Advocates say payers' push for single first-line imaging tests for all patients isn't backed by evidence and may cause harm.

Choosing not to be vaccinated, the groups emphasized, puts cardiovascular patients at risk.

"This is a safe and affordable new data point that can clue us in about who might develop atrial fibrillation," one researcher said. 

Speckle-tracking strain is a safe, affordable way to gain clues into who may develop atrial fibrillation and require additional monitoring down the road.

Such injectable agents have been administered routinely for years to detect heart disease, assess risk, and identify tumors throughout the abdomen.

North Billerica, Massachusetts-based Lantheus shared its forecast in a quarterly financial report published May 4. 

A large coalition, including several cardiology groups, is asking Congress to pass legislation that would help protect healthcare providers from the final rule's "arbitrary" Medicare cuts. 

The American Society of Echocardiography released the new recommendations to replace its 2007 edition.