Pulmonary Embolism News and Research

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A pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery. The cause is usually a blood clot in the leg called a deep vein thrombosis that breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lung.

Oral dabigatran etexilate reduces the risk of stroke and systemic embolism

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced data from the landmark RE-LY® study - the largest atrial fibrillation (AF) outcomes trial ever conducted (18,113 patients in 44 countries worldwide) - presented for the first time at the European Society of Cardiology Congress and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. Results show that dabigatran etexilate 150mg BID significantly reduces the risk of stroke and systemic embolism by 34% (p<0.001) in patients with atrial fibrillation compared to well-controlled warfarin without increasing the risk of major bleeding.

31 Aug 2009

Optimum Lightpath chosen as telecommunications provider by Medical Arts Radiology

Optimum Lightpath(SM), a market leader in Ethernet-based communication solutions for New York metropolitan area businesses, today announced that Medical Arts Radiology, one of the largest medical imaging groups in Long Island, has selected Optimum Lightpath as its telecommunications provider.

26 Aug 2009

Phase III RE-LY study results to be presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress

Results of the Phase III RE-LY(R) (Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy, Warfarin, Compared to Dabigatran) study will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona on Sunday, Aug. 30. The primary objective of RE-LY was to assess the safety and efficacy of the investigational oral direct thrombin inhibitor, dabigatran etexilate, against the current standard therapy, warfarin, for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

26 Aug 2009

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals plans US launch of Option Inferior Vena Cava Filter

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANPI; TSX: ANP), today announced the commercial launch of the Option(TM) Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter in the United States, following FDA 510(k) clearance in June and a limited pre-launch in July. Angiotech holds exclusive worldwide rights to market and distribute the Option IVC Filter, which it obtained in a license agreement with privately held Rex Medical, LP (Rex Medical), as announced in March 2008.

20 Aug 2009

Computed tomography angiography can identify abnormalities and injury beyond the pulmonary arteries

Children with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) are increasingly being evaluated with CT angiography (CTA). Even though many children ultimately test negative for PE, study results suggest that CTA is still valuable for this indication because it has the ability to accurately detect a variety of alternative diagnoses.

19 Aug 2009

New type of anti-clotting drug called Apixaban

The dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health and a team of scientists worldwide have found a better way to prevent deadly blood clots after joint replacement surgery - a major problem that results in thousands of unnecessary deaths each year. The research appears this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Aug 2009

New online tool to help nurses prevent the 10 "Never Events"

Elsevier, a world leader in healthcare and medical publishing and online solutions, today announced the availability of a new online tool within Mosby's Nursing Consult designed to help nurses prevent the 10 "Never Events" identified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in an October 2008 fact sheet.

10 Aug 2009

Complex, eight-hour open procedure removes life-threatening blood clots from 17-year-old's lungs

After visiting the emergency room with fainting spells and shortness of breath, a 17-year-old Morningside Heights boy was diagnosed with rare, life-threatening blood clots blocking his pulmonary arteries. To address the problem, surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital successfully performed a pulmonary thromboendartectomy (PTE) surgery -- reportedly, the first time it has been performed on a child in the New York City area.

6 Aug 2009

New peripherally inserted central catheter mimics nature

A novel coating being used on a new peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) from r4 Vascular mimics the cell layer found on natural tissue surfaces.

30 Jun 2009

Federal Minister for Health to launch Australia’s first national maternity surveillance system

Australia is one of the safest places to give birth, yet women continue to suffer serious illness as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. A new national initiative led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) aims to improve the understanding of rare and severe conditions in pregnancy.

23 Jun 2009

Severe obesity brings greater risks of health problems during medical procedures

Healthcare providers must carefully consider the unique risk factors related to severe obesity in patients undergoing all types of surgery, according to an American Heart Association scientific advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Jun 2009

Elevated level of certain protein in urine linked to increased risk for blood clots

Preliminary research suggests that higher than normal levels of the protein albumin in urine is associated with an increased risk for blood clots in the deep veins of the legs or lungs (venous thromboembolism; VTE), according to a study in the May 6 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

5 May 2009

Surgery for obesity

Surgeons once recommended weight-loss surgery only for severely obese patients who failed to drop pounds with conventional weight-loss methods, but a review now finds that bariatric surgery helps the moderately obese lose more weight, too.

14 Apr 2009

Large safety gaps identified between top and bottom performing hospitals

The 2009 HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ recipients were identified in a report issued today by the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.

8 Apr 2009

Radiation dose can be reduced for 'triple rule-out' coronary CT angiography

Physicians can dramatically reduce the radiation dose delivered to patients undergoing coronary CT angiography in a "triple rule-out" protocol by simply using tube current modulation, according to a study performed at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

6 Apr 2009

Black women in Britain have double the risk of pregnancy complications

In the UK, black Caribbean and black African women have twice as much risk of experiencing severe pregnancy complications than white women, according to research published on BMJ.com.

2 Apr 2009

CRESTOR (rosuvastatin) shown to significantly reduce risk of venous thromboembolism

A new analysis from the JUPITER study shows that CRESTOR (rosuvastatin) 20mg significantly cut the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) by 43% (p=0.007) compared to placebo among men and women with low to normal cholesterol levels and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).

29 Mar 2009

Black women in UK have double risk of complications during pregnancy

In the UK, black Caribbean and black African women have twice as much risk of experiencing severe pregnancy complications than white women, according to research published on BMJ.com.

3 Mar 2009

Blood clots after hip and knee replacements

As the number of hip and knee replacements skyrocket into the coming years, patients and orthopaedic surgeons need to work together to evaluate and assess a potentially fatal complication - blood clots.

26 Feb 2009

European Society of Cardiology reaffirms advice on cardiovascular risks associated with long-haul flights

Following a review by The Lancet of the medical issues associated with commercial air travel, the European Society of Cardiology has reaffirmed its advice about the risks of venous thromboembolism (VTE), whose risk, according to The Lancet, is increased "up to four-fold" by long-haul flight.

24 Feb 2009