Surgery News and Research

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Policymakers need to be educated on the radical difference between radiation therapy and diagnostic testing

Concerned members of the cancer community, including physicians, patient organizations and other care advocates, spoke out today in opposition to a proposed federal policy under consideration by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would lump life-saving radiation therapy in with diagnostic testing services in receiving major Medicare funding cuts.

2 Sep 2009

Patient enrollment completed for the Berlin Heart EXCOR Pediatric IDE clinical study

Berlin Heart Inc. reported today that it has completed enrollment in Cohort 1 of the Berlin Heart EXCOR(R) Pediatric IDE Study after having received unconditional approval of the study from the FDA in November 2008.

2 Sep 2009

Less-invasive, organ-sparing endoscopic therapy for treating early stages of esophageal cancer

Researchers have found that early stage cancers of the esophagus can be treated as effectively by less-invasive, organ-sparing endoscopic therapy as compared to more complex surgical removal of the esophagus, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the September 2009 issue of Gastroenterology.

2 Sep 2009

Ground breaking surgery leaves no unsightly scar

Surgeons at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University used a novel approach for the first time in Canada to remove a tumour embedded in the upper face of Jayden Cambridge, an 18-month old child.

2 Sep 2009

Majority of women depend on family or friend's opinion to decide on breast cancer surgery

About three-quarters of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer have a friend or family member with them at their first visit with a surgeon. And that person plays a significant role in the patient's decision of what type of surgery to have, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Sep 2009

Daytime surgeries reduce minor complication rates

Patients who have after-hour orthopaedic surgeries risk a slightly higher rate of necessary follow-up surgeries, according to a study published in the September 2009 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). The data also suggests that patients whose surgeries took place during the day have the same healing, recovery time, and major complication rates as patients who have surgery after hours.

2 Sep 2009

Patients with PFO may have increased odds of postoperative strokes

Patients who have a heart defect known as patent foramen ovale incidentally discovered and repaired during surgery for a different condition may have an increased odds of postoperative stroke, along with no clear benefit on short-term outcomes or long-term survival, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.

2 Sep 2009

Statistics reveals that blacks experience higher rates of pancreatic cancer deaths than whites

Regardless of risk factors linked to pancreatic cancer, such as smoking and body mass index (BMI), blacks experienced higher rates of pancreatic cancer death than whites.

2 Sep 2009

MammoSite ML radiation therapy system approved for breast cancer treatment

Hologic, Inc. (Hologic or the Company), a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the Company's 510K application for the MammoSite((R)) ML radiation therapy system.

1 Sep 2009

First AbioCor Total Replacement Heart recipient does not survive

Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD), has been informed by Mark Anderson, M.D., associate professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and chief of the section of cardiac surgery at both the medical school and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, that the first patient to receive the commercial AbioCor Total Replacement Heart, died on August 23, 2009, due to post-operative conditions unrelated to the device.

1 Sep 2009

Weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy results in lower prevalence of obesity in children

Adolescent and young children of obese mothers who underwent weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy have been found to have a lower prevalence of obesity and significantly improved cardio-metabolic markers when compared to siblings born before the same obese mothers had weight-loss surgery. This new study has been accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

1 Sep 2009

NovaMed enters into amended credit agreement

NovaMed, Inc., a leading operator of ambulatory surgery centers in partnership with physicians, today announced that it has entered into an amendment to its credit agreement.

1 Sep 2009

Endosense raises USD 36 million in Series B financing

Endosense, a medical technology company focused on improving the efficacy, safety and reproducibility of catheter ablation for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, has announced that it has received USD 36 million in Series B financing. Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) led the round, with additional participation from Neomed, Gimv, VI Partners (VI), Sectoral Asset Management, Ysios Capital Partners and Initiative Capital Romandie.

1 Sep 2009

Phase II result reveals effectiveness of GS-101 eye drops at inhibiting corneal neovascularisation

Gene Signal, a company focused on developing innovative drugs to manage angiogenesis based conditions, today announced the publication of interim results from a phase II study suggesting that the antisense oligonucleotide GS-101 (eye drops) is safe and effective at inhibiting and regressing corneal neovascularisation (abnormal new blood vessel growth).

1 Sep 2009

AAO-HNSF to issue the first guideline for helping physicians manage dysphonia

The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) will issue the first--and only--national clinical practice guideline to help healthcare practitioners identify and manage patients with hoarseness, also known as dysphonia. The guideline emphasizes evidence-based management of hoarseness by clinicians, and educates patients on the prevalence of this common vocal health issue.

1 Sep 2009

Edwards Lifesciences completes patient enrollment for transcatheter heart valve study

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the world leader in the science of heart valves, today announced completion of enrollment in its 1,040-patient randomized controlled Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study of the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve.

1 Sep 2009

Hospital executives worry about reform uncertainties

Federal authorities are conducting a thorough investigation of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Care Center in Connecticut. Hartford Business Journal Online reports: "The failure of an oxygenator — medical equipment often used in cardiac surgery in conjunction with a heart-lung machine — triggered a complaint by the state of Connecticut to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid [Services] (CMS), said Roseanne Pawelec, an agency spokeswoman.

1 Sep 2009

OHSU study reveals that fluoroquinolones may cause double vision

Highlights of September's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy), include a 2009 review by the Academy of the safety and efficacy of a widely used corneal transplant procedure and a warning about an unusual but serious reaction to systemic fluroquinolones, a class of antibiotics used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.

1 Sep 2009

FDA provides 510(k) clearance for Neurologica's inSPira HD system

NeuroLogica Corporation announced today at the XIV World Congress of Neurological Surgery in Boston, MA, receipt of 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its portable high resolution SPECT system: inSPira HD (www.inspirahd.com).

1 Sep 2009

Surgeons successfully perform first-in-man results with four channel laparoscopic surgical platform

Officials with TransEnterix announce that surgeons from the United States and Paraguay have successfully performed first-in-man studies of its revolutionary single-incision, single-port, four-channel laparoscopic surgical platform called the SPIDER™ System.

1 Sep 2009

Surgery News and Research

Policymakers need to be educated on the radical difference between radiation therapy and diagnostic testing

Patient enrollment completed for the Berlin Heart EXCOR Pediatric IDE clinical study

Less-invasive, organ-sparing endoscopic therapy for treating early stages of esophageal cancer

Ground breaking surgery leaves no unsightly scar

Majority of women depend on family or friend's opinion to decide on breast cancer surgery

Daytime surgeries reduce minor complication rates

Patients with PFO may have increased odds of postoperative strokes

Statistics reveals that blacks experience higher rates of pancreatic cancer deaths than whites

MammoSite ML radiation therapy system approved for breast cancer treatment

First AbioCor Total Replacement Heart recipient does not survive

Weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy results in lower prevalence of obesity in children

NovaMed enters into amended credit agreement

Endosense raises USD 36 million in Series B financing

Phase II result reveals effectiveness of GS-101 eye drops at inhibiting corneal neovascularisation

AAO-HNSF to issue the first guideline for helping physicians manage dysphonia

Edwards Lifesciences completes patient enrollment for transcatheter heart valve study

Hospital executives worry about reform uncertainties

OHSU study reveals that fluoroquinolones may cause double vision

FDA provides 510(k) clearance for Neurologica's inSPira HD system

Surgeons successfully perform first-in-man results with four channel laparoscopic surgical platform

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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