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.

Promising chemo, therapeutic viruses, cutting-edge surgery debut at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Brain tumor specialists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are poised on the brink of a new era.

10 May 2006

Low radiation dose still means successful interventional procedures

Radiation dose can be reduced by as much as 88 percent for common interventional radiology procedures and still be safe and effective, a new study shows.

3 May 2006

Virtual reality simulation technology improves carotid angiography skills

Cardiologists can learn to perform risky catheter procedures such as carotid angiography on a virtual patient simulator, rather than on real patients, according to a new study in the May 2, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

3 May 2006

Corticosteroids do not improve survival in patients with late-stage acute respiratory distress syndrome

The study is the first multi-center randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effects of moderate doses of steroids in ARDS patients when treatment is started 7 days or more after the onset of the condition.

20 Apr 2006

Surgery simulators effective at training surgeons

Training surgeons with computer-based "surgery simulators" may create better surgeons and safer surgeries, according to a new study by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

18 Apr 2006

Review examines the management of radiotherapy induced rectourethal fistula

Rectourethral fistulas (RUF) are a challenging problem observed by urological and colorectal surgeons.

11 Apr 2006

First study of uterine fibroid embolization to treat post-menopausal women

The first study of uterine fibroid embolization to treat post-menopausal women shows that the non-surgical treatment was technically successful in 100 percent of patients, and improved bulk-related symptoms in 92 percent of the women.

4 Apr 2006

Robotic device appears to be more precise than conventional catheter ablation devices for atrial fibrillation

A remotely-controlled catheter device guided by magnetic fields provides a safe and practical method for delivering radio frequency ablation treatment in the hearts of patients with atrial fibrillation, according to a new study in the April 4, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

4 Apr 2006

Modification of O'Connor's technique for the treatment of vesico-vaginal fistula repair described

Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) is a distressing disease with social, hygienic, and psychosexual consequences.

30 Mar 2006

Jefferson neurosurgeons use innovative "Wingspan Stent System" to open clogged brain arteries

Neurosurgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia are the first in the region and among the first in the nation to successfully use a new stent specifically designed to open potentially life-threatening clogged arteries in the brain, preventing a stroke.

22 Mar 2006

Technique of urethroplasty for female stricture disease described

The incidence of obstruction from any cause occurs in approximately 2.7% to 8% of women presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms.

15 Mar 2006

Fondaparinux significantly reduces risk of death for heart attack patients

Heart attack patients who have a certain pattern on an electrocardiogram significantly reduced their risk of death and having another heart attack at 30 days with the medication fondaparinux, without an increased risk of bleeding and strokes

15 Mar 2006

Researchers evaluate efficacy, safety of anti-clotting drugs

Patients admitted to the hospital with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are often treated with a catheter-based procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI.

15 Mar 2006

New procedure for treating esophageal perforations

A new procedure can now treat esophageal perforations (holes in the esophagus) when caught early, therefore greatly reducing mortality rates.

15 Mar 2006

The safety and effectiveness of fondaparinux for heart attacks

The results of a large international cardiovascular trial will shed light on whether the addition of a new drug that prevents blood clotting, or thrombosis, can improve the treatment of the most serious form of heart attacks.

15 Mar 2006

New device for fixing holes in hearts of young stroke patients

As many as one in four adults is walking around with a "hole" between the upper chambers of the heart. Most of them will never know it.

14 Mar 2006

Can fixing the heart fix the head?

A study presented during the American College of Cardiology's inaugural Innovation in Intervention: The i2 Summit 2006 in Atlanta, Ga., will answer intriguing questions about whether repairing a hole in the heart known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO) can ease the pain of severe migraine headaches.

14 Mar 2006

New non-surgical procedure can cure irregular heart rhythm

A new procedure can now treat esophageal perforations (holes in the esophagus) when caught early, therefore greatly reducing mortality rates.

13 Mar 2006

Drug-eluting stents best treatment for managing coronary restenosis

In the first published trial of its kind, a multi-center clinical study has shown that drug-eluting stents outperform the current "gold standard" radiation treatment in managing coronary restenosis and in preventing further clogging of coronary arteries.

13 Mar 2006

Catheter ablation for chronic atrial fibrillation improves quality of life

People who have endured the effects and risks of an irregular heartbeat for years can get long-lasting relief from a procedure that takes less than two hours, a definitive new study shows.

7 Mar 2006