Epidural News and Research

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Study comparing Plasma Disc Decompression with epidural steroid injections for lumbar disc herniation

ArthroCare Corp., a leader in developing state-of-the-art, minimally invasive surgical products, announced today the publication of an important clinical trial demonstrating that patients treated with ArthroCare's Plasma Disc Decompression (PDD) products experienced reduced pain and better quality of life scores compared to patients treated with the current standard care, epidural steroid injections.

31 Mar 2010

Formal corporate update on Milestone Scientific's new business opportunities in China

Milestone Scientific Inc., the recognized leader in advanced injection technologies, today issued a formal corporate update relating to the Company's new business opportunities in China. Specifically, Milestone is currently working in concert with its Chinese distribution partner, China National Medicines Corporation to advance the STA System™ through the required regulatory review and approval process at the State Food and Drug Administration for the People's Republic of China.

27 Mar 2010

Caesarean births jump over 70%

There was a time when a C-Section caused both doctors and pregnant mothers’ anxiety, but not anymore. If the current trends are anything to go by more women are opting for a voluntary Caesarean baby than ever before. They have risen from 53% since 1996 to 2007. This is considerably higher than the figures for 1994 to 1998 which are at 21%.

24 Mar 2010

Vertos Medical announces positive results from IRB I Patient Outcomes Trial of 'mild' for LSS

Medical device company Vertos Medical Inc. has announced the release of positive results from its U.S. IRB I Patient Outcomes Trial, a prospective, investigational review board-approved, 75-patient study of mild for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Six-week clinical data have shown that patients treated with mild experience statistically and clinically significant improvement in both pain and functional ability. The data also confirmed mild’s safety, with no reports of patient complications related to the procedure or the devices.

12 Mar 2010

Canyon Pharmaceuticals announces the availability of Iprivask inhibitor for prevention of DVT

Canyon PharmaceuticalsTM (www.canyonpharma.com) today announced the availability of Iprivask (desirudin for injection), the first direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) approved in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which may lead to pulmonary embolism in patients undergoing elective hip replacement surgery.

2 Mar 2010

Observational study on mild demonstrates acute safety of procedure in treatment of LSS

Medical device company Vertos Medical Inc. has reported that an observational study on mild, published in the January/February 2010 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Pain Physician, has demonstrated the acute safety of the procedure in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).

24 Feb 2010

Food and fluid restriction during labour provides no significant benefit

The traditional practice of restricting food and fluids during labour does not provide any benefits, finds a new review co-authored by a Queen's University Associate Professor.

3 Feb 2010

Enrollment complete in Vertos Medical's U.S. IRB I "mild" procedure Patient Outcomes Trial

Medical device company Vertos Medical Inc. has announced the completion of enrollment in its post-market U.S. IRB (Institutional Review Board) I Patient Outcomes Trial, a 75-patient study of the mild procedure. The open-label, single-arm, prospective, IRB-approved study is intended to gather patient outcomes data following treatment for symptomatic central canal spinal stenosis using proprietary mild devices. Results from the trial, which is being conducted by 14 investigators at academic and private practice settings across the United States, are expected to be published during 2010.

21 Jan 2010

Japanese MHLW approves St. Jude Medical's Genesis spinal cord stimulation system

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced regulatory approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for the Genesis™ spinal cord stimulation system for the management of chronic pain.

18 Jan 2010

Tips for preventing injury in winter sports

The tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson this past March put a spotlight on the potential risks inherent to skiing, as well as the deadly consequences that can result from head trauma. Richardson died two days after suffering an epidural hematoma and slipping into a coma. What at first appeared to be a minor bump on the head from a fall on a beginner ski slope in Quebec proved fatal.

19 Dec 2009

Masimo PI promising for continuous and noninvasive monitoring of systemic blood flow in preterm infants

Masimo, the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) and Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced that new research findings, published in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of Perinatology, show that Masimo perfusion index (PI) accurately predicts low superior vena cava flow (SVC) in preterm, very-low-birth-weight infants--representing a promising method for continuous and noninvasive monitoring of systemic blood flow.

17 Dec 2009

FDA approves St. Jude Medical's Penta surgical lead for neurostimulation therapy

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and U.S. market introduction of its new Penta™ surgical lead for neurostimulation therapy. Unveiled at the annual North American Neuromodulation Society meeting, the Penta lead is the first of its kind, featuring the smallest electrodes in the market arranged in five columns.

4 Dec 2009

FDA approves St. Jude Medical's MultiSteering Technology software for optimizing neurostimulation therapy

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its next-generation MultiSteering Technology software for Rapid Programmer™, a programming platform used to optimize neurostimulation therapy for chronic pain patients.

4 Dec 2009

Milestone Scientific announces new joint venture with two PRC pharmaceutical companies

Milestone Scientific Inc., the recognized leader in advanced injection technologies, today announced that it had entered into a joint venture with China National Medicines Corporation Ltd. (d/b/a "Sinopharm") and Yichang Humanwell Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., both incorporated in the People's Republic of China (the "PRC"), to develop orthopedic and epidural drug delivery instruments.

3 Dec 2009

St. Jude Medical announces implantation of the first patient in China with its Eon rechargeable neurostimulator

St. Jude Medical, Inc. announced today that a 62-year-old man from Shenzhen, Guangdong province has become the first patient in China to be implanted with the Eon™ neurostimulator, a rechargeable device used to help manage chronic pain. Despite prior back surgeries, the patient suffered from chronic back pain for more than a decade.

18 Nov 2009

New pediatric simulation center launched by Texas Children's Hospital

Texas Children's Hospital opened the doors of its brand new Simulation Center today, where healthcare teams will be trained in the management of rare, complex, and complicated patient care through a simulated clinical environment. The facility is the only center of its kind in Texas, and one of the largest among the twelve pediatric simulation centers in the United States.

4 Nov 2009

Can abdominal organs be removed with only regional pain relief?

A recent review in Faculty of 1000 Medicine Reports, a publication in which clinicians highlight advances in medical practice, suggests regional pain relief could be used during abdominal surgery. In this review, Michael Schaefer recommends a new approach that can be performed without the need for general anaesthetics.

4 Nov 2009

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals completes End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA for its ARX-01drug/device

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has successfully completed an End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA for ARX-01, a drug/device combination product based on the company's proprietary NanoTab(TM) dosage form, which enables delivery of sufentanil by the non-invasive oral transmucosal (sublingual) route.

30 Oct 2009

Discovery of AVM can relieve pain due to chronic back pain and neurologic deficits

The discovery of a multi-level arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the thoracic epidural space can now bring relief to potentially thousands of suffers of chronic thoracic pain and progressive myelopothy. Identified as thoracic epidural arteriovenous malformation (T.E.A.M.), this particular AMV primarily affects younger women ages 20 to 40.

27 Oct 2009

Cork University Hospital uses a computer simulation system in its clinical trials

SensAble Technologies, Inc., announced that its customer, the Cork University Hospital, is leading clinical trials in two European hospitals using a haptically-enabled computer simulation system for testing physician competency in administering spinal anesthesia.

20 Oct 2009