Cardiovascular / Cardiology

CLARKS SUMMIT — A doctor nationally renowned for his advances in emergency heart care invented a device to prevent complications during catheterization. Samir Pancholy, M.D., an interventional cardiologist in Clarks Summit, helped introduce the nation to a less painful, safer way to insert a catheter through the wrist instead of the groin. He is breaking…

Royal Philips ($PHG) has made moves on a couple of fronts this week. It launched its heart attack test for its handheld diagnostic device after gaining a CE mark. And it also successfully executed an IPO for its lighting business that valued the company at almost $4 billion. Philips sold 25% of Philips Lighting in…

The number of children with severe heart failure is increasing. Over the last decade, ventricular assist devices (VADs) have become the standard of care in the management of severe heart failure. In adults, implantable VADs (i.e. pumps placed within the chest) are used exclusively, due in part to favorable risk profiles and, more importantly, the…

In a major breakthrough, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes transformed skin cells into heart cells and brain cells using a combination of chemicals. All previous work on cellular reprogramming required adding external genes to the cells, making this accomplishment an unprecedented feat. The research lays the groundwork for one day being able to regenerate lost…

Abbott Laboratories will spend $19.3 billion to buy St. Jude Medical Inc. in a cash-stock deal that aims to strengthen the medical device maker’s stake in cardiovascular care. Shares of North Chicago, Illinois-based Abbott plunged, while St. Jude soared Thursday morning after the companies announced the deal. The combined company will offer devices in nearly…

One reason being sedentary is so bad for health may be that it promotes “hardening” of the arteries with calcified deposits, a new U.S. study suggests. Research with middle-aged volunteers found that each additional hour of sedentary time was linked to 12 percent higher odds of having calcium buildup in the coronary arteries, an early…

A prototype of the “electric flavoring fork,” which generates a salty taste by stimulating the tongue with electricity, was announced in Japan. The fork was developed based on the “electric flavoring” technology being researched by Hiromi Nakamura at Rekimoto Lab, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, the University of Tokyo. It is an application of an…

While advanced wearables are only now starting to catch on as tools for detecting and tracking of a variety of medical conditions, it turns out that simple fitness trackers that feature heart rate monitoring can be life saving devices. A patient with atrial fibrillation following a seizure showed up at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical…

Pittsburgh-based CardiacAssist Inc. said Tuesday it had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its TandemLung oxygenator. The medical device “acts as an artificial lung to infuse oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the blood” and is used with its TandemHeart blood pump, according to CardiacAssist. The approval was 510(k) clearance that…

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Feb. 17 that it had reached settlements worth a total of more than $23 million with 51 hospitals in 15 states for allegedly improperly implanting implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) cardiac devices in Medicare patients. The claims were allegations, and the DOJ did not determine the hospitals were liable,…