News
High-Tech Devices Aid Bariatrics
January 6, 2010 6:25 am | CommentsAlicia Chang, AP The fight against fat is going high-tech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives. The experimental devices are designed to keep track of how many minutes they work out, how much food they consume and even whether they are at a fast-food joint when they should be in the park.
State Board Accuses Octo-Doc Of Negligence
January 5, 2010 6:00 am | CommentsThe Medical Board of California has accused a Beverly Hills fertility doctor of a pattern of gross negligence that led to the birth of Nadya Suleman's 14 children. The 13-page accusation paints a picture of 11 years of medical care in which Suleman returned to Kamrava's office again and again to undergo fertility treatments.
Innovative Laparoscopic, Gastric Products Get EU Approval
January 5, 2010 5:44 am | CommentsdalimSurgNET Corporation out of Seoul, South Korea has announced receipt of the European CE Mark of approval to sell its OCTO Port laparoscopy device. The product provides up to four ports for introducing instruments via one incision. Features include a soft silicon cover with different port heights, a detachable port cap for added convenience in exchanging a port cap per the surgeon’s preference, and a round self-retraction and protection system to help prevent incision infection.
Wall Street Optimistic On Medical Device Market
January 5, 2010 5:28 am | CommentsAnalysts are predicting a strong year for shares of four medical device makers, saying that in 2010, investors may be more willing to take a risk on companies in high-growth fields. Analyst Lawrence Neibor of Robert W. Baird, upgraded shares of Cyberonics, Inc., Edwards Lifesciences Corp., Thoratec Inc.
Former NFL Chair Sacks Head Injury-Brain Disease Connection
January 5, 2010 5:12 am | CommentsLarry Lage, AP Former NFL player Kyle Turley told members of Congress on Monday that while he still had a severe headache, the St. Louis Rams cleared him for full-contact drills four days after a concussion seven years ago. “Frustrated with being injured and wanting to prove my toughness to my teammates and coaches, I used my head more aggressively than I normally would have in practice, not understanding the damage I was doing to my brain," Turley told the House Judiciary Committee.
Telemedicine's Nominal ICU Impact Raises Questions
January 5, 2010 4:22 am | CommentsAccording to a recent study in the JAMA , remote monitoring of patients in intensive care units can not be associated with an overall improvement in the risk of death or length of stay in the ICU or hospital. Experts recommend that intensivists (intensive care physicians) care for ICU patients onsite because of an associated lower rate of illness and death.
Diary Of Weekend With Free Health Care
January 4, 2010 6:57 am | CommentsAdam Geller, AP The two-hour drive is done, but Hannah and Jack Hurst leave the Honda's engine running. Hannah's prayers have brought them here. Now there's little to do but turn up the car's heat, get some sleep and wait for morning. Still, Hannah doesn't complain. The 26-year-old mother of three has waited as long as she can remember to escape the pain throbbing through her jaws.
The Problem With FDA Approvals Is ...
January 4, 2010 6:15 am | CommentsCarla K Johnson, AP Two new studies have identified shortfalls in the Food and Drug Administration's approval process for heart devices like pacemakers and stents. These include safety targets that often weren't clearly spelled out in the research submitted by device makers and important patient information is often missing, according to one study conducted by researchers from the FDA and Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Patient Heal Thyself - The Best Source For Aortic Grafts
January 4, 2010 5:47 am | CommentsA vascular surgical technique pioneered at UT Southwestern Medical Center calls for replacing infected aortic grafts with the body’s own veins. Early results show a patient’s veins to be more durable and less prone to new infection than similar procedures using synthetic or cadaver grafts.
Teens Hooked On Caffeine
January 4, 2010 5:33 am | CommentsDoes consuming caffeinated drinks during adolescence contribute to later use of legal or illicit drugs? Jennifer L. Temple, a neurobiologist and assistant professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the University at Buffalo, is looking for answers to these three questions via a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Preventing SSI Through Simple Measures
January 4, 2010 5:22 am | Sage Products Inc | CommentsSurgical site infections (SSIs) impact nearly 750,000 individuals in the United States (1), lengthening a patient’s hospital stay for as many as ten days and increasing costs by $20,842 per admission (2). As 2009 comes to an end and a resolution on new healthcare legislation appears imminent in 2010, reform remains top of mind.
Proven Endoscopic Solution For Chronic Sinus Pain
January 4, 2010 5:17 am | CommentsRecent findings from the American Academy of Otolaryngology, which have been published in their journal, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , shows that upwards of 76 percent of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) experienced significant quality of life improvements after undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).
I Feel Your Pain ... No, Really
December 22, 2009 6:37 am | CommentsIf you've ever thought that you literally feel other people's pain, you may be right. A brain-imaging study suggests that some people have true physical reactions to others' injuries. Using an imaging technique called functional MRI, UK researchers found evidence that people who say they feel vicarious pain do, in fact, have heightened activity in pain-sensing brain regions upon witnessing another person being hurt.
I Feel Your Pain ... No Really
December 22, 2009 6:36 am | CommentsIf you've ever thought that you literally feel other people's pain, you may be right. A brain-imaging study suggests that some people have true physical reactions to others' injuries. Using an imaging technique called functional MRI, UK researchers found evidence that people who say they feel vicarious pain do, in fact, have heightened activity in pain-sensing brain regions upon witnessing another person being hurt.
Piloting OR Safety
December 22, 2009 6:26 am | CommentsAviation and medicine both require professionals to hold peoples' lives in their hands. Now, study findings hint that hospitals may improve patient safety by drawing on aviation-type safety initiatives. When medicine “turns its eyes to the sky,” patient safety on the ground may improve, offered Dr.
