While watching someone dig into a triple cheeseburger with fries might seem like a good way to detect a heart-attack-in-waiting, doctors would prefer a more scientific approach. To that end, CardioNexus, an affiliate of Panasonic Health, offers a portable cardiovascular imaging device designed to help doctors identify those at risk of heart attack or stroke.
The CardioHealth Station is designed to allow doctors, nurses or their assistants to scan patients for hidden plaque buildup and increased thickness in the artery wall, common signs of cardiovascular disease risk. CardioNexus officials say the device is non-invasive and painless, and the scan is completed in minutes, with results available immediately.
According to a 2010 study based on the American Heart Association’s “Get With The Guidelines” initiative, only 23 percent of 136,905 patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease had high LDL, or “bad cholesterol” levels, while 77 percent were reported to have normal LDL levels and therefore would not have been identified as high risk. The AHA estimates there are more than 60 million Americans at risk of a heart attack and in need of screening.
“We’ve already seen tremendous interest in the technology, particularly among internists and primary care physicians who up until now have not had an automated non-invasive imaging technology in their office,” said Steven Lynum, director of Panasonic Healthcare’s clinical products division and an executive vice president at CardioNexus. “CardioHealth Station allows them to easily incorporate atherosclerosis imaging in their management of cardiovascular patients based on the recent guidelines.”
Since receiving FDA approval earlier this year, the CardioHealth Station has been marketed to hospitals and community clinics as well as retail clinics and physician offices. It’s now being marketed to concierge medical providers, a growing field that offers physicians and specialists a chance to move out of the office or hospital setting and into the community, reaching patients where they live or work.
SignatureMD, based in Los Angeles, this week became the first such provider to use the CardioHealth Station.
“Our network of physicians, both primary care and specialists, are eager to take advantage of our affiliation with Panasonic Healthcare and their accelerated access to the CardioHealth Station,” said Matt Jacobson, CEO of SignatureMD. “The CardioHealth Station empowers our physicians to be proactive in the early detection of disease and the long term health of their patients – precisely the goal of a personalized healthcare program.”
“As a primary care physician, I consider myself the first line of defense – and often the only one – for my patients in terms of preventative healthcare,” said Kenneth Rybicki, MDm a primary care concierge physician with SignatureMD in St. Louis, Mo. “With this technology at my fingertips, I can make screening my patients for cardiovascular risk a normal part of my exams. It makes being proactive simple, fast and affordable.”
Developed by Panasonic Healthcare for CardioNexus, the CardioHealth Station uses a handheld ultrasound probe to scan carotid arteries, providing a measurement of intima-media thickness (IMT). A touchscreen keyboard allows the physician to enter risk factors, while a built-in calculator provides risk scores based on commonly used assessments, such as the Framingham Risk Score, PROCAM Health Check Score, Reynolds Risk Score and scores based on the SCORE Project.
CardioNexus, based in Houston, launched its flagship CardioHealth Station in November 2010
Panasonic Healthcare, a Japan-based division of Secaucus, N.J.-based Panasonic, has developed several diagnostic systems, including devices to measure blood glucose, ultrasounds and hearing. The company recently announced a collaboration with the Texas Medical Center and Fairway Medical Technologies of Houston to develop new technologies for the early detection of heart disease and cancer, as well as new home healthcare tools.
