Coronary Angiogram News and Research

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New noninvasive imaging technique may help detect heart transplant rejection in children

Cardiologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a noninvasive imaging technique that may help determine whether children who have had heart transplants are showing early signs of rejection. The technique could reduce the need for these patients to undergo invasive imaging tests every one to two years.

14 Jul 2012

Left ventriculography being routinely performed during coronary angiogram

An invasive heart test used routinely to measure heart function is being dramatically overused, especially among patients who recently underwent similar, more effective tests, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

7 Apr 2012

Detailed CT scan can safely and quickly rule out possibility of heart attack

A highly detailed CT scan of the heart can safely and quickly rule out the possibility of a heart attack among many patients who come to hospital emergency rooms with chest pain, according to the results of a study that will be presented by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session and published concurrently in the New England Journal of Medicine.

27 Mar 2012

CCTA can safely and rapidly identify candidates for discharge from EDs

Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) -- a non-invasive way to look inside arteries that supply blood to the heart -- can quickly and reliably determine which patients complaining of chest pain at an emergency department can safely be sent home, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

27 Mar 2012

Study finds poor QOL in South Asians with coronary artery disease

In a first-of-its-kind study in Canada, Kevin Bainey of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry has discovered that South Asians who live in Alberta with coronary disease experience a lower quality of life.

16 Feb 2012

New CAD test associated with higher rates of cardiac procedures, health-care spending

A new, noninvasive diagnostic test for coronary artery disease is associated with a higher rate of subsequent invasive cardiac procedures and higher health-care spending. That's according to an observational study of Medicare recipients conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

16 Nov 2011

Latest Consumer Reports Index: 16.3% of Americans unable to pay medical bills

When we visit our doctors, we don't typically think of ourselves as "consumers" or buyers of health care, but in these tough times, that is precisely the role a patient needs to play to avoid drowning in a sea of medical bills.

6 Sep 2011

Women more likely to develop kidney damage after coronary angiogram

Women are at higher risk than men of developing kidney damage after undergoing a coronary angiogram, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

28 Apr 2011

PROSPECT trial results shed new light on plaque types that cause unexpected heart attacks

Results from the PROSPECT clinical trial shed new light on the types of vulnerable plaque that are most likely to cause sudden, unexpected adverse cardiac events, and on the ability to identify them through imaging techniques before they occur.

21 Jan 2011

Sheathless transradial intervention highly successful in treating complex lesions

Cardiologists from the Mayo Clinic performed sheathless transradial percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to remedy complex lesions, achieving a 90% success rate with no radial complications. Standard guiding catheters were used during the procedure. Details of this novel approach—overcoming the last hurdle to greater adoption of transradial PCI in the U.S.—are published in the December issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Intervention, the official journal of The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

7 Dec 2010

Combination of CT scans effective in diagnosing coronary artery disease

Heart imaging specialists at Johns Hopkins have shown that a combination of CT scans that measure how much blood is flowing through the heart and the amount of plaque in surrounding arteries are just as good as tests that are less safe, more complex and more time-consuming to detect coronary artery disease and its severity.

17 Nov 2010

St. Jude Medical initiates enrollment in FAME II trial for coronary artery disease

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, announced today at EuroPCR that the first patient was enrolled in the FAME II (Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Plus Optimal Medical Treatment vs. Optimal Medical Treatment Alone in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease) trial.

25 May 2010

Matrix metalloproteinase-8 enzyme increases the risk of heart diseases

Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have made an important discovery in understanding what causes arteries to clog up. They have discovered that an enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase-8 plays a crucial role in raising blood pressure and causing abnormal build-up of cells in the arteries - both of which increase the risk of heart disease.

25 Sep 2009

Multi-modality imaging to identify plaque

Late-breaking results from the PROSPECT clinical trial shed new light on the types of vulnerable plaque that are most likely to cause sudden, unexpected adverse cardiac events, and on the ability to identify them through imaging techniques before they occur.

25 Sep 2009

New diagnostic tool to measure blood flow could prevent needless stents

Doctors may be implanting too many artery-opening stents and could improve patient outcomes - and ultimately save lives - if they did more in-depth measurements of blood flow in the vessels to the heart.

15 Jan 2009

Microvascular disease mostly a concern for women

Coronary artery disease may take a different course in men and women, which may explain why the rate of death for women has declined more slowly than for men, according to the October issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

4 Oct 2007

Broken heart syndrome common

In the largest review of "broken heart syndrome" patients ever conducted, Mayo Clinic researchers studied 100 patients and found symptoms recurred in 1 out of 10 patients over a four-year period, and that patients experiencing physical stress had a worse survival rate than those under emotional stress.

14 Nov 2006