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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

Young children need to be supervised while in showers and bathtubs: American Academy of Pediatrics

Bathtubs and showers are frequently associated with injuries to children. Although interventions have been initiated to prevent injuries due to submersions and hot water scalds, little attention has been paid to slips, trips and falls, which account for more than 80 percent of bathtub- and shower-related injuries.

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

Visioneer document scanner streamlines patient care delivery systems

There is constant pressure in the healthcare industry to streamline patient care delivery systems that will function effectively under the real world constraints faced by public and private hospitals. Whether it is an admissions process, patient records or a doctor’s office environment, Visioneer scanners make short and easy work out of converting paper into digital documents.

2 Sep 2009

Michigan newborn blood spot data to help understand causes of celebral palsy

A statewide team of researchers led by a Michigan State University epidemiologist are hoping Michigan's archive of newborn blood spots will help them uncover the causes of cerebral palsy, the most common disabling motor disorder in children with annual health costs of $12 billion.

2 Sep 2009

Study reveals that baking soda benefits patients with advanced chronic kidney disease

A daily dose of sodium bicarbonate—baking soda, already used for baking, cleaning, acid indigestion, sunburn, and more—slows the decline of kidney function in some patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), reports an upcoming study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

2 Sep 2009

Playing Tetris may increase brain efficiency

Brain imaging shows playing Tetris leads to a thicker cortex and may also increase brain efficiency, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Research Notes. A research team based in New Mexico is one of the first to investigate the effects of practice in the brain using two image techniques.

2 Sep 2009

Teaching hospitals are no better than non-teaching hospitals in providing routine medical care

Teaching hospitals are well-known for having cutting edge technology and specialty services for highly complex illnesses. They are household names you consider when a loved one is facing a difficult health issue.

2 Sep 2009

Las Vegas man's experience with health system shows best and worst of care

The New York Times reports on one man's struggle with the health care system: "In the debate about health care overhaul, there are countless stories of families saddled with hospital bills and unemployed workers who have lost their insurance.

2 Sep 2009

Condoms reduce risk of herpes simplex virus 2

Condom use is associated with a reduced risk of contracting herpes simplex virus 2, according to a report based on pooled analysis of data from previous studies in the July 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

2 Sep 2009

Legal immigrants to receive scaled back health care benefits in Massachusetts

Thousands of legal immigrants in Massachusetts will face scaled-back health care benefits, the governor announced Monday.

2 Sep 2009

Polymyositis and dermatomyositis affected patients more prone to cardiovascular diseases

Patients suffering from two serious autoimmune disorders which cause muscular inflammation are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, says a group of Montreal researchers. Dr. Christian A. Pineau and his team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) have linked muscular inflammation to increased cardiovascular risk for the first time.

2 Sep 2009

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations increased in patients treated with LIVALO

New data presented today showed that in patients treated with LIVALO (pitavastatin), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations increased, and nearly three-fourths of patients attained low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets, with results sustained over 52 weeks.

2 Sep 2009

Children suffering from chronic headache may outgrow the condition

Most children who suffer from chronic daily headache may outgrow the disabling condition, according to research published in the July 15, 2009, online issue of NeurologyÂ®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Nearly 1.5 percent of middle school children are affected by chronic daily headache, which includes chronic migraines and tension-type headaches.

1 Sep 2009

Immediate catheterization not always better for ACS patients

For some patients with acute coronary syndromes, the strategy of immediate intervention at a medical center does not appear to result in differences in outcomes in comparison with an intervention performed the next working day, according to a study in the September 2 issue of JAMA.

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

Correlation between overweight, smoking and breast cancer discovered

A recent study published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology has reinforced the correlation between being overweight, smoking and breast cancer. What makes this study unique is how test subjects were not diagnosed for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which predispose women to breast cancer.

1 Sep 2009

Heart health of kidney disease patients not affected by dialysis treatment

Dialysis treatments do not affect the heart health of kidney disease patients who have had a heart attack, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). Since cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in kidney disease patients, the findings are good news for individuals who need the treatments.

1 Sep 2009