Cardiology Associations

This page includes news coverage of cardiology societies and associations. Follow these links for specific cardiology society news pages: American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), American Society Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Society for Cardiovascular Angiography Interventions (SCAI), Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), and Vascular Interventional Advances (VIVA).

AI helps cardiologists track new drug's effect on inflammation
The combination of AI and CT helped Nehal Mehta, MD, and colleagues track the performance of a new drug designed to target coronary inflammation.
AI improves CT assessments, boosts care for real-world heart patients
Automated AI-generated measurements combined with annotated CT images can improve treatment planning and help referring physicians and patients better understand their disease, explained Sarah Jane Rinehart, MD, director of cardiac imaging with Charleston Area Medical Center.
First-in-human trial shows potential of guiding CABG with cardiac CT and AI—no ICA required
An independent heart team blinded to ICA results was able to deliver helpful guidance for CABG procedures for 99.1% of patients using just CCTA and FFR_CT alone. This approach is safe and feasible, researchers wrote, and the next step is to gather additional data.
Cardiology, radiology groups urge insurance provider to rethink imaging policy
SCAI and four other major healthcare organizations signed a joint letter in support of intravascular ultrasound.
SPECT still has an important role to play in nuclear cardiology
"I see, at least for the next decade, this being a SPECT and PET world, not one or the other," explained Tim Bateman, MD.

VIDEO: American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) President Mouaz Al-Mallah, MD, chair of cardiovascular PET and associate director of nuclear cardiology, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, and ASNC President-elect Larry Phillips, MD, director of nuclear cardiology, NYU Langone, outline the new technologies available and why upgrading cardiac nuclear labs matters and what is the ROI. #ASNC

What is the ROI for upgrading nuclear cardiology labs?

Some nuclear cardiology labs are still using SPECT systems that are 20-25 years old. Is it time to make an upgrade?

April 12, 2023

Echocardiography expert Patricia A. Pellikka, MD, discussed the trend of increasing artificial intelligence (AI) integration in cardiac ultrasound with Cardiovascular Business at American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2023 meeting.

AI's growing impact on echocardiography

Cardiology has the second largest number of FDA-cleared AI algorithms, and many of them are for cardiac ultrasound. Echocardiography expert Patricia A. Pellikka, MD, discusses this trend and how AI is helping improve echo.

March 23, 2023

Advanced imaging does not always improve outcomes, data suggest

Although advanced imaging exams have proven benefits in defining disease severity, new data indicate that more sophisticated studies might not impact outcomes as much as previously thought.

March 13, 2023

A figure from the ASE pediatric POCUS guidelines showing parasternal short-axis view demonstrating RV dilatation with bowing of the septum into the left ventricle, indicating pulmonary hypertension in this child with shock and pertussis.

New ASE guidance examines cardiac POCUS in children

The recommendations were developed by a writing group comprised of experts from different specialties, offering an array of perspectives and approaches.

March 2, 2023

The ACC released a new guideline asking interventional cardiologists to use intravascular imaging to improve outcomes in percutanous coronary intervention (PCI). Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a catheter-based imaging technology that allows physicians to visualize blood vessels from the inside out. Image courtesy of Philips.

ACC urges all interventional cardiologists to use intravascular imaging during PCI

New recommendations from the American College of Cardiology detail how intravascular imaging can help clinicians before, during and after PCI procedures.

February 16, 2023

A CT coronary calcium scoring exam at Northwestern Medicine's Central DuPage Hospital in the Chicago Suburbs. Dave Fornell

The remaining gaps in evidence for cardiac CT

While the ACC/AHA 2021 Chest Pain Assessment Guidelines included cardiac CT angiography as a top level recommendation, gaps in evidence still need to be filled.

February 10, 2023

An example of an FDA cleared radiology AI algorithm to automatically take a cardiac CT scan and identify, contour and quantify soft plaque in the coronary arteries. The Cleerly software then generates an automated report with images, measurements and a risk assessment for the patient. This type of quantification is too time consuming and complex for human readers to bother with, but AI assisted reports like this may become a new normal over the next decade. Example from Cleerly Imaging at SCCT 2022.

Legal considerations for artificial intelligence in radiology and cardiology

There are now more than 520 FDA-cleared AI algorithms and the majority are for radiology and cardiology, raising the question of who is liable if the AI gets something wrong.

February 3, 2023

Increased use of CCTA improves CAD outcomes without raising costs

Researchers examined data from nearly 2 million patients, sharing their full findings in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging.

January 23, 2023

Around the web

Cardiovascular Business

AI improves CT assessments, boosts care for real-world heart patients

Automated AI-generated measurements combined with annotated CT images can improve treatment planning and help referring physicians and patients better understand their disease, explained Sarah Jane Rinehart, MD, director of cardiac imaging with Charleston Area Medical Center.

Cardiovascular Business

AI predicts cardiovascular risk during CT scans—no invasive tests or contrast required

Two advanced algorithms—one for CAC scores and another for segmenting cardiac chamber volumes—outperformed radiologists when assessing low-dose chest CT scans.

Radiology Business

Google teams with Bayer to address radiologist burnout via AI

"Gen AI can help tackle repetitive tasks and provide insights into massive datasets, saving valuable time," Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said Tuesday.