A study published in Surgery found the investigational PET radiotracer F-18 fluorocholine had better accuracy in detecting tumors and led to more surgical cures in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, compared with standard imaging methods. "Long-term results in the first cohort in the United States to use 18F-fluorocholine positron emission tomography for parathyroid localization confirm its utility in a challenging cohort, with better sensitivity than ultrasound or sestamibi," said researcher Dr. Claire Graves.

A study in BMC Medicine found that drinking an average of 6 grams of alcohol per day was linked with a 50% reduced risk for heart attack, stroke or death among individuals with cardiovascular diseases, compared with those who didn't drink alcohol. The findings, based on data from 48,423 patients with cardiovascular diseases in Britain, also revealed that drinking even up to 15g of alcohol per day was still linked with lower morbidity and mortality risks.

Research in Japan suggests that men whose wives had a history of cardiovascular events could be at higher risk for future CV events themselves, but the reverse was not found to be true. The study was published online in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Patients with diabetic kidney disease who also had elevated levels of intact parathyroid hormone had a greater risk for ectopic calcification and cardiovascular events like acute myocardial infarction and stroke, compared with those with lower levels of iPTH. The findings, published in Diabetes Research & Clinical Practice and based on data from 508 patients with diabetic kidney disease, also showed that those with elevated iPTH levels had shorter survival time.

A presentation at the American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention noted that in a study of 20 internal medicine residents, cardiac rehabilitation referrals for eligible patients rose after the residents received a lecture and information on the subject. Presenter Dr. Maggie Wang said referral rates tend to be low despite the fact that cardiac rehabilitation has been shown to reduce cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization rates.

A pilot study at Stanford Medicine found that interventional radiologists assigned to outpatient services completed final cases by 5 p.m. at an 87% rate after implementing a new workflow, compared with 53% previously. "By streamlining flow through the IR suite, schedule predictability and work-life balance could be improved, without impacting patient care, practice volume or costs," study authors wrote in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

ASNC's "The Very Best of SPECT" series continues tomorrow, July 29, at 5 p.m. (ET) with a session livestreamed from the University of Rochester by Ronald G. Schwartz, MD, MS, MASNC. Attendees will watch and ask questions as Dr. Schwartz presents cases demonstrating, among other things, how he incorporates myocardial blood flow with SPECT. Physicians may earn up to 7 CME credits for attending the Virtual Reading Room series. REGISTER NOW.

Released last week, the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule includes proposals focused on the COVID-19 public health emergency; hospital price transparency; a new model of care for radiation oncology that builds on extensive work focused on episode-based payment; and updated OPPS payment rates for hospitals that meet applicable quality reporting requirements. LEARN MORE ON ASNC's NEW BLOG.