Panasonic Healthcare Group of Panasonic Corp. demonstrated new, improved software for the CardioHealth Station, designed to help medical professionals come to a quick assessment of cardiovascular health, at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session & Expo, held this week in Chicago, according to a company press release.

Often, time is of the essence when someone is having, or about to have, a stroke or heart attack. Early detection usually leads to better outcomes.

Heart disease is the number-one killer in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other scary statistics include in 2008, over 616,000 people died of heart disease, and the illness caused almost 25 percent of deaths – almost one in four – in the U.S.

A stunning 27 million people in the U.S. have heart disease, according to the CDC, almost 12 percent of the population. With the increase in obesity and diabetes in this country, many more people may find themselves with heart disease, needing prompt, accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Panasonic’s new system, with its built-in portable ultrasound system that performs “non-invasive examinations of the peripheral vessels,” provides an “automated measurement of the intima-media (innermost) thickness of peripheral arteries such as the common carotid and allows the user to search for arterial plaques in B-mode imaging,” according to the company.

The company said that the CardioHealth Station has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.

The company also noted that the touch screen keyboard allows users to enter various “parameters related to traditional cardiovascular risk factors and a built-in calculator provides risk commonly used in a variety of medical environments.”