existing Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry service.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) do not appear to be associated with a reduced risk of death in women with advanced heart failure, according to a meta-analysis in Mondays issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The impending shortage of cardiologists some 16,000 by 2050 not only calls for more medical students to enter cardiology. It also calls for those currently in practice to work smarter. One of the best ways to work smarter is through the proper use of information technology.Of course, not many cardiologists or staff will be actively involved in IT. And thats where the chief information officers (CIOs) come in. A report from the IBM Institute for Business Value found that CIOs wisely spend much of their time developing innovations for their organizations.

The impending shortage of cardiologists some 16,000 by 2050 not only calls for more medical students to enter cardiology. It also calls for those currently in practice to work smarter. One of the best ways to work smarter is through the proper use of information technology.Of course, not many cardiologists or staff will be actively involved in IT. And thats where the chief information officers (CIOs) come in. A report from the IBM Institute for Business Value found that CIOs wisely spend much of their time developing innovations for their organizations.

The National ICD Registry, a repository of implantable cardioverter device (ICD) data developed through a partnership of the Heart Rhythm Society and the American College of Cardiology Foundation, has released the National ICD Registry Annual Report 2008. This is the third annual review of the Registry and is published in the September edition of HeartRhythm.

Volumetric oblique coronal reformations are a useful noninvasive method to provide diagnostic information about periampullary abnormalities as well as show secondary features important for local staging and management of the ampulla of Vater, according to research published this month in the American Journal of Roentgenology.