Royal Philips Electronics unveiled the PageWriter TC50 cardiograph at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Aug.29-Sept. 2.

Local policies and public perception about termination of resuscitation (TOR) guidelines often hinder adoption and implementation of national consensus guidelines for dealing with refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Emory University in Atlanta have identified four national organization that can help overcome local and lay-public resistance to more effective use of EMS personnel when dealing with unsuccessful treatment out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Medical imaging in the United States faces some tough economic challenges in the near term. Procedure reimbursement, already slashed as a result of the Deficit Reduction Action Act of 2005, appears certain to take another downturn in 2010. Combine this less than rosy forecast with a tightening of credit facilities to practices large and small and the outlook appears grim.

St. Jude Medical has begun a restructuring plan that will eliminate about 200 U.S. jobs.

T-wave morphology parameters contain predictive value for mortality in the general population, independent of other clinical risk factors, according to a study in the August edition of the HeartRhythm Journal.

As the definition of meaningful use begins to solidify, it becomes apparent that there is also a need to define more innovative methods of managing the mountains of clinical data collected every day. Resources are pinched, reimbursements are a challenge and the added responsibility of outcomes measurement shines an especially bright light on the cardiovascular service line as it is often the primary revenue generator for the hospital.

Patients with atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke could be offered percutaneous closure of the left atrial appendage instead of long-term warfarin therapy, according to findings from the PROTECT AF study reported in the Aug. 13 edition of the Lancet.

The Law Offices of John David Hart, a personal injury attorney firm based in Fort Worth, Texas, has filed 29 lawsuits against Medtronic and its subsidiaries in connection with heart defibrillator leads recalled due to the risk of lead fractures, which could result in serious injury or death.