Thursday, January 15, 2009
St. Jude Blood Meter May Help Doctors Limit Use of Heart Stents
St. Jude Blood Meter May Help Doctors Limit Use of Heart Stents: "St. Jude Medical Inc.’s blood-flow meter reduced the need for stents in patients with clogged arteries and boosted survival rates, providing doctors a new way to assess the severity of the blockages, a study found.
The probe, which measures the blockages, also cut the cost of care by an average of 5 a patient, according to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Heart attacks and deaths were trimmed 35 percent with the use of the device, called a fractional-flow reserve meter, the research found."
The probe, which measures the blockages, also cut the cost of care by an average of 5 a patient, according to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Heart attacks and deaths were trimmed 35 percent with the use of the device, called a fractional-flow reserve meter, the research found."
