CardioExchange Archive

August 31st, 2014

Entrusting Imaging to Robotic Hands: The Potential of Remote Echocardiography and Tele-Consultation

Jagat Narula, MD, DM, PhD, MACC, FAHA, FRCP

CardioExchange’s Harlan M. Krumholz interviews Dr. Jagat Narula about his research group’s study of remote, robot-assisted echocardiographic technology and its applications worldwide.

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July 11th, 2014

Do FFR and IVUS Feed the Elephant?

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD

Rick Lange and David Hillis wonder whether the debate about the role of FFR and IVUS in patient selection for PCI is a red herring in the larger issue of revascularization in patients with stable CAD.

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June 9th, 2014

Wide Range of Radiation Dose in Children Undergoing Cardiac Procedures

Larry Husten, PHD

Children with heart disease are at increased risk for developing cancer later in life due to their exposure to radiation during imaging procedures. Since an ever-growing number of children with heart disease now reach adulthood, this may become an increasingly important public health issue. A new study published in Circulation offers some reassurance in finding that […]

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April 28th, 2014

Patient-Centered Imaging: How Best to Communicate the Benefits and Risks of Testing

Andrew Einstein, MD, PhD and John Ryan, MD

Andrew Einstein discusses his JACC paper on shared-decision making for cardiac imaging procedures that expose the patient to radiation.

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March 27th, 2014

What’s Behind the Decline in Nuclear MPI Use?

Kim Williams, MD and John Ryan, MD

John Ryan asks Kim Williams for his perspective on what’s behind a sharp decline in the use of nuclear MPI since 2006.

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March 13th, 2014

rAAA Patients More Likely to Get Surgery and Survive in the U.S. Than in England

Larry Husten, PHD

Patients with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) have better outcomes in the United States than in England according to a new study published in the Lancet. Researchers at the University of London compared hospital data from 11,799 rAAA patients in England with 23,838 rAAA patients in the U.S. They found that U.S. patients were more likely than […]

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February 27th, 2014

Steve Jobs Rejected the First Medical App in 1977

Larry Husten, PHD

There’s been a lot of speculation that future Apple products will include health-related apps and biometric sensors. Here’s the story of what might have been the first Apple medical app, except for the fact that in 1977 Steve Jobs had absolutely no interest in going in that direction. George Diamond is now retired after a long and very distinguished career as a cardiologist at […]

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February 6th, 2014

Scrutinizing the ESC Position Paper on Radiation Safety in Cardiovascular Imaging

Reza Fazel, MD, MSc

Reza Fazel assesses the strengths, weaknesses, and implications of the ESC document.

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February 4th, 2014

Blood Pressure Trajectory Over 25 Years Predicts Atherosclerosis Risk

Larry Husten, PHD

Everyone knows that blood pressure is one of the most important measurements of cardiovascular risk. Less well known is that most studies of blood pressure have relied on single or isolated measurements of blood pressure. Few studies have even attempted to examine the significance of blood pressure patterns over a long period of time. Now, in […]

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January 21st, 2014

Dangerous Rapid Calcification Observed In Pediatric Patients After Aortic Valve Replacement

Larry Husten, PHD

Pediatric cardiac surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital are warning the medical community about a potentially fatal problem in children and young adults who received a bioprosthetic valve manufactured by Sorin. The surgeons initially became concerned when a young, asymptomatic patient died suddenly after her valve underwent rapid calcification, only 7 months after a routine follow-up echocardiogram found […]

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