Cardiac Science initiated a global voluntary field corrective action on Monday for certain automated external defibrillators (AEDs) manufactured between August 2006 and March 2007.

GE Healthcare and Radi Medical Systems (Uppsala, Sweden) on Monday announced a development and marketing and sales initiative to integrate Radi Medical Systems PressureWire Aeris, a wireless fractional flow reserve (FFR) technology, into GEs Mac-Lab IT hemodynamic recording system.

Physio-Control (Booth 340) is highlighting its LUCAS chest compression system, an external medical device that provides chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency room (ER)–treatedcardiac arrest outcomes in 10 areas in North America finds a five-folddifference in survival rates, according to a study in the Sept. 24issue of Journal American Medical Association.

 Physio Control, a subsidiary of Medtronic, has issued a recall ofits LifePak CR Plus automated external defibrillators (AED) used byemergency or medical personnel to treat adults in cardiopulmonaryarrest.

Some research has demonstrated that performing elective percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in low-volume facilities, especially those without onsite cardiac surgery, can result in positive outcomes. Critics say, however, that these studies are mostly single-center investigations, which do not reflect the real risk of performing elective PCI without onsite surgical backup. In fact, critics point to studies using Medicare data, which do show an increase in mortality for patients treated at facilities without surgical backup.

Three recent clinical studies rebuke the previously held belief that drug-eluting stents (DES) led to higher rates of stent thrombosis (ST). As concerns over DES have begun to dissipate, their utilization is already increasing in the first half of 2008, and many experts think this trend will continue.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) would not be used if they did not benefit patients. To that end, vendors conduct clinical studies to show that their product is equal to or better than a previous-generation product or a current competitor’s product.