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COURAGE: Does 15-Year Data Have Any Clinical Relevance?
This past week saw publication of an update to the 2007 COURAGE trial which compared optimal medical therapy (OMT) to stenting (PCI) as the initial management strategy for stable coronary artery disease. The study looked at 15-year data and concluded that there was no advantage to PCI. I beg to differ. (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - November 16, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

AimRADIAL Masterclass IV in Liverpool
Next week, on September 17-18, 2015, the 4th Advanced International Masterclass on the Transradial Approach will be held in Liverpool, England and, if you already perform or want to start using the wrist approach to diagnostic or interventional procedures, you need to attend. Where else will you be able to spend two-days with the most expert and experienced radial practitioners in the world? (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - September 8, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

Frontiers in Cardiology – One Day Course in New Jersey
If you're a cardiologist, Fellow, or in the allied health fields, and you weren't able to make it to London for the five-day-long European Congress of Cardiology meeting, you can get a quick dose of the latest and greatest in a single day on Saturday, September 19, in Short Hills, New Jersey. Titled "Frontiers in Cardiology," this symposium is presented by the Morristown Medical Center, part of the Atlantic Health System, and features a stellar international faculty, including Maurice Buchbinder, Roxana Mehran, James Udelson, Nanette Wenger, and more. (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - September 4, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

Radial Revolution in the U.S.
This approach was pioneered by Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij in 1992. Since then, advances in the technique and in the equipment, along with the dedication of these pioneering physicians, has brought the radial approach to the forefront, resulting in today's paradigm-changing announcement. And I use the term"paradigm-changing" knowingly. It's overused, to the point of being a joke to be sure. But in this case, it is totally valid!! (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - August 30, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

"A Type of Interventional Radiology": A Quaint Memory from the New York Times
I recently was rifling through some old files of news clippings (you remember those pesky things, don't you?) and came across a major New York Times Magazine feature from 1983. It was titled, "Toward the Conquest of Heart Disease." Near the end of the article, the author briefly mentions something he calls "a type of interventional radiology" which has "great potential advantages but remains experimental." (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - August 26, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

iFR and iFR Scout to be Featured in Live Case from Hammersmith
If you've been wondering what iFR (Instant wave-Free Ratio) is, how it works, how it compares to FFR (Fractional Flow Reserve) and, most importantly, how it affects clinical outcomes, then click here to register for a free, online, interactive live case being done on Monday, April 13, 2:30pm-3:30pm London Time, 9:30am-10:30am New York Time). (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - April 12, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

Consumer Reports Overstates Cardiac CT Radiation Dose
Consumer Reports regularly publishes health information to aid the consumer/ patient in making decisions. And that's a good thing. But also important is having the most current information, which their January 27, 2015 article, titled "The surprising dangers of CT scans and X-rays," does not. I'm talking about the radiation dose from a Cardiac CT scan. The article states that a Cardiac CT Angiogram (CTA) exposes the patient to 12 mSv of ionizing radiation, or 120 times that of a chest X-ray. This was true years ago, when CTA was first being used to diagnose coronary artery disease. But it is not true today. (Source: Burts ...
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - March 12, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

Medicare Approves Drug-Coated Balloons for Outpatient Leg Angioplasty
Last week saw the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approve reimbursement for the two drug-coated balloons that recently were approved by the FDA: C. R. Bard's Lutonix and Medtronic's IN.PACT. Both devices have shown superior results when compared to uncoated balloons (a.k.a. "plain old balloon angioplasty" or POBA). The reimbursement approval from Medicare is crucial to the success of these medical devices so that patients can actually benefit from them. (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - February 27, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

Who's Sorry Now? The ABIM, That's Who
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) apologized to the medical community today saying they "had gotten it wrong." What the ABIM had gotten "wrong" was the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) changes passed a year ago. Many physicians had objected to what they felt were onerous, time-consuming, worthless and expensive requirements. (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - February 4, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

NBPAS Launches Alternative to MOC
Today's the day that The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) officially launches. Briefly stated, it's an alternative certification organization, set up by Dr. Paul Teirstein and a group of physicians, mostly cardiologists, who strongly objected to the Maintenance of Certification assessment track established by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - January 15, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

Scalpel …Suture…Suction…Pencil?
The concept of Maintenance of Certification (MOC) was to ensure that physicians who had been certified in their specialty kept current with medical practice and the current guidelines. It's not that concept that Dr. Paul Teirstein objects to, but its heavy-handed implementation by, as he puts it, "people not directly involved in patient care who have lost contact with the realities of day-to-day clinical practice." Ouch! (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - January 8, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

Scalpel…Suture…Suction…Pencil?
The concept of Maintenance of Certification (MOC) was to ensure that physicians who had been certified in their specialty kept current with medical practice and the current guidelines. It's not that concept that Dr. Paul Teirstein objects to, but its heavy-handed implementation by, as he puts it, "people not directly involved in patient care who have lost contact with the realities of day-to-day clinical practice." Ouch! (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - January 8, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

New Treatment for Peripheral Artery Disease is Approved by the FDA
It was 51 years ago that Charles Dotter first opened a blockage in the superficial femoral artery using catheters. He invented angioplasty, coined the term, and began a revolution, but it wasn't until recently that the dream of a non-surgical durable way of treating peripheral artery disease came to fruition. With the Lutonix approved last October and Medtronic's IN.PACT drug-coated balloon approved yesterday, a new era has begun. (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - January 7, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

Philips Buys Volcano: It's About Money, Technology, and History
The acquisition of Volcano by Philips is a landmark event in the world of imaging. For years, Volcano's mantra was "angiography alone is not enough." Well now, angiography agrees and one of the largest manufacturers of cath labs will be offering IVUS, FFR and iFR modalities as part of its total imaging package. The potential spread of these technologies can only benefit patients, with better outcomes and more targeted procedures, and also save hospitals and healthcare systems money. (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - December 19, 2014 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs

From Bench to Bedside to Bench Revisited: Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg Back in Action
Almost two decades ago, interventional cardiology pioneer Dr. Spencer B. King III penned an article for Circulation titled, "Angioplasty From Bench to Bedside to Bench." Dr. King's article was a recounting of the history of the development of the angioplasty balloon catheter by his colleague at Emory University, Andreas Gruentzig. This morning, the title of his article took on new meaning, as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg entered the courtroom and took her seat, engaging in several complex legal arguments concerning mortgage loan officers, Facebook threats, and more. (Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear)
Source: Burts Stent Blog : The Voice in the Ear - December 2, 2014 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: blogs