In 1996, physicians told Pat Gibbs, a 67-year-old cardiac patient from Alabama with severe angina, that nothing could be done for her. Refusing to give up, Gibbs underwent transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMR) therapy and today, lives pain-free. Some cardiologists say TMRs benefit is merely a placebo effect, others say it is real. A growing market for the procedure, however, could muzzle the naysayers.

Multidetector CT (MDCT) scans are highly accurate in detecting airway stent complications according to a recent study performed at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston and published this month in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

As the financial market speculates about the impact of president-elect Barack Obamas proposed economic initiatives, Moodys Investors Services issued a report late last week forecasting that his election will provide a boon to United States hospitals.

St. David’s HealthCare, along with Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia, hasdeveloped the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) at St. David’sMedical Center in Austin.

As cardiology evolves, one crucial subspecialty may be growing in demand far beyond the industry’s present ability to provide highly trained, dedicated technicians: electrophysiology.

As the quest for more data in cardiac care grows with its link to reimbursement and quality of care measures, the number of national registries is sure to blossom. Last year, at the urging of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the National ICD Registry was developed through a partnership of the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS).