Performing heart surgery on the same day as angiography is now confirmed as a risk factor for acute kidney injury (AKI), and hospital policy limiting the practice for elective cardiac surgery has significantly reduced the rate of AKI, according to a study published in the February 2013 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

A prospective study was published recently in the American Journal of Roentgenology on whether coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) provided an accurate and efficient management method for assessment of chest pain patients with low to intermediate risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study, presented by Ricardo C. Cury, M.D., of Baptist Health of South Florida, current vice president of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and colleagues, was carried out over three emergency departments in a large healthcare system, between January 2009 and October 2010, and found that length of stay was cut in half, and the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) remained very low in patients with negative CTA findings.

At an exclusive event scheduled March 1, 2013, Elekta will reveal a leap forward in radiation oncology and the care of individuals with cancer worldwide.

February 1, 2013 — SoftVue, the whole breast ultrasound device created by two scientists from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine, is currently undergoing review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for market clearance.

February 1, 2013 — Six clinical trials, including one evaluating the effectiveness of proton beam therapy in treating children with specific brain cancers and three proton therapy trials for men with prostate cancer, are being led by researchers at CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center.