An algorithm capable of diagnosing heart rhythm with just 3 seconds' worth of signal, and the demonstration that it is possible to come up with the diagnosis without stopping cardiac massage, constitute the types of solutions and proposals being developed by researchers in the Signal and Communications Group of the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao (UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country).

Medtronic will pay $200 million to acquire a telehealth company whose products will be applied in the heart failure setting.

Foreign-trained immigrant physicians potentially could alleviate the expected shortage in physicians as healthcare reform moves forward, according to the New York Times, but restrictive policies prevent some doctors from practicing.

The use of transitional care may reduce the number of rehospitalizations for complicated chronic conditions, according to a study from North Carolina. Researchers found that implementing interventions such as bedside visits before discharge, home care visits by a care manager and medication reconciliation were less likely to get readmitted in the next year compared with patients with similar medical problems receiving usual care.

Physicians who say they are very concerned about malpractice risk may be more likely to recommend more aggressive tests for patients with specific complaints, based on an alternative analysis of nationwide data published in the August issue of Health Affairs.

As randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in healthcare have grown in their number and influence, there is an increasing need to identify those studies which should change how physicians treat their patients – and those which should not. F1000Trials extends the widely-recognized system of peer-nominated experts identifying great research in biology and medicine pioneered by F1000Prime. In F1000Trials, the F1000 Faculty Members provide expert assessment of newly published trial articles and write short reviews, recommending the most noteworthy by assigning star ratings and highlighting those which change clinical practice.

August 7 marks an annual rite in the U.K.: the upgrade in status of medical students and junior doctors. It also heralds a potential uptick in in-hospital deaths, a phenomenon known as “the August effect.” Using a workflow tool, researchers set out to discover why.

Nicolas Chronos, MD has been named Chief Medical Officer for Endotronix.  Dr. Chronos is an interventional cardiologist who is well known for his pioneering research in the treatment of heart disease.