Bleeding News and Research

RSS

Arsenic trioxide - invented as a treatment for a rare type of leukaemia

Arsenic trioxide – a highly poisonous substance best known as an effective weed killer or pesticide and notorious for being a favourite ‘weapon’ of choice in murder mystery novels, is being re-invented as a treatment for a rare type of leukaemia.

28 Sep 2004

Steps to minimise the risk of onward transmission of vCJD

Selected groups of patients are this week being notified about the results of a risk assessment exercise for blood plasma products.

22 Sep 2004

Microdebrider better than CO2 laser for removal of most pediatric airway lesions

Citing improved safety and effectiveness at lower cost, a major medical center has adopted the microdebrider to replace the CO2 laser for removal of most pediatric airway lesions, including stenoses, granulation tissue, and cysts.

18 Sep 2004

Coronary angioplasty within 24 hours of medical therapy could improve the outcome for heart-attack patients

Results of a randomised trial in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that a more aggressive approach involving coronary angioplasty soon after anticlotting medical therapy is safe and could offer a better prognosis than more conservative treatment for patients who have had heart attack.

17 Sep 2004

Paintball injuries are sending more and more patients to the emergency room every year

The incidence of paintball eye injuries treated in emergency rooms has risen from an estimated 545 in 1998 to approximately 1,200 in 2000, according to a recent report in the journal Pediatrics.

16 Sep 2004

Wyeth gets approval for needle-less syringe for the treatment of hemophilia

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the ReFacto Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant) R2 Kit, the first needle-less reconstitution device with a prefilled diluent syringe for hemophilia.

14 Sep 2004

Herbals, surgery and anesthesia don't always mix

The woman who swears by gingko biloba wonders why her mouth won't stop bleeding after wisdom tooth surgery. What she doesn't know is that the herbal remedy she takes religiously to enhance mental alertness also acts as a powerful blood thinner that inhibits clotting.

10 Sep 2004

John Reid has announced further developments concerning variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

He told MPs in a written ministerial statement that an exercise has begun to notify some recipients of blood products about the results of a risk assessment exercise carried out by the Health Protection Agency.

10 Sep 2004

Genetically modified fish may help treat hemophiliacs

A human blood-clotting factor used to treat some people with haemophilia and accident victims suffering serious bleeding has been produced using genetically modified fish.

9 Sep 2004

Pig tissue may help reduce the damage and disability of stroke

A tiny capsule containing tissue that secretes a cocktail of brain-nourishing neurotrophic factors may one day help reduce the damage and disability of stroke, according to research published in the September issue of Stroke.

7 Sep 2004

Bone marrow produces cells that permanently heal wounds

Bone marrow produces cells that not only help fight infection but also permanently heal wounds, according to research at the University of Washington. Previously, researchers had not known that bone marrow contributed to the development of new skin in wounds.

5 Sep 2004

Benefit of using clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for ischemic stroke

An independent review of data from a landmark clinical trial has validated the benefit of using the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for ischemic stroke, when given within three hours of symptom onset under a strict treatment protocol.

2 Sep 2004

Atrial fibrillation patients often receive needless treatment

Results of the Euro Heart Survey on atrial fibrillation (AF), demonstrate that many AF patients receive clot-preventing drugs while not at risk for stroke.

29 Aug 2004

Excessive use of diathermy could lead to increased haemorrhage rates

The postoperative haemorrhage rate in tonsillectomies which use ‘hot techniques’ such as diathermy and coblation to stop bleeding could be over three times greater than operations which use cold steel techniques, conclude authors of a study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.

23 Aug 2004

Paracentesis performed in an outpatient setting by gastrointestinal endoscopy assistants is safe

Large-volume paracentesis is a treatment used to remove excess fluid in the abdominal cavity resulting from such conditions as cirrhosis of the liver or cardiac failure. It is normally performed as an inpatient procedure due to possible complications, which may include infection, bleeding, and bowel perforation.

18 Aug 2004

Friendly bacteria the key to ulcerative colitis treatment

Affecting an estimated fifty thousand people in the UK, with a particularly high incidence rate in north east Scotland, ulcerative colitis is an acute and chronic disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the large bowel.

17 Aug 2004

Drug developers should take a different approach to snake venom and heart medications

With the help of snake venom and sophisticated laboratory testing, scientists believe they've uncovered the reason why a group of new heart medications were doing some patients more harm than good.

17 Aug 2004

Physicians today perform more colonoscopies than necessary

A colonoscopy allows a physician look inside the entire large intestine, from the lowest part, the rectum, all the way up through the colon to the lower end of the small intestine.

16 Aug 2004

Alternative to hysterectomy for women with painful uterine fibroids

The University of Toronto’s teaching hospitals are all equipped to perform uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), but many women suffering from benign fibroids aren’t aware that there’s a procedure that can spare their uterus, says Gaylene Pron, professor of public health sciences and author of two 2003 studies evaluating the success of the procedure.

11 Aug 2004

Mexican-Americans have a far higher chance of suffering a stroke than non-Hispanic whites

And, according to a second study published today by the same team, the difference doesn't appear to be related to Mexican-Americans' higher incidence of diabetes, which had been thought to raise their risk of a certain type of stroke.

9 Aug 2004