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 Colleagues,
You’ll find a couple articles that discuss the need for a good night’s sleep in this month’s newsletter. I’m sure lack of sleep is something we all suffer from occasionally. There could be little things that keep us up or some major decision or problem that attacks your subconscious as you turn over in the middle of the night. Many of the potential night demons are inconsequential in the morning light, but there are those that could be a worthy opponent to a good night’s sleep. So, it’s beneficial to understand what is important and what isn’t so you don’t waste time tossing and turning over ‘small stuff’. But, if there is something that warrants real concern, it helps to review all the facts and what can and can’t be done so you have a plan before hitting the sack. In other works, face the problem and deal with it during your waking hours so you don’t have to do that when you should be sleeping. I like to think we help our client-partners have a good night’s sleep since we take care of all the issues regarding running their labs. Whether it’s an announced or unannounced NRC inspection, finding personnel coverage, or upgrading software, our partner-clients can rest easy because HCI has it taken care of.
I hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter and it doesn’t put you to sleep!
Sincerely,
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Premature, early menopause increase risk for nonfatal CVD events
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Women who had premature and early menopause had an increased risk for a nonfatal CVD event before age 60 years compared with those who had menopause from age 50 to 51 years, according to a pooled analysis published in The Lancet Public Health.
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Hypothermia Helps After Cardiac Arrest With Nonshockable Rhythm
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Moderate therapeutic hypothermia improved outcomes for patients in a coma after cardiac arrest with nonshockable rhythm, a French randomized trial showed.
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Heart valve infection risk increasing in hospitals
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The risk of developing a heart valve infection in hospitals is increasing, according to a study published in The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Mixing less than 6 hours of sleep with chronic disease is deadly combo
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If you're a middle-aged adult with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or existing heart disease and you typically sleep less than six hours each night, you could be setting yourself up for cancer or an early death from heart disease.
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Optimism tied to lower rates of heart attacks, death
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People with a positive outlook on life may be less likely than pessimists to experience events like a heart attack or stroke, and they may live longer, a recent review of existing research suggests.
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OCT Vs FFR: Which Is the Better Guide for Revascularization?
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Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was associated with fewer events down the line for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) candidates presenting with intermediate coronary lesions on angiography, the FORZA investigators found.
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Diabetics who delay treating hypertension have more strokes, heart attacks
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Among people with diabetes who develop high blood pressure, those who delay getting it under control may be more likely to have heart attacks and strokes than their counterparts who manage it promptly, a recent study suggests.
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Comparison of Linagliptin With Glimepiride for Cardiovascular Safety in T2D
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Treatment with linagliptin compared with glimepiride results in a noninferior risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to results from the Cardiovascular Outcome Study of Linagliptin vs Glimepiride in Type 2 Diabetes (CAROLINA; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01243424), published in JAMA.
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PET improves patient selection for radionuclide therapy
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Researchers have found that gallium-68 (Ga-68) dotatate PET/CT is a more effective tool for finding candidates for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) than traditional methods, sharing their findings in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
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Researchers urge radiologists to keep eyes peeled for vaping-related lung damage
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Some of the signs to look out for include hypersensitivity pneumonitis, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, and several different types of pneumonia, according to the study. Henry and co-authors warn that this list is far from encompassing, with some vaping products containing diacetyl, for instance, which can cause other lung injury patterns such as constrictive bronchiolitis.
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New study shows potential link between bad quality sleep and Alzheimer’s in Hispanics
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The study found a possible link between insomnia, prolonged sleep duration (more than nine hours of sleep) and a decline in neurocognitive functioning, which could precede Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, said Dr. Alberto R. Ramos, the lead author of the study and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Miami’s Miller School.
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To ease dementia agitation, drugs may not be best option
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In a reanalysis of more than 163 studies involving nearly 25,000 patients, Canadian researchers found that multidisciplinary care, massage and touch therapy, and music combined with massage and touch therapy were more effective than patients’ usual care, according to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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New MRI technique uses lower magnetic field
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Developed in conjunction with Siemens, scientists said the lower use of magnetic resonance makes this technology safer to use on patients with pacemakers, quieter and easier to maintain. They also believe it will reduce the risk of heating while also dropping costs for MRI scans, both barriers to treatment, according to their study, published this month in Radiology.
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Radiologists’ Societies Warn Against Using AI Solely for Financial Gain
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The statement argued that the use of radiology AI should be sufficiently transparent and highly reliable and reduce bias in decision-making, while making sure that human developers or operators remain responsible and accountable.
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Blood Test to Diagnose Brain Cancer in Development
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Brain cancer remains challenging to diagnose, due to nonspecific symptoms and a lack of cost-effective tests. A new blood test that uses attenuated total reflection (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in conjunction with machine learning technology, may help advance the detection of brain cancer.
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Consolidation Radiotherapy Important After Treatment for Early Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Clinical Study Shows
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Radiotherapy following chemotherapy reduces the risk of cancer progression in people with early-stage favorable Hodgkin’s lymphoma, regardless of an individual’s response to chemotherapy, results of a Phase 3 study show.
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Formulation could reduce toxicities of head and neck cancer chemoradiotherapy
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Researchers at Purdue University and Indiana University School of Medicine have developed a novel chemoradiotherapy formulation that could decrease treatment-associated adverse events among patients with advanced head and neck cancer.
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Head and neck melanomas increasing, especially among boys and young men
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The increase in these dangerous skin cancers has been largest among non-Hispanic white boys and young men, according to the study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
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Despite Rise in New Cases, Breast Cancer Deaths Continue to Fall
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Deaths from breast cancer are still declining in the United States, even as more women are being diagnosed with the disease, a new report shows.
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Telehealth improves quality of life for dementia patients, caregivers
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“Effective care can be delivered through telehealth and offers the advantage of being often more convenient for busy caregivers,” Katherine L. Possin, PhD, associate professor of neurology in the Memory and Aging Center at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, told Healio Primary Care. “This is especially important in dementia because families may live a long distance from dementia specialists, or the patient with dementia may have difficulty traveling to provider appointments due to their disease.”
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How to protect your practice from missed follow-ups
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At the heart of the matter is the need for every radiology practice to have a process in place to identify and track patients whose imaging reveals a situation that might not be immediately actionable, but rather one that should be followed and re-evaluated later.
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What's the best way to protect your PACS?
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It can be challenging for healthcare institutions to protect their PACS against cybersecurity threats. In an effort to help, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a draft practice guide aimed at helping healthcare organizations achieve PACS security.
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Politics that Affect Medicine
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Trump administration to announce changes to anti-kickback rules for healthcare providers
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The plan will change how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enforces the Physician Self Referral Law, also known as the Stark law, which penalizes healthcare providers for referring patients to outside services that the provider could stand to benefit from financially.
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LACK OF RESOURCES STAND IN WAY OF SHIFT TO VALUE-BASED CARE
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Just over 25% of healthcare leaders cite a lack of resources as the primary barrier to implementing a value-based care model, according to a Definitive Healthcare survey released Monday morning.
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Trump woos seniors with order to boost Medicare health program
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U.S. President Donald Trump sought to woo seniors on Thursday with an executive order aimed at strengthening the Medicare health program by reducing regulations, curbing fraud, and providing faster access to new medical devices and therapies.
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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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Save the date for RSNA 2019
Join us for our 105th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, December 1–6, 2019, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.
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September 24-27, 2020
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.
We invite you to the 25th Annual Scientific Session of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology to be held in Washington, DC. Join physicians, scientists, technologists, nurses, colleagues in industry and many others from around the world in this educational event and celebration.This year’s program highlights many exciting developments in the field of nuclear cardiology, and is designed to offer value to attendees of all levels of expertise and seniority.
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com
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