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Allergan completes acquisition of AqueSys

Allergan plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of AqueSys, Inc. a clinical-stage medical device company focused on developing ocular implants that reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) associated with glaucoma.

19 Oct 2015

Codman Neuro develops new MRI-resistant programmable valve for treatment of hydrocephalus

Codman Neuro* has developed a new MRI-resistant programmable valve with eight different pressure settings, including a ‘virtual off’ setting, for the treatment of hydrocephalus, a neurological condition that affects more than one million children and adults in the United States.

22 Sep 2015

Fetuses with enlarged ventricles are not ideal candidates for fetal spina bifida surgery

Fetuses with enlarged ventricles--the fluid-filled cavities inside the brain--may be less likely than other fetuses to benefit from surgery in the womb to treat spina bifida, according to a study co-authored by researchers at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco.

16 Sep 2015

Prenatal repair of myelomeningocele reduces need for CSF shunt within 12 months of life, shows MOMS data

Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) investigators analyzed updated data on the effects of prenatal myelomeningocele closure on the need for placement of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt within the first 12 months of life.

15 Sep 2015

Allergan enters into agreement to acquire Aquesys and its XEN45 program

Allergan plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company, and AqueSys, Inc. a private clinical stage medical device company focused on developing ocular implants that reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) associated with glaucoma, today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Allergan will acquire AqueSys in an all-cash transaction.

4 Sep 2015

Promising research aims at finding cure for hydrocephalus

Scientists are focusing in on promising research aimed at finding a cure for hydrocephalus; and a new initiative funded by the Hydrocephalus Association, the largest private funder of hydrocephalus research in the United States, is uniting these researchers to accelerate their progress.

27 Aug 2015

Study finds significant decline in CT usage at children's hospitals for common childhood diagnoses

A study published online Aug. 24 by the journal Pediatrics finds a significant decrease in the use of computed tomography (CT) scans at children's hospitals for 10 common childhood diagnoses including seizure, concussion, appendectomy and upper respiratory tract infection.

24 Aug 2015

Arterial shunt in hybrid palliation better for hypoplastic left heart syndrome treatment

Children born with the major congenital heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) often must undergo a series of corrective surgeries beginning at birth. While most have the standard three-stage Norwood procedure, a hybrid strategy has been introduced to offset some disadvantages associated with the Norwood surgeries. In a report in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, investigators compare whether outcomes can be improved if an arterial shunt is used as a source of pulmonary blood flow rather than the more conventional venous shunt as part of the hybrid strategy of HLHS surgical reconstruction.

14 Aug 2015

UT Arlington, UNTHSC scientists to build prototype for implantable shunt flow monitoring system

Scientists from The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of North Texas Health Science Center are building a prototype for an implantable in-line shunt flow monitoring system that would deliver both on-demand and continuous readings of hydrocephalus.

8 Jul 2015

Commercially available headphones unlikely to interfere with programmable shunt valve settings

Researchers at Brown University examined three magnetically programmable shunt valves to see if the magnetic field emissions of headphones can cause unintentional changes in shunt valve settings. Based on their findings, the researchers state that it is highly unlikely that commercially available headphones will interfere with programmable shunt valve settings.

7 Jul 2015

Study explores effects of patent foramen ovale in high-altitude Bolivian setting

A common heart feature long thought to have negligible effects on human health and performance may be problematic at high altitude, according to University of Oregon researchers.

1 Jul 2015

DC Devices announces completion of enrollment in REDUCE LAP-HF trial for diastolic heart failure treatment

DC Devices, Inc., a medical device company pioneering first-in-class structural heart devices for heart failure, today announced that it has completed enrollment and implants in the REDUCE LAP-HF trial, an open label, multi-center, single-arm study of the InterAtrial Shunt Device (IASD) – the world's first transcatheter device for the treatment of diastolic heart failure (DHF), which is also known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

22 Jun 2015

Using laparoscopy for VP shunt placement can decrease rate of distal shunt failures

Researchers conducted a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial at Bern University Hospital in Switzerland to compare a laparoscopic procedure with a mini-laparotomy for insertion of a peritoneal catheter during ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery. The deciding factor was the rate of shunt malfunction.

23 Dec 2014

Ashish Nimgaonkar wins AGA-Boston Scientific Career Development Technology & Innovation Award

The American Gastroenterological Association Research Foundation is pleased to announce that Ashish Nimgaonkar, MBBS, MTech, MS, from John Hopkins University, has received the inaugural AGA-Boston Scientific Career Development Technology & Innovation Award. This award is graciously supported by a grant from Boston Scientific, a leading innovator of medical solutions.

5 Dec 2014

UCSD engineers propose new single-ventricle heart surgery for children

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego, are proposing a new surgical intervention for children born with a single ventricle in their heart--instead of the usual two. The new approach would potentially reduce the number of surgeries the patients have to undergo in the first six months of life from two to just one. If successful, it would also create a more stable circuit for blood to flow from the heart to the lungs and the rest of the body within the first days and months of life.

6 Nov 2014

Japanese surgeons first to implant InnFocus MicroShunt

InnFocus, Inc. reported today that the first two surgeries have been conducted in Japan in a clinical investigational study using the InnFocus MicroShunt™ glaucoma drainage implant.

10 Sep 2014

Prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension characterised in CHD patients

Pulmonary arterial hypertension affects just over 3% of individuals with congenital heart disease, reveal nationwide data from the Netherlands.

6 Jun 2014

Guerbet: FDA approves manufacturing plant for Lipiodol (ethiodized oil) Injection

Guerbet (GBT), the contrast agent specialist for medical imaging, today announced that it had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new manufacturing plant for Lipiodol® (ethiodized oil) Injection, in Montreal, Canada.

20 Feb 2014

Cerebral pressure measurable anytime with hydrocephalus sensor

If the pressure in a patient's brain is too high, physicians implant a system in the head that regulates the pressure. A sensor can now measure and individually adjust brain pressure. The sensor system is approved for use as a long-term implant.

20 Jan 2014

New guidelines to manage heart failure in children

Heart failure in children is an important cause of childhood health problems and death. The Children's Heart Failure Study Group of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, in collaboration with the Canadian Pediatric Cardiology Association, has developed new guidelines to assist practitioners in primary care and emergency departments to recognize and successfully manage heart failure in children with undiagnosed heart disease and symptoms of possible heart failure.

12 Dec 2013