Surgery News and Research

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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

Weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy results in lower prevalence of obesity in children

Adolescent and young children of obese mothers who underwent weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy have been found to have a lower prevalence of obesity and significantly improved cardio-metabolic markers when compared to siblings born before the same obese mothers had weight-loss surgery. This new study has been accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

1 Sep 2009

NovaMed enters into amended credit agreement

NovaMed, Inc., a leading operator of ambulatory surgery centers in partnership with physicians, today announced that it has entered into an amendment to its credit agreement.

1 Sep 2009

Endosense raises USD 36 million in Series B financing

Endosense, a medical technology company focused on improving the efficacy, safety and reproducibility of catheter ablation for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, has announced that it has received USD 36 million in Series B financing. Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) led the round, with additional participation from Neomed, Gimv, VI Partners (VI), Sectoral Asset Management, Ysios Capital Partners and Initiative Capital Romandie.

1 Sep 2009

Phase II result reveals effectiveness of GS-101 eye drops at inhibiting corneal neovascularisation

Gene Signal, a company focused on developing innovative drugs to manage angiogenesis based conditions, today announced the publication of interim results from a phase II study suggesting that the antisense oligonucleotide GS-101 (eye drops) is safe and effective at inhibiting and regressing corneal neovascularisation (abnormal new blood vessel growth).

1 Sep 2009

AAO-HNSF to issue the first guideline for helping physicians manage dysphonia

The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) will issue the first--and only--national clinical practice guideline to help healthcare practitioners identify and manage patients with hoarseness, also known as dysphonia. The guideline emphasizes evidence-based management of hoarseness by clinicians, and educates patients on the prevalence of this common vocal health issue.

1 Sep 2009

Edwards Lifesciences completes patient enrollment for transcatheter heart valve study

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the world leader in the science of heart valves, today announced completion of enrollment in its 1,040-patient randomized controlled Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study of the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve.

1 Sep 2009

Hospital executives worry about reform uncertainties

Federal authorities are conducting a thorough investigation of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Care Center in Connecticut. Hartford Business Journal Online reports: "The failure of an oxygenator — medical equipment often used in cardiac surgery in conjunction with a heart-lung machine — triggered a complaint by the state of Connecticut to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid [Services] (CMS), said Roseanne Pawelec, an agency spokeswoman.

1 Sep 2009

OHSU study reveals that fluoroquinolones may cause double vision

Highlights of September's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy), include a 2009 review by the Academy of the safety and efficacy of a widely used corneal transplant procedure and a warning about an unusual but serious reaction to systemic fluroquinolones, a class of antibiotics used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.

1 Sep 2009

FDA provides 510(k) clearance for Neurologica's inSPira HD system

NeuroLogica Corporation announced today at the XIV World Congress of Neurological Surgery in Boston, MA, receipt of 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its portable high resolution SPECT system: inSPira HD (www.inspirahd.com).

1 Sep 2009

Surgeons successfully perform first-in-man results with four channel laparoscopic surgical platform

Officials with TransEnterix announce that surgeons from the United States and Paraguay have successfully performed first-in-man studies of its revolutionary single-incision, single-port, four-channel laparoscopic surgical platform called the SPIDER™ System.

1 Sep 2009

Family and friends play a significant role in breast cancer surgery decision

About three-quarters of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer have a friend or family member with them at their first visit with a surgeon. And that person plays a significant role in the patient's decision of what type of surgery to have, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

31 Aug 2009

New director appointed at the Saint John’s Neuroscience Institute

Saint John’s Health Center today announced the appointment of world-renowned neurosurgeon Amin Kassam, MD, as Director of the new Saint John’s Neuroscience Institute and faculty member of the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s. Dr. Kassam will lead the development of the new Neuroscience Institute which will offer an international minimally invasive neurosurgery center, as well as neuro-oncology, neuro-vascular surgery and other neuroscience services.

31 Aug 2009

Spinal implant developed by Sanfor Clinic neurosurgeon receives FDA market clearance

Sanford Health, a comprehensive health care provider in the Upper Midwest, announced today a spinal implant developed by Sanford Clinic Neurosurgeon, Wilson Asfora, MD, Sanford Clinic Neurosurgery & Spine, has received United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) market clearance as a lumbar intervertebral body fusion device.

31 Aug 2009

Findings reveal that Americans have grown increasingly confident to pay for healthcare services

A new report -- Thomson Reuters Healthcare Indexes(TM): Consumer Confidence -- found that consumer confidence related to healthcare expenditures increased 12 percent between March and July.

31 Aug 2009

Study reveals that downregulation of IRF-8 gene causes gum diseases, arthritis and osteoporosis

Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery, collaborating with researchers from other institutions, have contributed to the discovery that a gene called interferon regulator factor-8 (IRF-8) is involved in the development of diseases such as periodontitis (gum disease), rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. The study, which will be published online August 30, ahead of print, in the journal Nature Medicine, could lead to new treatments in the future.

31 Aug 2009

FDA approves the usage of Valcyte for preventing CMV disease in pediatric patients

Roche announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Valcyte(R) (valganciclovir hydrochloride) for the prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in pediatric kidney and heart transplant patients (4 months to 16 years of age) at high risk of developing CMV disease.

31 Aug 2009

“Next Top Doc” quiz winner to receive the ReachMD $5000.00 Educational Scholarship

ReachMD LLC and ReachMD XM Radio 160, a leading multi-media provider of advanced healthcare education and information, teamed with Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Chief Medical Editor of NBC News, and on staff in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, to present the winner of “ReachMD’s Next Top Doc” quiz show with the ReachMD $5000.00 Educational Scholarship.

29 Aug 2009

Inhibitor Education Summits to address pertinent topics regarding hemophilia

More than 160 families of patients living with a rare form of hemophilia are coming together at educational summits sponsored this fall by the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) and the Center for Biomedical Continuing Education (CBCE). For the fifth year, the Inhibitor Education Summits will connect patients and their families with expert healthcare professionals and fellow patients to address pertinent topics such as effective pain management, exercise and nutrition, financial security, and psychological wellbeing.

29 Aug 2009

Medtronic defends payments to physicians

Medtronic, which has been the focus of recent reports detailing its payments to doctors, is defending that practice. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports: "At the annual shareholder meeting of Medtronic Inc.

28 Aug 2009

Surgery News and Research

First AbioCor Total Replacement Heart recipient does not survive

Weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy results in lower prevalence of obesity in children

NovaMed enters into amended credit agreement

Endosense raises USD 36 million in Series B financing

Phase II result reveals effectiveness of GS-101 eye drops at inhibiting corneal neovascularisation

AAO-HNSF to issue the first guideline for helping physicians manage dysphonia

Edwards Lifesciences completes patient enrollment for transcatheter heart valve study

Hospital executives worry about reform uncertainties

OHSU study reveals that fluoroquinolones may cause double vision

FDA provides 510(k) clearance for Neurologica's inSPira HD system

Surgeons successfully perform first-in-man results with four channel laparoscopic surgical platform

Family and friends play a significant role in breast cancer surgery decision

New director appointed at the Saint John’s Neuroscience Institute

Spinal implant developed by Sanfor Clinic neurosurgeon receives FDA market clearance

Findings reveal that Americans have grown increasingly confident to pay for healthcare services

Study reveals that downregulation of IRF-8 gene causes gum diseases, arthritis and osteoporosis

FDA approves the usage of Valcyte for preventing CMV disease in pediatric patients

“Next Top Doc” quiz winner to receive the ReachMD $5000.00 Educational Scholarship

Inhibitor Education Summits to address pertinent topics regarding hemophilia

Medtronic defends payments to physicians

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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