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African-Americans more likely to die from colorectal cancer than Caucasians, says new study

New research published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that African-American patients with colorectal cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease and are less likely to undergo surgical procedures compared with Caucasians, suggesting that improvements in screening and rates of operation may reduce differences in colorectal cancer outcomes for African-Americans.

13 Nov 2009

ClearCount Medical Solutions' SmartSponge System wins "Best of What's New" award

ClearCount Medical Solutions, an innovator of patient safety solutions for the operating room, announced today that the editors of Popular Science have named the SmartSponge® System one of the top technology innovations of 2009. As a winner off a “Best of What’s New” award in the health category, the SmartSponge System stands out as the first and only system to incorporate the efficiency of counting with the safety of detection for the prevention of left-behind sponges during surgery.

12 Nov 2009

Novadaq announces financial results for the third quarter of 2009

Novadaq® Technologies Inc., a developer of real-time imaging systems for use in the operating room, today announced 2009 third quarter revenues of $1,723,000 compared to revenue of $3,311,000 in third quarter 2008. In accordance with corporate policy, a previously reported order in excess of $2,000,000 has not been recorded in sales due to cash not yet received.

12 Nov 2009

Medical Facilities announces financial results for the third quarter of 2009

Medical Facilities Corporation, today reported its financial results for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2009. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars unless indicated otherwise.

12 Nov 2009

Baby Boomers seek alternatives for prescription only treatments for menopause symptoms

As an increasing number of women from the Baby Boomer generation approach or have already reached menopause, more are seeking alternatives to prescription only treatments for menopause symptoms, and more are discovering Femnene and its line of feminine products designed specifically for a woman during and after the change of life.

12 Nov 2009

First pediatric hospital to discharge child with mechanical heart assist device

Texas Children's Hospital is the nation's first pediatric hospital to discharge a child while on an intracorporeal ventricular assist device (VAD), a feat previously accomplished only at adult institutions. The patient, 16-year-old Francisco "Frank" De Santiago, who was implanted with a mechanical heart pump called the HeartMate II on May 19, 2009, was discharged on Oct. 29, 2009.

12 Nov 2009

K2M announces the launch of TERRA NOVA and SERENGETI

K2M, Inc., the spinal device company developing innovative and simplified solutions for the treatment of complex spinal pathologies and procedures, today announced the launch of the TERRA NOVA® Minimally Invasive Access System and the SERENGETI® Disposable Kit at the North American Spine Society (NASS) 2009 Annual Conference.

12 Nov 2009

Catheter-directed therapy: First-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism

Catheter-directed therapy or catheter-directed thrombolysis-an interventional radiology treatment that uses targeted image-guided drug delivery with specially designed catheters to dissolve dangerous blood clots in the lungs-saves lives and should be considered a first-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism, note researchers in the November Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

12 Nov 2009

New strategies required to curb health care spending: Study

Slowing the growth in U.S. health care spending will most likely require adoption of an array of strategies as well as an improved approach to moving promising strategies into widespread use, according to a new analysis by the RAND Corporation.

12 Nov 2009

FDA regulatory clearance for Kensey Nash's ECM product

Kensey Nash Corporation, a leading medical technology company that provides innovative resorbable biomaterial technology for a wide range of medical procedures, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance for its first extracellular matrix (ECM) product, Medeor(TM) Matrix, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

12 Nov 2009

Hualapai Mountain Medical Center receives licensure by the Arizona Department of Health Services

MedCath Corporation, a healthcare provider focused on high acuity healthcare services, today announced it has received licensure by the Arizona Department of Health Services and accreditation by The Joint Commission for its new 70-bed Hualapai Mountain Medical Center in Kingman, Ariz, which opened October 15th.

12 Nov 2009

3-D software uses real patient data; offers virtual reality technology for doctors and students

James Oliver picked up an Xbox game controller, looked up to a video screen and used the device's buttons and joystick to fly through a patient's chest cavity for an up-close look at the bottom of the heart.

12 Nov 2009

Post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans on the rise, reveals survey

Recent survey results reveal that the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased 4 to 7 times following the invasion of Iraq.

11 Nov 2009

OPKO Health acquires NK-1 compounds from Schering

OPKO Health, Inc. today announced that it has completed the acquisition of rolapitant and a related compound from Schering Corporation, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. ("Schering").

11 Nov 2009

New robotic surgical systems from El Camino Hospital

El Camino Hospital, the hospital of Silicon Valley, expands its minimally invasive surgical program to three da Vinci® Si HD Surgical Systems. Physicians performed more than 500 robotic surgeries over the past year and expect the number to increase in 2010 as more physicians undergo training with the enhanced equipment that allows for more minimally invasive procedures.

11 Nov 2009

Bend Memorial Clinic to begin Phase III lung cancer trial

The Bend Memorial Clinic is recruiting patients for a Phase III lung cancer trial aimed at preventing the disease’s recurrence in previously treated patients. Specifically, the trial is evaluating the potential of an immunotherapy called Antigen-Specific Cancer Immunotherapeutic (ASCI) for the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

11 Nov 2009

FDA-approved DuraSeal spine sealant from Covidien

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced the launch of DuraSeal™ spine sealant, the first product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for intra-operative sealing of the dural membrane during spine procedures.

11 Nov 2009

New microscope is expected to improve accuracy of intraoperative diagnostics

A new miniature, hand-held microscope may allow more precise removal of brain tumors and an easier recognition of tumor locations during surgery.

11 Nov 2009

Osteotech highlights Magnifuse bone grafting products at NASS Annual Meeting

Osteotech, Inc., a leader in the emerging field of biologic products for regenerative healing, today announced it is highlighting three procedure-specific MagniFuse(TM) bone grafting products for different spine therapy areas at the North American Spine Society (NASS) 2009 Annual Meeting, taking place November 10th through 14th in San Francisco, California. To date MagniFuse has been used in 40 spinal surgeries in the United States

11 Nov 2009

Cancer screening methods are not perfect: Experts

In a recent New York Times article, the American Cancer Society (ACS) ignited a major controversy over the benefits of cancer screening, specifically with regards to their breast and prostate cancer guidelines. In the article, Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the ACS, responded to a study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Nov 2009