Attorney Lynn R. Johnson, JD, filed a lawsuit Sept. 3, on behalf of Linda Ficken, who was infected with hepatitis C while undergoing a 2010 medical procedure at the Hays Medical Center. At the time of the procedure, radiologic technologist David Kwiatkowski, who has been diagnosed with hepatitis C, worked at Hays Medical Center under a temporary agreement with Medical Solutions, an Omaha, Neb., staffing agency.

A considerable number of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) studies are currently being ordered for inappropriate indications based on appropriateness criteria guidelines, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided PCI plus medical therapy compared with medical therapy alone decreased the need for urgent revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), FAME 2 trial researchers reported Aug. 28 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich. The study was published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine with an editorial that concluded the findings have resulted in more questions than answers.

McKesson has released McKesson Cardiology 13.0, a single database system for cardiac and peripheral catheterization, hemodynamics monitoring, electrophysiology, echocardiography, vascular ultrasound, nuclear cardiology and ECG/stress/holter management.

Source: Radiology (doi: 10.1148/radiol.12112426)In patients with suspected coronary artery disease, coronary CT angiography (CCTA) can effectively differentiate  patients who require revascularization from those who dont, further supporting the modalitys potential as a noninvasive alternative to conventional cardiac catheterization, according to a study published online Aug. 8 in Radiology.

Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) has been shown to have comparable diagnostic accuracy for both women and men for the detection of obstructive coronary stenosis. The higher specificity for women as compared to traditional tests could lead to lower rates of unnecessary invasive tests, according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography.

Use of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in evaluating patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes improved the efficiency of clinical decision making in the ED, with patients experiencing shorter hospital stays and more direct discharges from the ED than with the standard, non-CCTA evaluation strategy, according to a study published July 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

For patients with acute chest pain in whom acute coronary syndrome has been ruled out, cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) provides prognostic value incremental to its diagnostic value. Plaque found at CCTA of these patients in an emergency setting is significantly related to the occurrence of a future major adverse cardiac event, according to a study published online July 19 in Radiology.