A new 3D device created with the help of a printer precisely fits the entire epicardium and may help clinicians predict a heart attack as well as deliver treatment and assess heart health, according to research published online Feb. 25 in Nature Communications.

Scripps Green Hospital has become the first hospital in the United States to implant the world’s smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device. Scripps Clinic cardiologist John Rogers, M.D., successfully completed the first implant of the Reveal LINQ™ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) in 71-year-old San Diego resident Chuck Beal on Saturday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have set-up a new 'cluster' on pharmacovigilance (medicine safety) topics. Clusters are regular collaborative meetings between the EMA and regulators outside of the European Union, which focus on specific topic areas that have been identified as requiring an intensified exchange of information and collaboration. Building on the experience of previous regular videoconferences between the FDA and the EMA in this area and on the recent creation of the EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee, this cluster will provide a forum for a more systematic and focused exchange of information on the safety of medicines.

Physicians can access a free app to calculate a patient’s 10-year and lifetime risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Partners HealthCare At Home has selected Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) to support its growing telemonitoring services, providing improved clinical oversight for newly discharged patients and those with chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure. With this enhanced care, Partners HealthCare At Home nursing staff can remotely monitor a patient's health by tracking vital signs and intervening earlier with medical attention, successfully reducing the rate of costly hospital readmissions.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that hackers conducted “very thorough” attacks in 2013 on computer systems at three prominent cardiovascular device manufacturers: Medtronic, Boston Scientific and St. Jude Medical.  An executive at Boston Scientific called the report inaccurate.

Knowing how old their heart is may lead people to lower their cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk better than a modified Framingham risk score, a study published online Feb. 3 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found.

To better address the needs of physicians who treat patients with valvular heart disease, Esaote North America is establishing a new sales force to bring industry-leading 3mensio Structural HeartTM software directly to leading Cardiologists and Radiologists for state-of-the art cardiovascular planning solutions.