News
Encompass Group, LLC Names John Wood As CEO
June 6, 2013 5:27 pm | CommentsEncompass Group, LLC, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of reusable textiles, professional apparel, and disposable and single use medical products, announces that John J. Wood has been named Chief Executive Officer, to commence July 1, 2013. John will succeed Mike Spurlock, who has announced his retirement and will continue as a member of the Board of Directors of Encompass Group.
Breast Cancer Study Shows Success In Finding New Treatment
June 5, 2013 11:37 am | CommentsA new study released this week shows success in pinpointing individualized treatment for women with metastatic breast cancer, according to George Mason University researchers. The Side-Out Foundation’s pilot study is part of a cutting-edge approach to personalized medicine that looks beyond genomic analysis alone to combine it with what some say is the next frontier in targeted therapy: proteomics.
Quality Improvement Educational Initiative Proves To Be A Model Program For Surgical Residents
June 5, 2013 11:04 am | CommentsResearchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, have developed a novel graduate medical education initiative that enables surgical residents to hone their skills in quality improvement (QI). Surgical trainees who completed the year-long educational program found the QI training to be beneficial, and more importantly, believe it put them in a position to lead QI initiatives in the future.
Study Finds Taking Probiotics Has Benefits For Patients In Hospitals
June 5, 2013 10:35 am | CommentsPatients in hospital who are on antibiotics may benefit from taking probiotics, according to researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital. Dr. Reena Pattani led a literature review that looked at the effectiveness of probiotics, live bacteria that can take up residence in digestive tracts, in treating common side effects of antibiotics, such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea and life-threatening side effects like Clostridium difficile infection.
Long-Term Benefit of Bariatric Surgery Questioned
June 5, 2013 10:29 am | by Nancy Walsh | CommentsBariatric surgery led to greater weight loss and better glycemic control than nonsurgical treatment among patients with diabetes who were mildly obese, but the evidence for long-term efficacy and safety remains limited, a recent systematic review found.
Action Products Welcomes New National O.R. Sales Director, Rick Olin
June 5, 2013 10:16 am | CommentsAction Products, Inc., the leader in reusable patient positioners for the operating room, hires sales executive, Rick Olin, to lead its National O.R. salesforce. Mr. Olin will be based out of the Maryland office. As a National O.R. Sales Director, Rick Olin will work directly with Action field representatives, GPOs, IDNs, Hospitals and the internal customer service department to assist in the projected growth of the Medical Products Group.
Advanced Centers For Surgical Education Opens State-of-the-Art Facility In Houston
June 4, 2013 12:56 pm | CommentsAdvanced Centers for Surgical Education (ACSE), a premier organization that provides venue space for medical and surgical education opened a state-of-the-art, 10,000-square-foot facility across from the Texas Medical Center on Thursday, May 16. The education, training and research development center boasts 17 customizable training stations as well as classrooms and conference spaces.
Secure Health Data Helping Patients, Doctors Improve Care And Health
June 4, 2013 11:07 am | Comments"A more data driven and transparent healthcare marketplace can help consumers and their families make important decisions about their care,” said Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “The administration is committed to making the health system more transparent and harnessing data to empower consumers.”
Technique Could Identify Patients At High Risk Of Stroke Or Brain Hemorrhage
June 4, 2013 10:48 am | CommentsMeasuring blood flow in the brain may be an easy, noninvasive way to predict stroke or hemorrhage in children receiving cardiac or respiratory support through a machine called ECMO, according to a new study. Early detection would allow physicians to alter treatment and take steps to prevent these complications—the leading cause of death for patients on ECMO.
Non-Adherence Among Teenage Heart Transplant Recipients Is Widespread, Often Fatal
June 4, 2013 10:33 am | CommentsA study, looked at eight years' worth of data from the Organ Procurement Transplant Network (OPTN) and found that as many as nine percent of all pediatric and adolescent heart recipients (ages 18 and under) in the U.S. had an episode of NA that compromised their health within two years of receiving their transplant.
Conjoined Twins With Shared Heart Can't Be Split
June 4, 2013 10:28 am | CommentsConjoined Palestinian twins with a shared heart and other vital organs returned home to the West Bank Monday after Israeli doctors determined they could not successfully separate them. The mother, Basma Breiwesh, arrived at a Hebron hospital with her conjoined daughters three days after she gave birth at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help Heal A 'Broken' Heart
June 3, 2013 12:04 pm | CommentsProcedures like angioplasty, stenting and bypass surgery may save lives, but they also cause excessive inflammation and scarring, which ultimately can lead to permanent disability and even death. A new research report shows that naturally derived compounds from polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3s) may reduce the inflammation associated with these procedures to help arteries more fully and completely heal.
Temporary Blood Clot Filters May Do More Harm Than Good For Bariatric Surgery Patients
June 3, 2013 12:01 pm | CommentsThe temporary placement of umbrella-like, metal mesh filters in abdominal veins to stop potentially lethal blood clots from traveling to the lungs during and after weight loss surgery may actually increase the risk of death in morbidly obese patients, according to new Johns Hopkins research.
New Technology Makes Breast Cancer Surgery More Precise
June 3, 2013 11:46 am | CommentsSurgeons at UC Irvine Medical Center are the first in the country to use a device that reduces by half the need to reoperate and cut out breast cancer cells missed during an initial lumpectomy. The MarginProbe System lets the surgeon immediately assess whether cancer cells remain on the margins of excised tissue. Currently, patients have to wait days for a pathologist to determine this.
The $2.7 Trillion Medical Bill
June 3, 2013 11:41 am | by Elisabeth Rosenthal | CommentsColonoscopies offer a compelling case study. They are the most expensive screening test that healthy Americans routinely undergo — and often cost more than childbirth or an appendectomy in most other developed countries. Their numbers have increased manyfold over the last 15 years, with data from the CDC suggesting that more than 10 million people get them each year, adding up to more than $10 billion in annual costs.
