As heart and circulation ultrasound specialists gathered this week in Washington for ASE 2009, the American Society of Echocardiography's (Morrisville, North Carolina) 20th annual scientific sessions, a few dozen diagnostic and imaging companies were eager to show off their latest gadgets. Among them, GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK) put the spotlight on its latest solution for the assessment of heart failure, the Vivid E9. (Medical Device Daily)

For people with Type 1 diabetes – even those who manage their blood sugar levels well, life is a balancing act, Aaron Kowalski, PhD, told Diagnostics & Imaging Week. They know that the higher their HbA1c level is, the higher their risk is of developing long-term complications such as blindness and kidney disease; but if their blood sugar level gets too low they run the risk of becoming hypoglycemic and driving their car into a tree or passing out at work. (Diagnostics & Imaging Week)

Women may someday have a new birth control option designed to not only prevent unplanned pregnancy but also block the transmission of the HIV virus. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College (New York) have published results showing that a new contraceptive device may do just that. The results are published in the latest issue of the journal AIDS. (Medical Device Daily)