Special procedure rooms: will TAVR shift to the cath lab?

by Lisa Chamoff, Contributing Reporter | March 02, 2015

From the March 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

A study by the Cleveland Clinic published in August of last year looked at reducing the default fluoroscopic frame rate and a greater use of low-dose acquisition in diagnostic catheterization (DC) and percutaneous interventions (PCI). By reducing the default fluoroscopic frame rate from 10 to 7.5 frames per second and increasing the emphasis on the use of low-dose acquisition starting in 2013, there was a marked reduction in air kerma rates for both DC and PCI compared to the previous year — a median of 625 milligray in 2013 versus 798 milligray in 2012 for DC and a median of 1675 milligray in 2013 compared to 2463 milligray in 2012 for PCI.

New technology has shown fairly definitive improvement in the amount of radiation expended to show high-quality diagnostic images, says Watson of MD Byline. Some vendors have two levels of systems, one that has a traditional imaging package with very good traditional dose management software and a new generation that is the same core technology, but with further enhancements, such as improved X ray tubes and/or new detectors, coupled with new processing software for even more advanced dose management, dose reduction capabilities.

Less invasive thanks to imaging
Imaging is also helping to decrease the need for invasive procedures. Dr. James Min, who specializes in the diagnosis of coronary heart disease with multi-detector CT angiography at Weill Cornell Medical College, notes that at the end of last year, the FDA approved marketing of the HeartFlow FFR-CT software, which allows physicians to non-invasively evaluate blood flow in the coronary arteries of patients with signs and symptoms of coronary artery disease. Before, the patient would have to undergo an invasive procedure that entails running a wire through the coronary artery and measuring pressure before and after the blockage. With the new software, a 64-slice CT angiogram is sent to the company, called HeartFlow, and they use it to calculate fractional flow reserve.

“Diagnostic accuracy is so much higher that I think it will become the standard of care,” Min says. “You have the anatomic as well as the physiological importance of these plaques. That’s a game changer.”

DOTmed Registered Special Procedures/Cath-Angio March 2015 Companies



You Must Be Logged In To Post A Comment Sign In If you've already created an account, use your email address and password to sign in using the form below. Login Problems: Click here if you are having login issues. Email address: Password: Forgot your password? Login Problems? View our Legal Notice and Privacy Notice Register Registration is Free and Easy. Enjoy the benefits of The World's Leading New & Used Medical Equipment Marketplace. Register Now!