Drawing from the well of cardiac imaging silos

Chris P. Kaiser, Editor

We hear a lot about “information silos” in the world of IT—isolated repositories of patient data that can spell inefficiency for the enterprise. However, within cardiac imaging, imaging silos do not necessarily portend an efficiency nightmare. With so many imaging tools available today, each one can teach cardiologists something different on how to benefit patient diagnosis and treatment. 

In this month’s Cardiac Imaging Portal, we highlight a range of imaging tools. In our top featured story, researchers put 15 different echo heart failure measurements to the test—five of them topped the list as the best independent predictors of heart failure—but researchers found that combining the five measurements proved much more beneficial than any one of them alone. This study should help make better use of this cardiology imaging workhorse. 

Another study on echo is particularly timely, given the U.S. government’s warning on echo contrast agents issued last year. This new study shows that contrast echo improves imaging and saves money by eliminating other tests that would have to be done due to uninterpretable unenhanced echo studies. With much momentum within the imaging community to help the government better understand contrast-enhanced echocardiography, this study should galvanize more support for this valuable imaging tool.   

Another tool in the cardiac imaging toolkit, cardiac MRI has carved out a niche in cardiovascular disease, particularly in delivering functional information. One of the ever-present challenges with MR imaging, however, is safety, in particular, ensuring that patients and staff do not inadvertently bring ferromagnetic materials into the MR suite, creating deadly projectiles. As a reminder of the importance of MR safety, we feature a commentary from an MR safety consultant that details a disturbing rise in the number of accidents in the MR suite, but this is only half the truth, as many accidents go unreported.  

To round out our coverage this month, we also feature articles that focus on radiation exposure. Coronary CT angiography is usually at the center of such studies, but nuclear medicine’s contribution to radiation exposure also is examined here—and the overall increase in exposure is linked with imaging self-referral.  

Today’s cardiovascular imaging armamentarium involves many modalities and many techniques within those modalities. Cardiologists can strengthen their practices and their competitive edge by offering as many imaging tests as they can. In this era of individualized medicine, knowing what imaging test to offer which patient at the right time makes good practical sense.  

On these or any other topics, please feel free to send me an email with your comments.

C.P. Kaiser
ckaiser@cardiovascularbusiness.com