The Heart Failure Society of America's Guideline Committee updated its guidelines for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), concluding that evidence supports the use of CRT in patients with less severe heart failure (HF) symptoms. The guideline update appeared in the February issue of the Journal of Cardiac Failure.

In an effort to increase the colorectal cancer screening rate, the American College of Physicians (ACP) issued a new clinical guideline urging adults to get screening starting at age 50. The guidance statement and a summary for patients appear in the March 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Robert Pearl, MD, has a story about a follow-up conversation with his adult daughter after encouraging her to consult a physician about a seemingly minor problem she had been experiencing with one of her fingers. “She said she had taken my advice,” notes Pearl, who serves as CEO of The Permanente Medical Group. “I answered that I was happy to hear

IBM has named its Watson Advisory Board, comprised of medical leaders with expertise in areas such as primary care, oncology, biomedical informatics and medical innovation. The board will provide IBM with insights on healthcare issues that could be positively impacted by Watson technology adoption.

Cardiac Science has initiated a voluntary field correction of several automated external defibrillators (AEDs), saying the devices contain a component that may fail due to a manufacturing defect.

AFC Industries has released the i-Center laptop rack and workstation.

Varian Medical Systems has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its motion tracking transponder.

As of the morning of Feb. 24, attendance at the 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference & exhibition reached 37,032 attendees, surpassing the HIMSS11 attendance figure of 31,500 attendees.