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VA partners with National Institutes of Health to research on Parkinson's disease

Veterans and others with Parkinson's disease who undergo deep brain stimulation may benefit from research co-sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and published recently in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

5 Jun 2010

Advanced CT scanner allows rapid organ imaging, reduces radiation exposure

UT Southwestern Medical Center is the first site in North Texas to launch the next generation in CT scanners, which allow doctors to image an entire organ in less than a second or track blood flow through the brain or to a tumor - all with less radiation exposure to patients.

3 Jun 2010

DBS procedure effective for treating Parkinson's disease

Studies have shown that a "brain pacemaker" called deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease.

3 Jun 2010

Heart defibrillators complicate end-of-life care

Heart defibrillators, "small implants that save lives by sending an electrical jolt to interrupt a potentially fatal heart rhythm and restore normal beating," can pose a "challenge near life's end, for both patients and their families," The New York Times reports.

14 May 2010

FREEDOM trial results to be presented at Heart Rhythm 2010

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced results of the FREEDOM trial during the late breaking clinical trial presentations at Heart Rhythm 2010, the Heart Rhythm Society's 31st Annual Scientific Sessions. The trial demonstrated that the QuickOpt optimization feature available in St. Jude Medical cardiac resynchronization therapy devices produces an equivalent response rate in CRT patients as optimization using echocardiography.

14 May 2010

St. Jude Medical to display new products, clinical solutions at Heart Rhythm 2010

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced it will display a number of new products and clinical solutions from the company's Cardiac Rhythm Management and Atrial Fibrillation Divisions at Heart Rhythm 2010, the Heart Rhythm Society's 31st Annual Scientific Sessions.

13 May 2010

FDA approves Evia pacemaker for distribution in the U.S.

BIOTRONIK today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the Evia pacemaker for distribution in the U.S., giving physicians and patients access to a unique Bradycardia system designed and manufactured with BIOTRONIK's unparalleled legacy of quality.

13 May 2010

St. Jude Medical launches Promote Quadra CRT-D in Europe

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced the European launch of its Promote Quadra™ cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The Promote Quadra CRT-D is the industry's first quadripolar pacing system, which offers physicians the ability to more effectively and efficiently manage the ever-changing pacing needs of patients with heart failure.

12 May 2010

New disposable measuring device monitors body's vital functions

Physiological signals can nowadays be easily monitored with measurement devices implanted inside a living body. The object - animal or human - is barely aware of the presence of the implant.

11 May 2010

St. Jude Medical introduces Wireless USB Adaptor for Merlin@home transmitter in the U.S.

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced the U.S. launch of its Wireless USB Adaptor for the Merlin@home™ transmitter, a system that allows important patient data from an implantable cardiac device to be wirelessly downloaded and securely transmitted via telephone for review by a physician. The new Wireless USB Adaptor enables patients using a Merlin@home transmitter to transmit data to their physician over cellular networks, allowing for more convenient care than existing landline services provide.

10 May 2010

Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System receives FDA approval to treat asthma in adults

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first medical device that uses radiofrequency energy to treat severe and persistent asthma in certain adults.

28 Apr 2010

Cardiola's m.pulse MCP based system improves cardiac function in stable CHF patients

Cardiola AG announced today that the Company's CE-Marked m.pulse® Muscular CounterPulsation ("MCP")-based system demonstrated "an immediate improvement of cardiac output with non-invasive means" in a patient population of advanced yet stable chronic heart failure. The effects could be shown in 22 patients over three consecutive days.

24 Apr 2010

St. Jude Medical reports 11% increase in first-quarter 2010 net sales

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today reported sales and net earnings for the first quarter ended April 3, 2010.

21 Apr 2010

New sensor wristband monitors various body functions

A small blood lab that fits into the pocket of a jacket can quickly analyze the risk of blood clots in legs prior to a long distance flight; a sensor wristband for measuring electric smog can warn pacemaker patients of life-threatening exposure: "Smart plastics" can turn such tools into reality.

21 Apr 2010

BIOTRONIK launches new Reocor external pacemakers following European CE Mark approval

BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG today announced the European launch after receiving CE Mark approval for its new Reocor external pacemakers, available in two models for dual and single chamber pacing therapy.

15 Apr 2010

New AIGISRx Flat provides antimicrobial protection from CRMD infection

TYRX, Inc. announced today the commercial release of the AIGISRx™ Flat, an antibacterial product that helps provide protection against infections associated with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators.

15 Apr 2010

BIOTRONIK receives European approval for new ProMRI Pacing Systems

BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices and pioneer of wireless remote monitoring technologies, announced today the European approval of its new ProMRI Pacing Systems — Evia pacemaker series and Safio S pacing leads — providing European patients the first portfolio of bradycardia systems that are compatible with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans under specific conditions.

8 Apr 2010

$296 million guilty plea from Boston Scientific in relation to Guidant defibrillator case

The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a life saving battery operated device much like a pacemaker that is placed near the heart in a minor surgical procedure. This device detects abnormal heart rates and rhythms in the patient and delivers an electric shock to make the heart beat normally again. These save millions of people in the US and all over the world from sudden death.

6 Apr 2010

Pacemaker in stomach can help treat severe stomach disorders and chronic vomiting

People with severe stomach disorders can sometimes suffer from chronic vomiting. This symptom can be treated with electrical impulses from a pacemaker in the stomach. A new method enables patients who could benefit from this treatment to be identified, and electrical stimulation leads to reduced nausea and fewer days in hospital, shows a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

29 Mar 2010

Biocompatible electronics could enable new surgical applications

Arrhythmic hearts soon may beat in time again, with minimal surgical invasion, thanks to flexible electronics technology developed by a team of University of Illinois researchers, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Northwestern University.

25 Mar 2010