Catheter News and Research

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In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters . In most uses, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube ("soft" catheter), though in some uses, it is a larger, solid ("hard") catheter. A catheter left inside the body, either temporarily or permanently, may be referred to as an indwelling catheter. A permanently inserted catheter may be referred to as a permcath.

World's first pediatric robotic bladder reconstruction performed

A 10-year-old Chicago girl born with an abnormally small bladder that made her incontinent has become the first patient to benefit from a new robotic-assisted bladder-reconstruction method developed by surgeons at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

20 Nov 2008

Medtronic launches new device in U.S. to improve treatment of aortic aneurysm

Adding to its recent endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) innovations, Medtronic, Inc. has announced the U.S. launch of the Talent Abdominal Stent Graft on the Xcelerant Hydro Delivery System.

19 Nov 2008

Trial of Gore-tex-type material to stop strokes

A study is under way at Rush University Medical Center using a small, soft-patch device made of a Gore-tex-type material - often used to make durable outerwear - to close a common hole found in the heart called a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in order to prevent recurrent strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) in adults.

18 Nov 2008

Routine testing with angiography following endovascular treatment of brain aneurysms found to carry very low risk of complication

A very low risk of complication is associated with a routine test that determines whether a brain aneurysm treated with endovascular coiling has started to recur, a study led by the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute has shown.

18 Nov 2008

Catheter ablation works better than drugs for heart rhythm disorder

Treating a common heart rhythm disorder by burning heart tissue with a catheter works dramatically better than drug treatments, a major international study has found.

11 Nov 2008

Cell-coated stent as effective as drug-coated ones

A stent that entices artery-lining cells to coat it works as well or better than drug-eluting stents in keeping arteries open in coronary heart disease patients, according to two research studies presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

11 Nov 2008

Drug-eluting better than bare metal stents in diabetics

Drug-eluting stents reduced the risk of revascularization, heart attack and death in diabetics as compared with bare-metal stents in the largest observational comparison, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

11 Nov 2008

Timing is everything for some heart attack patients

There is strong evidence that getting to the hospital quickly during a heart attack is critical, since early treatment saves both lives and heart muscle. And if the responsible coronary artery is completely blocked, it should be opened as soon as possible.

11 Nov 2008

FDA approves lung valve to control some air leaks post-surgery

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an implantable and removable valve system designed to control some air leaks in the lungs that persist after certain kinds of lung surgery.

26 Oct 2008

St. Jude Medical gets U.S. and European approval of Angio-Seal Evolution Vascular Closure Device

St. Jude Medical, Inc. has announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European CE Mark approval of the Angio-Seal Evolution Vascular Closure Device. The approval and global launch was announced at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference in Washington, D.C.

14 Oct 2008

FDA licenses Kogenate FS to prevent joint damage in children with hemophilia A

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new use for the blood product Kogenate FS to reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes and prevent joint damage in children with the most severe form of hemophilia.

12 Oct 2008

New advance in robotic prostate surgery

To ease the pain of recovery following prostate cancer surgery, physician-scientists have developed an innovative and patient-friendly approach that eliminates the use of a penile urinary catheter. The new patentable technique, used in conjunction with robotic prostatectomy -- the surgical removal of the prostate -- eliminates the pain and discomfort associated with the standard catheter.

2 Oct 2008

One week radiation treatment for breast cancer as effective as standard 6 to 7 week course

A new type of radiation treatment rapidly speeds up treatment for some breast cancer sufferers.

24 Sep 2008

Unusual case of a woman who suffered stroke after having sexual intercourse

Minutes after having sexual intercourse with her boyfriend, a 35-year-old woman suddenly felt her left arm go weak. Her speech became slurred and she lost feeling on the left side of her face.

15 Sep 2008

New coating for urinary catheters reduce infection risk

A new coating for urinary catheters could reduce the risk of infection, according to research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

8 Sep 2008

Fibrex medical reports positive phase II results for peptide for the treatment of reperfusion injury

Fibrex Medical has announced positive Phase II results for FX06, a peptide for the treatment of reperfusion injury - the damage to heart muscle that results from remedial treatment following a heart attack. The results will be presented at the ESC Congress today in Munich, Germany.

2 Sep 2008

The role played by drug-eluting stents in reducing acute myocardial infarction

The safety debate about drug-eluting stents (DES) is still ongoing. In these times of uncertainty about DES safety, the study has shown that DES markedly improve long-term survival compared to modern bare-metal stents (BMS) implantation in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In our four year investigation, DES demonstrated a significant reduction of mortality in this sick patient subset.

2 Sep 2008

Pre-hospital treatment on the way to percutaneous coronary intervention

For patients with acute ST-segment-elevation AMI (STEMI) within 12 hours after symptom onset and with persistent ST-segment elevation, or new or presumednew left bundle-branch block with concomitant ST-segment elevation, restoring coronary blood flow as early as possible is the main goal of reperfusion strategies.

2 Sep 2008

Fibrin-derived peptide FX06 reduces cardiac reperfusion injury

Data presented today at the European Society of Cardiology Congress demonstrates the effectiveness of a peptide called FX06 in preventing cardiac damage resulting from treatment following a heart attack.

2 Sep 2008

European guidelines for acute pulmonary embolism

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a relatively common cardiovascular emergency. Clots originating in the leg veins may become detached and obstruct the lung vessels. This obstruction may lead to a rise of pressure in the pulmonary circulation and possibly to life-threatening heart failure.

2 Sep 2008