Dear AuntMinnie Member,
New developments in cardiac imaging top the agenda this week as the American College of Cardiology (ACC) convenes in New Orleans for its annual conference.
First up is an article on an ACC presentation that showed that coronary CT angiography (CTA) can be cost-effective by reducing hospital admissions for patients with acute chest pain. Researchers from Stony Brook University found that patients could be discharged following a negative coronary CTA study with few adverse outcomes after the fact -- enabling them to avoid invasive angiography. Learn more by clicking here.
Another study presented by Italian researchers at the ACC meeting found that a new patient hydration device is more effective than conventional methods in protecting patients from contrast-induced nephropathy during vascular procedures. The system matches hydration solution to urine output, reducing the risk of over- or underhydration. Get more details by clicking here.
Finally, in a cardiac imaging story that's not from the ACC show, researchers from Boston found that cardiac MRI can help detect noncardiac maladies that in some cases may require follow-up. The researchers found that certain MRI pulse sequences were most effective -- find out what they are by clicking here.
