Medical Procedure News

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PSA test benefits are questionable, yet physicians struggle to stop them

Recent recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) advising elimination of routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer in healthy men are likely to encounter serious pushback from primary care physicians, according to results of a survey by Johns Hopkins investigators.

24 May 2012

LVRC safe and effective choice for patients with severe heterogeneous emphysema

A tiny, resilient metal wire designed to gather and compress diseased lung tissue may offer relief to patients with severe heterogeneous emphysema, a subtype of the disease that involves specific, usually isolated areas of the lungs, according to the results of a multicenter international trial conducted in the Netherlands, Germany and France. The wire, called a lung volume reduction coil (LVRC), can be easily implanted and is designed to take the place of more invasive procedures used to improve the lung function of emphysema patients.

24 May 2012

NYU Langone surgeons perform robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy in New York

A team of urological surgeons from NYU Langone Medical Center performed a robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy in New York and beamed the procedure from New York via high definition satellite to more than 400 participants attending the American Urological Association's (AUA) 2012 Annual Meeting in Atlanta earlier this week.

24 May 2012

Mazor launches Renaissance C-OnSite system

Mazor Robotics Ltd, the leader in innovative surgical robots and complementary products for spine surgery, announced the global launch of the C-OnSite enhancement to its Renaissance system.

24 May 2012

Results from several studies related to ACT’s TEMPASURE cardiac ablation catheter

Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics, Inc., a developer of innovative temperature-sensing cardiac ablation systems, today announced results of several studies related to the company's TEMPASURE cardiac ablation catheter.

24 May 2012

Tenn. doctors, Blue Cross and Blue Shield agree to bundle payments for knee, hip replacements

In other insurance company news, BlueCross Blue Shield of Illinois will pay $25M to settle coverage denial claims.

24 May 2012

New MicroNav surgical technique provides greater safety and reduces pain

The revolutionary new MicroNav surgical technique, performed by Dr. Scott Hodges, gives greater safety, less pain, minimal cuts and faster recovery from spine surgery using high-tech 3D scanners and GPS-like instruments. These bold claims are backed by more than 600 surgeries with zero infections and zero revisions, a huge improvement over the high failure rate of "open" surgical techniques and questionable "laser" spine surgery.

24 May 2012

Nevro to initiate Senza HF-SCS System study for chronic pain

Nevro Corp., a medical device company focused on achieving improved pain relief for patients suffering from debilitating chronic pain, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for initiation of its SENZA-RCT study, a U.S. prospective, randomized, controlled pivotal clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Nevro's high-frequency spinal cord stimulation system for the treatment of chronic pain.

24 May 2012

First study to examine how patients and families are soliciting living kidney donors on Facebook

Loyola University Medical Center researchers are reporting one of the first studies to examine how patients and families are soliciting living kidney donors on Facebook.

24 May 2012

RARP more costly than RRP in treating prostate cancer

In one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of the cost of robotic-assisted, laparoscopic surgery for prostate cancer, researchers at UPMC found that this now-dominant surgical approach is significantly more costly than standard open surgery, despite little scientific evidence of long-term improved patient outcomes.

24 May 2012

Zytoprotec completes PD-protec Phase I/II trial on kidney failure

Zytoprotec, a company developing drugs based on active cytoprotection, today announced the completion of a Phase I/II clinical trial with its lead product, PD-protec.

24 May 2012

Studies examine effectiveness of CPAP in reducing risk of cardiovascular outcomes linked with OSA

Two studies that included adults with obstructive sleep apnea examined the effectiveness of reducing the risk of cardiovascular outcomes, including high blood pressure, by treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), according to the articles in the May 23/30 issue of JAMA.

23 May 2012

HeartWare receives expanded European label for Ventricular Assist System

HeartWare International, Inc., a leading innovator of less invasive, miniaturized circulatory support technologies revolutionizing the treatment of advanced heart failure, today announced that it has received an expanded European label for long-term use of the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System in all patients at risk of death from refractory, end-stage heart failure.

23 May 2012

FDA approves TMI’s Glider PTCA Catheter

TriReme Medical, Inc. (TMI) today announced approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Glider PTCA Catheter, indicated for treating the stenotic portion of coronary arteries or bypass grafts to improve myocardial perfusion.

23 May 2012

Two-step method more effective tooth implant procedure

Periodontists routinely grow bone in the mouth to guarantee a stable environment for teeth and tooth implants. But whether it's better to build up bone before placing the implant, or to simply place the implant and allow bone to grow around it, has been a subject of considerable medical debate.

23 May 2012

IntelliCell enters sponsored research agreement with ICERM

IntelliCell BioSciences, Inc. announced today that it has entered a sponsored research agreement with the Institute for Cell Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (ICERM) at the University of Florida.

23 May 2012

Enrollment complete in Baxano’s iO-Flex System study

Baxano, Inc., a Silicon Valley based medical device company and manufacturer of the iO-Flex System used in spinal decompression surgery, today announced it has completed enrollment in its iO-Flex Study.

23 May 2012

GE Healthcare, KUH partner to drive advances in cell therapy technologies

Karolinska University Hospital Sweden and GE Healthcare Life Sciences today announced a joint research collaboration to drive advances in technologies and workflows for use in the rapidly emerging field of cell therapy.

22 May 2012

Leader of UK GPs warns ‘Ordinary GPs’ must not be cut out of involvement in NHS reforms

The development of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) is happening without the involvement of many ordinary GPs, the leader of the UK’s GPs warns today in his speech to the annual GPs’ conference.

22 May 2012

Studies of technological innovations presented at DDW annual meeting

Studies of technological innovations being presented for the first time at Digestive Disease Week- (DDW) showed increased accuracy coupled with decreased cost, time or invasiveness of gastrointestinal procedures. Use of a new high-definition colonoscope, for example, improved physician confidence in diagnosing small polyps, potentially reducing the amount of polyps sent for pathology analysis and the associated costs.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 22 May 2012