Did you know that medical data on 20,000 people could be exposed to abuse today? According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HSS), that is the number of people whose protected health information was breached per day on average in 2013. While healthcare practitioners may not realize the value of the data in their care, criminals certainly do. Clinicians and nurses may feel wary of security measures that might slow them down, but there are ways to improve security that will not cost precious moments in an emergency situation. Being lax with security can have a long-lasting impact on all of your patients, not just those with emergencies.

Angiographic imaging system vendors have developed several new technologies to address emerging cath lab trends, including the need to reduce radiation dose, improve image quality and enable advanced procedural image guidance. All three of these points have become increasingly important as more complex procedures are attempted in interventional cardiology cath labs and hybrid ORs. These procedures include transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), mitral clip valve repairs, left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusions, atrial and ventricular septal defect closures, and new interventions for both electrophysiology (EP) and heart failure.

Incidents of cancer are on the rise globally. According to a press release from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), “In 2012, the worldwide burden of cancer rose to an estimated 14 million new cases per year, a figure expected to rise to 22 million annually in the next decade.” As the numbers increase around the world, research continues to unveil unconventional options for cancer treatment. Over the past five years, proton therapy has emerged as one popular choice. Hailed by some as the Rolls Royce of radiation oncology, the technology’s precision and accuracy, along with its ability to prevent damage to critical structures and healthy tissues, has made it a technology that many vendors and healthcare facilities are actively investing in.

New research published in the June issue of Global Heart, the journal of the World Heart Federation, shows that there are no significant differences in the incidence or severity of atherosclerotic disease (narrowing of the arteries with fatty deposits) between ancient and modern people, proving that atherosclerosis is not just a disease of modern times. The journal included three articles [1,2,3] on the finding of the Horus study, which used computed tomography (CT) scans from ancient mummies to compare arterial calcification caused by Horus atherosclerosis.