Cardiac Imaging

While cardiac ultrasound is the widely used imaging modality for heart assessments, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear imaging are also used and are often complimentary, each offering specific details about the heart other modalities cannot. For this reason the clinical question being asked often determines the imaging test that will be used.

Leslee Shaw, PhD, and former presidents of both SCCT and ASNC discusses the role of CT and FFR-CT in the 2021 chest pain guidelines. Leslie Shaw.

VIDEO: Cardiac CT now recommended as a front-line chest pain assessment tool

Leslee Shaw, PhD, director of the Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and former president of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), explains the role of cardiac computed tomography (CT) in the recent 2021 chest pain guidelines.

April 19, 2022
The ASNC is one of several medical imaging societies asking Congress to repeal the appropriate use criteria (AUC) criteria mandate. They say it poses issues for clinicians and is becoming outdated by changes in CMS payment systems. The AUC requirements call for documentation using CVMS authorized software in order to show advanced imaging such as nuclear and CT is justified, or else Medicare payments might be withheld.

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology urges Congress to speed prior authorizations, repeal AUC mandate 

Over the past few weeks, members of ASNC’s Health Policy Committee have held meetings with their members of Congress.

April 18, 2022
virtual reality endovascular surgery in the cath lab. The virtual reality training sessions were designed to feature "the same sights, sound and sensations a surgeon would encounter during real procedures ." 

Virtual reality specialists launch new training solutions for endovascular surgery

The virtual reality training sessions were designed to feature "the same sights, sound and sensations a surgeon would encounter during real procedures." 

April 14, 2022
In a late-breaking long-term analysis presented at ACC 2022, the Medtronic CoreValve TAVR valve outperformed the surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in terms of durability.

VIDEO: TAVR durability outperforms surgical valves

Michael J. Reardon, MD, professor of cardiothoracic surgery and Allison Family Distinguished chair of cardiovascular research at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, presented pooled data at ACC.22 from the CoreValve SURTAVI trials that found transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was more durable than surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) devices.

April 13, 2022
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and its associated leads viewed on a X-ray. Old leads are often abandon in veins and new ones added, but a new study of 1 million patients at ACC22 showed there is higher mortality if a device becomes infected and the leads are left behind. Image from RSNA.

VIDEO: Lowering mortality rates from infected EP implantable cardiac devices

Sean Pokorney, MD, director of the arrhythmia core lab, Duke Clinical Research Institute, assistant professor of Medicine, Duke University, discusses a late-breaking ACC 2022 study that shows mortality is higher in patients with implantable electrophysiology (EP) device infections where the leads are not explanted.

April 11, 2022
A late-breaking study at ACC.22 showed differences in COVID-positive heart attack patients between 2020 and 2021. #ACC22 #ACC2022

VIDEO: Vaccines boosted survival among STEMI heart attack patients with COVID-19

Santiago Garcia, MD, lead author of the study and director of the structural heart program at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, presented new data from the North American COVID-19 STEMI (NACMI) registry at ACC.22. Severity of heart attacks were reduced in vaccinated patients, with zero deaths in vaccinated patients in 2021.

April 8, 2022
Use of augmented reality and virtual reality to aid procedures and enhance clinician training is expected to see increasing use in the coming years in cardiology. Photo from Philips healthcare

VIDEO: 4 predictions on key cardiac technologies for the coming years

Mass General cardiologist and Harvard professor Ami Bhatt, MD, predicts upcoming paradigm shifts in cardiology over the next decade. 

March 24, 2022
A cardiac CT scan being performed on a Cardiograph dedicated cardiac CT scanner at a Duly Health and Care outpatient clinic. Photo by Dave Fornell

VIDEO: Office-based cardiac CT and FFR-CT offer a new business model

In a new video, Evans Pap­pas, MD, and Sujith Kalathiveetil, MD, both of Duly Health and Care in suburban Chicago, explain the shift toward office-based cardiac CT evaluations and the role of FFR-CT. 

March 22, 2022

Around the web

This week Washington took a major step toward nailing down a solid game plan on federal AI spending for everything outside of defense.

The recall includes specific lots of five different medical devices used to treat stroke and other neurovascular diseases.

The agency is urging healthcare providers to transition away from these devices and seek out alternatives. It is even working with other manufacturers to try and get similar products on the market as quickly as possible. 

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