Medical Devices News and Research

RSS

No link between silicone implants and systemic disease

Silicone breast implants have been scrutinized more than any medical device, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has stated.

10 Apr 2005

FDA approves first cranial dural sealant

Confluent Surgical, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the DuraSeal Dural Sealant System as the first and only product indicated as an adjunct to sutured dural repair during cranial surgery to achieve watertight closure. The FDA has approved the DuraSeal Sealant with a condition to conduct a post-approval study.

7 Apr 2005

Implantable medical device that lowers blood pressure

Doctors at the University of Rochester Medical Center are the first in the nation to implant an investigational medical device that lowers blood pressure by activating the body's natural blood pressure regulation systems.

3 Apr 2005

Mesoblast moves towards adult stem cell human trials

Exciting Australian adult stem cell company, Mesoblast Limited, today announced that it is set to begin the first human clinical trials using its specialist adult stem cells for orthopaedic and cardiovascular diseases.

30 Mar 2005

First patient to test new treatment for peripheral arterial disease

For several years, crippling leg pain has prevented Joan Erickson from walking more than a block. If she paused to rest, she could walk a little more, but not enough to continue playing golf, her favorite pastime.

23 Mar 2005

Federal database used to track trends in cochlear implant complications

Changes in the format of a federal database for mandatory reporting of major and minor complications for medical devices, including cochlear implants, could make it a valuable resource, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

22 Mar 2005

Stent trial fails to meet endpoints

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals has announced that results from the REALITY Trial, a head-to-head trial sponsored by Cordis Corporation, comparing the JNJ CYPHER® stent and the TAXUS® stent, were presented at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session. The trial failed to meet its primary endpoint.

7 Mar 2005

Key players within the European medical device market

The European medical device industry is highly competitive, where new and smaller participants find it extremely challenging to make a significant impact. It is also a dynamic industry with continued scope for expansion, given the ageing population and consequent rise in the number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, cancers, musculoskeletal disorders and diabetes.

1 Mar 2005

New medical devices can cause new immune problems

Medical devices are traditionally thought of as fairly simple implants such as stents and hip replacements – pieces of plastic or metal that are placed in the body to handle a very specific function. But biomedical devices now on the drawing board are considerably more sophisticated and represent an unprecedented melding of man and machine.

28 Feb 2005

Clinical trial of newest technology to treat thoracic aortic aneurysms

A clinical trial is underway at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) to study the safety and effectiveness of an endovascular medical device to treat life-threatening thoracic aortic aneurysms. Ronald Fairman, MD, Chief of Vascular Surgery at HUP, is leading the study at Penn and is one of 35 principal investigators in North America to participate in this landmark trial.

16 Feb 2005

Medical device innovations - fabricating the future

Two large pieces of metal lie on the floor of what looks like a mini-factory in the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute. The whirring machinery here stamps out prototypes of medical devices imagined by clinicians and researchers to help with diagnostic testing or surgical procedures.

9 Jan 2005

Study finds advanced vision testing system highly effective in detecting deficits in pre-verbal children

Clinical results of a new pediatric vision test, the Enfant™ Pediatric Vision Testing System, show a 97 percent sensitivity in detecting vision deficits in children as young as six months of age, according to a study published in the December 2004 issue (Volume 8, Number 6) of the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS).

4 Jan 2005

Speculoscopy directly after a Pap smear may detect more cervical lesions than the Pap test alone

Inspecting the cervix with a bright light technology called speculoscopy directly after a Pap smear may detect more cervical lesions than the Pap test alone, according to a new review of studies about the procedure.

28 Dec 2004

Youki spray halts the spread of superbug MRSA bacterium

In wound care treatment bandages and dressings may become archaic tools of the past. The future is in a spray called Youki that accelerates the healing process.

20 Dec 2004

Advanced wound care products to power expansion of European wound care market

The USD 1,111.1 million European wound care market is projected to gradually transition from traditional to advanced wound dressings. While traditional dressings currently dominate the total market, rising awareness of the clinical benefits provided by advanced wound dressings are set to widen their uptake.

7 Dec 2004

New devices for people who suffer dry mouth or lack of saliva

For dry mouth sufferers Saliwell’s innovative patented devices brings welcome relief by restoring natural saliva production through electro-stimulation.

2 Dec 2004

Simple and inexpensive interventions can cut the number of catheter-related bloodstream infections

As many as 28,000 patients die each year in the U.S. because of catheter-related bloodstream infections, but doctors and nurses who implement simple and inexpensive interventions can cut the number of deaths to nearly zero, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

30 Nov 2004

Nanoscale switch could serve as sensor, medical tool

Improving significantly on an early prototype, Johns Hopkins University researchers have found a new way to join two unrelated proteins to create a molecular switch, a nanoscale "device" in which one biochemical partner controls the activity of the other.

29 Nov 2004

Effective research could prevent half of the world's deaths

Health systems research has the potential to produce dramatic improvements in health worldwide and to meet some of the major development challenges in the new millennium.

11 Nov 2004

New valve repair device that could replace major heart surgery

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is participating in a nationwide clinical trial of a new valve repair device that could replace major heart surgery in some patients.

8 Nov 2004