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,
We’ve spent the past week getting ready for Hurricane Dorian here in Florida. With HCI based in Florida, and the storm’s potential path affecting multiple HCI sites on the East Coast, we not only had to get our homes ready but ensure our client partners sites were also covered. So, the word of the week is preparation. Thus, while preparing to write this post I looked up the definition of ‘Preparation’. There are multiple definitions, but the one that most describes HCI is ‘a state of being prepared’. We didn’t have to start from scratch…our operations side of the business has the policies and procedures in place that allow us to quickly have all sites ready. From the hardening of equipment to cataloguing of radioactive sources our sites were ready in less than a day. Our client partners never have to worry about storms, or anything else for that matter. HCI has it covered as we are in a ‘state of being prepared’. I only wish it was that easy getting our homes ready! We were fortunate that the storm turned north but our neighbors in the Bahamas were not so fortunate and have experienced devastating damage. HCI is a good neighbor, we are working here in South Florida to put together the support necessary to help them get back on their feet. We’ll keep you informed.
Sincerely,
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Department of Energy reaches deal with 4th US company to fund Mo-99 production
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The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has issued a cooperative agreement with a fourth U.S. company for the production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) without highly enriched uranium.
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FDG-PET scanning demonstrates prognostic significance in prosthetic valve infective endocarditis
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The study found that in prosthetic valve IE, positive findings on FDG-PET/CT predicted a composite outcome of major cardiac events, as well as embolic sequelae. FDG-PET/CT scanning was less commonly positive in native valve endocarditis and did not have prognostic predictive value.
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Study Links Childhood Risk Factors to Cardiovascular Disease in Adulthood
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The study, which included more than 16,000 participants, revealed childhood BMI, systolic blood pressure, and serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides are positively associated with adult CVD.
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Precision Medicine Lowers DAPT Bleeds in STEMI
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Selection of P2Y12 inhibitors based on genetic variants that influence response reduced bleeding events without hurting outcomes in ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) patients getting stented, the POPular Genetics trial showed.
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Afib Admissions Slashed With 'Back to Basics' Strategy
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A home-based, personalized education plan using two visits from a nurse or pharmacist for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) reduced unplanned hospitalizations at 2 years by 26%, the randomized HELP-AF study found.
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Study: 4-in-1 combo heart drug decreases cardiac event risk by one-third
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The risk of heart attack, strokes and heart failure fell by 34 percent for people who took a combo pill of aspirin, a cholesterol drug and two blood pressure medicines reduced the risk of heart attack, according to a study published earlier this week in The Lancet. The pill is known as polypill.
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Revised AAP Hypertension Guidelines Identify Obese Youth With High CV Risk
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A significant number of overweight and obese young people who are classified as nonhypertensive by the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) criteria have high blood pressure and increased cardiovascular risk, according to newer American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines. Results of the study were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
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Cancer overtakes heart disease as biggest rich-world killer
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Cancer has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in wealthy countries and could become the world’s biggest killer within just a few decades if current trends persist, researchers said on Tuesday.
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Mice reveal how top autism gene may disrupt brain structure
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Mutations in ANK2, a top autism gene, may alter brain wiring by causing the growth of excess neuronal connections, according to a new study in mice1.
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Possible protective immune response in the brain may slow progression of Alzheimer's
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Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD) at the LMU Medical Center have found that a protein named TREM2 may have a mitigating effect on the course of Alzheimer's disease. In a new study led by Professor Christian Haass (LMU, DZNE) and Professor Michael Ewers (ISD, LMU), patients who have higher levels of TREM2 in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at various stages of the disease have a better prognosis than those in whom the protein is present in lower amounts. This observation provides a starting point for the development of new therapeutic strategies. The study appears in the latest issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.
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One serious head injury on the sports field may be enough to trigger dementia, Imperial College study suggests
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For the first time, scans of living patients found protein “tangles” associated with dementia in the brains of patients who have suffered a single head injury.
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Blood cancer survival rates in Canada on the rise, report finds
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Overall cancer survival rates have improved to 63%, Canadian Cancer Society says
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Depression, anxiety rising among U.S. college students
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Looking at data from two large annual surveys of college undergraduates covering the years 2007-2018, researchers found a broad worsening of mental health indicators including depression overall, anxiety, low flourishing and suicidal planning and attempts, particularly in the second half of the study period.
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Machine learning model can help radiologists diagnose thyroid nodules
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A new radiomics-based machine learning model can evaluate immunohistochemistry (IHC) features and CT images to predict the presence of thyroid nodules, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
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Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT adds value to prostate cancer management
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Using [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT to monitor treatment response in prostate cancer patients can offer important lesion-based insights over prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-based monitoring, according to a new study published in EJNMMI Research.
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Scientists link 'hunger hormone' to memory in Alzheimer's study
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Scientists at The University of Texas at Dallas have found evidence suggesting that resistance to the "hunger hormone" ghrelin in the brain is linked to the cognitive impairments and memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
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Possible link between C-section and autism, ADHD
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The combined results of 61 studies conducted in 19 countries suggest that when a woman gives birth by cesarean section, autism in the child is 33% more likely and the odds of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increase by 17%.
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Proton-Beam RT Proves Safe, Effective in Breast Cancer
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Women with locally advanced breast cancer requiring regional lymph node irradiation had similar disease control with less toxicity with proton-beam radiation therapy (PBRT) as compared with historical patients treated with conventional radiotherapy.
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Metformin Repurposed: Boosts Survival in TKI-Treated Lung Cancer
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Adding metformin to standard inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) significantly improved both progression-free and overall survival in advanced lung adenocarcinoma – with no significant increase in adverse events, a randomized phase II study found.
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Four ways to maintain access to patient data during natural disasters
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While hospitals previously struggled to keep paper records free from physical damage, more recently hospitals have struggled with maintaining EHR connectivity after power outages or sharing patient medical histories if a patient is displaced from their usual hospital.
Here are four things to consider to maintain access to patient records during the storm
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FDA sees benefits of linking universal device IDs to EHRs
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The Food and Drug Administration contends that universal device identifiers will enable the agency to actively monitor medical device performance and better identify patient safety concerns and recalls.
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Politics that Affect Medicine
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U.S. government gives states nearly $2 billion to combat opioid crisis
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Wednesday it will offer states more than $1.8 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic. The funds will be used for expanding access to treatments for opioid overdosing and to gather case data from across states, the HHS said.
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CMS Expands Power to Ban Providers with ‘Problematic’ Affiliations from Medicare, Medicaid
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Under the new final rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can kick providers out of the programs if they have a previous affiliation with a banned organization, even if the provider itself has not been directly hit with a federal investigation.
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CMS refreshes much-used Medicare plan finder tool
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The CMS on Tuesday launched a redesigned Medicare Plan Finder to help Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers shop for and compare Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, the first major update to the most popular tool in a decade.
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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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Annual Scientific Session of the
American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
September 12-15, 2019 | Chicago, Ill.
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com
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