HCI's Monthly Review of the Healthcare Industry |
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Robert J. Stilley
President, CEO
HeartCare Imaging, Inc.
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Dear Colleague-
Does it seem as if we are going from one crisis to another? Just when it looked like COVID was waning and things were beginning to head toward ‘normal’, Vladimir Putin and Russia invade Ukraine. Our world does seem to be continually functioning on the edge, not knowing what the next day will bring. For those that are affected directly by the chaos, there is little rest and much to worry about. An analogy could be made to patients that are in the process of diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening diseases. Early in the process the question is, “what’s wrong?”, then the question is, “to what extent?”, and finally, “what are the treatment options?” As healthcare providers we can’t do much about world affairs, but we can focus on helping answer the questions and concerns our patients face every day when they come to us. Not only can we help provide answers to their questions, but we can help them in their most desperate time by being compassionate and caring. A long time ago someone told me, don’t worry about what you can’t control, but act on the important things you can. I might challenge that adage in that I think we can always act by praying for those in need but agree that we should take direct action where we can be of help. And we can do that daily by providing care for those that come to us and praying for those in harm’s way in Ukraine.
Sincerely,
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Cardiologists identify 162 genes responsible for coronary heart disease |
A genetic profile showing the various genes contained in the DNA of a cell.
An international team of researchers has identified more than 150 genes commonly associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI), sharing its findings in Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.
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After heart attack, older patients have longer hospital stays but smaller total bills |
Heart attack patients aged 65 and up stay hospitalized longer than those aged 65 or under—yet the seniors ring up significantly smaller bills per stay. The bad news is that the “savings” likely come in the form of fewer percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs, aka angioplasties) to open blocked heart arteries nonsurgically.
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NaF-PET scans reveal plaque -- and possible risk of stroke |
PET/CT scans can show plaque development in atherosclerosis patients and may help predict which patients are at higher risk of stroke, according to a study published February 16 in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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FDA expands Abbott’s Cardiomems system for class II heart failure patients |
Abbott Laboratories’ Cardiomems heart failure (HF) system is open to a larger patient population following an expanded approval from the FDA. Abbott’s system had previously been approved for class III HF patients that had been hospitalized for HF in the past year. A new expanded indication enables the sensor to be utilized by class II (earlier stage) HF patients and those whose blood test show elevated levels of biomarkers known as natriuretic peptides. The FDA based the approval on findings from the GUIDE-HF trial, which suggested class II HF patients and patients with elevated natriuretic peptides had better outcomes when their therapy was guided by pulmonary pressure monitoring, with a 34% and 25% reduction in heart failure hospitalizations and emergency visits, respectively, based on study data adjusted for the impact of COVID-19.
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Infertility treatments raise risk of heart and pregnancy complications, study finds |
If you are that new research found women may be at increased risk for vascular and pregnancy-related complications, especially if they are 35 or older.
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High levels of Lp(a), coronary artery calcium confer ASCVD risk |
Elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) and coronary artery calcium were associated with risk for atherosclerotic CVD, researchers reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Daily activities linked to lower risk of heart disease in older women |
Seniors take note, running or brisk walking is not the only way to reduce the risk of heart disease. Simply being "up and about" performing routine activities, referred to as daily life movement, including housework, gardening, cooking and self-care activities like showering can significantly benefit cardiovascular health.
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Eating veggies won't protect your heart, study says, but critics disagree |
Eating a plant-based diet has been shown to be very good for your heart and your overall health, as well as that of the planet. In fact, a recent study found a young person could live an additional 13 years by eating more vegetables and legumes, as well as whole grains, fruit and nuts.
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High neck circumference linked to elevated AF risk |
High neck circumference was associated with risk for incident atrial fibrillation, according to an analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Obesity is typically measured using standard anthropometric measures such as BMI, waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio,” Jelena Kornej, MD, MSc, associate faculty member at the Boston University School of Medicine and Public Health, and colleagues wrote. “Upper-body subcutaneous fat is a unique fat deposit, and its measurement can be approximated using neck circumference. Neck circumference has been shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk. There is evidence that free fatty acid release from upper-body subcutaneous fat is higher compared with lower-body subcutaneous fat.”
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MI tied to reduced risk for Parkinson’s disease |
One-year survivors of MI experienced decreased risk for developing Parkinson’s disease and secondary Parkinsonism compared with the general population, researchers reported.
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Scientists discover how caffeine protects against cardiovascular disease |
Scientists have a new understanding of the protective effects of caffeine on the cardiovascular system. While its stimulant effects have long been characterized, a team of Canadian researchers have discovered how caffeine interacts with key cellular factors to remove cholesterol from the bloodstream.
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HeaPets can boost your brain power, study saysding Here |
Having a long-term pet companion may delay memory loss and other kinds of cognitive decline, a new study has found. Pet ownership was especially beneficial for working verbal memory, such as memorization of word lists, according to the preliminary research.
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PET reduces radiation therapy dose for throat cancer |
PET scans acquired before and midway through radiation therapy in patients with throat cancer can help determine whether therapy can be reduced in the second half of treatment, according to a study presented February 24 at an American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) symposium in Phoenix, AZ.
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'Pandemic brain': PET/MRI images reveal how COVID's impact is felt by non-infected individuals |
New observations made from the PET/MRI brain scans of individuals who have not been infected with COVID-19 prove that no one is immune to the effects of the pandemic.
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Spinal cord atrophy significant predictor of silent progression in relapse-onset MS |
Spinal cord atrophy appeared to predict silent progression in relapse-onset MS, according to results of a single-center observational study presented at ACTRIMS Forum.
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72% of minority patients don't get the diagnostic imaging they need |
A team of researchers is sounding an alarm that more than 70% of racial and ethnic minority patients don't receive appropriate diagnostic imaging, according to a literature review published February 22 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
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Nuclear Medicine Gives Some Patients Hope in Fight Against Cancer, Other Diseases |
Nuclear medicine is giving people hope in their fight against cancer and other debilitating diseases. The cutting-edge therapy uses radioactive drugs to treat aggressive, late-stage tumors and in some cases helps people when surgery or chemotherapy isn’t an option.
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Stem cell transplantation may treat aggressive MS long term |
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had long-term effectiveness for treating aggressive MS, according to results of a retrospective observational study presented at the ACTRIMS Forum.
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Low-meat, meat-free diets may reduce cancer risk, study finds |
Eating less meat per week appears to lower a person's risk for cancer, a study published Wednesday by the journal BMC Medicine found.
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Washington University School of Medicine develops Alzheimer’s blood test |
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, US, have developed a blood test that can detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease accurately.
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New AI device can significantly improve Alzheimer’s diagnosis after breakthrough in understanding causes |
Scientists have developed an AI device that can diagnose Alzheimer’s much more accurately than the current “gold standard” test – and hope it could start to be used on the NHS as early as next year.
The new tool is able to accurately identify people with Alzheimer’s 83 per cent of the time, compared to 67 per cent for the best existing tests.
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FDG and NaF PET/CT Predictive for Overall Survival in Genitourinary Malignancies |
Data presented at the 2022 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium that that baseline parameters associated with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT and sodium fluoride (NaF) PET/CT may be linked with overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic genitourinary (mGU) malignancies.
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Leisure Time Helps Preserve Cognition, Function in Early Huntington’s |
Spending more time on leisure activities — which contributes to a person’s cognitive reserve, or the ability to improvise — is associated with lesser cognitive and functional decline in people with early manifest Huntington’s disease, a study shows.
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Siemens Healthineers
PET predicts treatment response in arthritis patients
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PET imaging of immune cells involved in bone and joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can predict which patients will respond early to treatment, according to a study published February 11 in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases.
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Mortality rates higher for post-9/11 U.S. military personnel with TBI |
U.S. military veterans with traumatic brain injuries who served after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks had higher mortality rates compared with other veterans and the general U.S. population, according to study results.
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Altered Brain Activity May Explain Why Speech Is Perceived as Yelling |
A particular region of the brain responsible for sensing and processing speech and speech-like sounds is overly active in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study.
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Autism appears differently in brains of girls, boys |
Researchers have discovered differences between the brains of girls and boys with autism that they say may improve diagnosis of the developmental disorder in girls.
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How Diet May Affect Colorectal Cancer Risk in Black Communities |
Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the United States. Over 50,000 people die from cancer of the colon and/or rectum every year.
The disease disproportionately affects Black people in the U.S.1 In fact, Black patients are 20% more likely to receive a colorectal cancer diagnosis and about 40% more likely to die from it than patients in most other racial and ethnic groups.
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Study Finds No Link Between BMI and Thyroid Cancer in Teens With Nodules |
Although obesity is typically linked to the development of many cancers, including thyroid cancer, a cross-sectional study didn't find this association in adolescents.
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Vitamin D May Help Brain Cells Clear Toxic Protein in Parkinson’s |
Parkinson’s patients have a subpopulation of astrocytes — brain cells that support neuronal function and health — that produce a vitamin D-activating enzyme called CYP27B1 and are involved in clearing the toxic alpha-synuclein clumps that form in the disease.
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Mental disorders increase risk of dementia later in life |
Preventing and treating mental health disorders earlier in life might reduce or delay the risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Michigan examined the hospital records of 1.7 million New Zealanders, aged 21 years to 60 years at baseline, across three decades (1988 to 2018). They found that those with early-life mental disorders were at elevated risk of subsequent dementia and younger dementia onset. Specifically, among individuals diagnosed with a mental disorder, 6.1% were also diagnosed with dementia during the observation period, compared with 1.8% of those without a mental disorder.
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Early posttraumatic seizures linked to poor outcomes in moderate to severe TBI patients |
Early posttraumatic seizures following moderate to severe TBI were linked to poorer in-hospital and long-term outcomes, including posttraumatic epilepsy, according to an Australian registry-based cohort study published in JAMA Neurology.
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HHS Warns of EMR, EHR Security Risks |
HHS's Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) warned of electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR) security risks in a recent brief. EHRs and EMRs are top targets for healthcare cyberattacks.
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AI can identify significant findings on scanned radiology reports, reduce manual workloads |
A new deep learning algorithm could help save clinicians time and money by identifying documents that might require follow-ups after they have been scanned into the EHR.
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Physicians using EHRs more likely to refer patients to National Diabetes Prevention |
When managing patients at risk of diabetes, EHRs prove useful, and physicians who use them are more likely to refer patients to the National Diabetes Prevention Program, according to a study in the February 2022 issue of American Journal of Health Promotion.
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CMS changing direct contracting to an ACO gets mixed reaction |
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has redesigned its Medicare Direct Contracting Model to an Accountable Care Organization model focused on health equity.
The ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) Model will replace the Global and Professional Direct Contracting (GPDC) Model at the end of the year.
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More than 4,100 providers will get $560 million in Provider Relief Fund payments this week |
The Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, is making the money available through PRF Phase 4 General Distribution payments.
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Biden to extend U.S. national emergency due to COVID-19 health risk |
President Joe Biden said on Friday the U.S. national emergency declared in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be extended beyond March 1 due to the ongoing risk to public health posed by the coronavirus.
Biden said the deaths of more than 900,000 Americans from COVID-19 emphasized the need to respond to the pandemic with "the full capacity" of the federal government.
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New U.S. FDA chief says he will prioritize fighting misinformation |
Misinformation about science is increasingly prevalent and a significant public health threat that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will focus on fighting, incoming Commissioner Robert Califf said on Thursday.
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For over 25 years, HRSI has provided Authorized User (AU) classroom and laboratory training to physicians. HRSI's training is recognized by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and fulfills the didactic training required by law. |
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com |
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