Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week articles from April 2001

Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week archives from April 2001

Intracoronary Administration Via Endocardial Catheter Appears Feasible.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - The use of pre-formed, coaxial catheters may ensure successful delivery and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor to the heart. Research has...

Robot-Assisted Brain Surgery Is Feasible.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite advances in technology and technique, there will always be one limiting factor in the operating room: the surgeon. Hours of exacting work can tire anybody, especially someone navigating the...

Complete Blood Replacement Best During Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - Complete blood replacement can prevent adverse neurologic effects during surgical circulatory arrest at extremely low temperatures, anesthesiologists in New...

Hemodialyzer Reuse Not Linked To Increased Mortality Risk.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - Researchers in Michigan have shown that reusing hemodialyzers does not lead to an increase in mortality risk, though they identified some factors that might....

High Peritoneal Transport Not Linked To Malnutrition.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - Despite conventional wisdom, patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) who show high peritoneal transport levels do not have an increased...

Autologous Fascia Transplantation Is Effective Long-Term Treatment.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An interdiscplinary team of researchers in Japan has developed a new phonosurgery technique to correct glottal incompetence. The surgeons transplant the patient's own temporal fascia into the...

Study Supports Move to Mercury-Free Blood Pressure Checks.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hospitals concerned about possible environmental hazards of mercury can switch to mercury-free devices for monitoring blood pressure without sacrificing accuracy, according to a Mayo Clinic study...

Heparin/Tirofiban Anticoagulation Is Safe For Bypass Surgery Use.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... 2001 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - Anesthesiologists in Germany have found an anticoagulant regimen safe for use with renal-impaired, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia sufferers undergoing...

Human Fibrin Glue, Amniotic Membrane Transplant Can Delay Need For Keratoplasty.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A new surgical method using human fibrin glue (HFG) and amniotic membrane transplant (AMT) may be useful for patients at risk of cornea transplant...

New Device Could Revolutionize Procedure.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new surgical device that has been used by a Swiss medical team could greatly reduce the time and skill required for coronary-artery bypass surgery. According to a fast-track research letter...

Laser Heart Treatment Demonstrates Substantial Relief.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eclipse Surgical Technologies (ESTI), a medical device company specializing in cardiac angiogenesis, announced on March 19, 2001, promising data from a randomized, double-blinded, independent...

Study Focuses Having Physician Assistants Perform Procedure.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study by Duke University Medical Center researchers has shown that physician assistants, with proper training and supervision of an experienced cardiologist, can successfully perform cardiac...

New Implanted Device Under Evaluation.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), researchers have begun clinical trials on a new device to treat patients with heart failure - a progressive cardiovascular disease affecting more than...

Post-Surgery Laser Tympanic Membrane Fenestration An Effective Alternative To Tubes.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, staff medical writer - Researchers from the Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Deleware report that laser tympanic membrane fenestration after adenoidectomy with...

Trace Metal Assay Helps Prevent Poisoning In Joint Replacement Patients.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - Researchers in England have developed a blood screen for trace metals used in joint replacement, which they say can help prevent metal poisoning in...

Obese Patients Have Worse Survival Partly Due To Less Aggressive Treatment.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite being younger and having less severe coronary artery disease, morbidly obese patients undergoing cardiac catheterization have worse adjusted survival rates than patients who are not obese,...

Study Compares Invasive Versus Conservative Procedures.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Emory University researchers in Atlanta, Georgia, recently presented research on two coronary surgery approaches to determine which was more cost effective for cardiac patients. More than one...

Biofeedback System Can Improve Blood Volume.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - A biofeedback system that modulates dialysis variables based on blood volume measurements can safely improve dialysis-induced hypovolemia, researchers in...

Topical Antibiotics Don't Offer Extra Protection Against Post-Operative Infection.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, staff medical writer - A randomized clinical trial revealed that the effectiveness of parenteral antibiotic prophylaxis in protecting patients undergoing head and neck...

Clinical Trial Begins On Device To Cool Brain To Save Tissue.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Radiant Medical, Inc., which developed a catheter-based cooling technology for the treatment of myocardial infarction, has announced it has received an investigational device exemption (IDE) from...

Arm Tissues Used To Restore Circulation In Damaged Fingers.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer - Physicians have successfully used arm tissue flaps to repair fingers severely damaged by vessel blockages. "Four patients underwent microvascular...

Blood Thinner Demonstrates Potential Benefit Prior To Coronary Intervention.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An analysis of more than 6,000 patients treated for acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina/non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction), indicates that those who received the blood thinner...

Spacer Improves Surgical Outcomes For Arthrosis In Thumb Basal Joint.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients with arthrosis in the basal joint of the thumb who are treated using a new surgical method with an implant (spacer) from Artimplant (Stockholm, Sweden) increase their gripping strength and...

Talking Device Keeps HIV Patients On The Straight And Narrow.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sometimes the simplest things can make a dramatic difference in medicine. Johns Hopkins researchers report that a portable device that's "a cross between a pager and your own mother" can,...

Dead-Space And D-Dimer Assays Are Useful For Exclusion.(pulmonary embolisms)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - D-dimer levels and alveolar dead-space measurements can be used to rule out pulmonary embolisms, say researchers in North Carolina. J.A. Kline and...

New Guidewires Purport To Extend Access, Increase Speed And Precision.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Precision Vascular, makers of neurovascular devices, March 14, 2001, announced the commercial release of its new SYNCHRO line of neurovascular guidewires for use by physicians in the United States....

Remote Monitoring Of ICU Patients Lowers Mortality Rates, Complications.(intensive care units)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 8, 2001... 2001 APR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American hospitals with a shortage of "intensivists" to treat patients in their intensive care units (ICUs) could benefit from having such experts monitor their patients offsite via computer, Johns...

Study Highlights Effective ACE Inhibitor Treatment And Device For Assessing Arterial Stiffness.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study published March 21, 2001, in the Journal of Hypertension shows that the antihypertensive perindopril effectively reduces arterial stiffness and improves arterial abnormalities associated...

Cardiologist Puts Heart Disease Prevention In The Palm Of Your Hand.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Combining prevention for heart disease with personal digital technology, a cardiologist from Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center unveiled a heart disease risk factor program that allows...

Needle-Free Device To Deliver Human Growth Hormone Receives U.S. Market Clearance.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted market clearance for a needle-free device to deliver Serostim (somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection), Serono's recombinant human growth...

Endonasal Duraplasty Treatment Of Choice For Cerebrospinal Fistulas.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Of the surgical approaches proposed for closing anterior dural lesions, endonasal duraplasty is emerging as the treatment of choice, report...

Stapling Plus Gastric Bypass Increase Weight Loss.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Susan Hasty, staff medical writer - Gastric stapling is a safe and viable treatment for morbid obesity, and if combined with a gastric bypass can be even more effective, say researchers working...

Monitoring Device Accurately Measures Low Cardiac Output.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CardioDynamics International Corp. (CDIC), manufacturer of BioZ(R) noninvasive digital cardiac function monitoring systems, announced a study validating the company's Impedance Cardiography (ICG)...

Screening For Obesity-Related Disorder Being Overlooked.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With obesity on the rise, screening for Cushing's syndrome, a rare hormonal disorder associated with obesity, "is more relevant than ever before," according to Dennis M. Griffin, president of...

Bionic Ear Implant Receives FDA Approval.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- California-based maker of medical implants, Advanced Bionics Corp., announced on March 21, 2001, that its Clarion(R) CII Bionic Ear(TM) System received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...

Second Surgery Or Spinal Cord Stimulator: Multi-Center Study Assesses Options.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Orthopedic surgeons at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, are conducting a clinical study to determine which treatment - a second surgery or a spinal cord stimulator...

Novel Jet Injection System Delivers Naked DNA.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, staff medical writer - Researchers at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Germany report using a novel jet injection system to deliver naked DNA into lung...

Mistakes Top List Of Medical Errors.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Adverse events in surgery are the most frequent and costly type of medical error occurring in hospitals, according to statistics from the National Patient Safety Benchmarking Center, a repository...

Sealing Device Has 99.5% Complication-Free Rate.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vascular Solutions, Inc. (VASC) announced on March 26, 2001, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the inclusion of the clinical results from the Continued Access Registry in the...

Augmenting Posterior Pharyngeal Wall With Autologous Fat Is An Alternative To Teflon Injection.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2001... 2001 APR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, staff medical writer - Researchers from the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands treated velopharyngeal insufficiency by augmenting the posterior pharyngeal walls of...

Commonly Used Heparin-Coated Circuits Equally Effective.(circuit implants during heart bypass surgery)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - The most widely-used heparin-coated coronary artery bypass circuits produce virtually identical results despite their functional differences, cardiologists...

Super Sense In Flies May Improve Hearing Aid Technology.(parasitic flies with acute hearing inspire nanoscale directional microphone research)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The secret to better hearing aid technology may lie in the "super" hearing abilities of parasitic flies, according to researchers at the University of Toronto and Cornell University. In a...

Postoperative Wound Drainage May Be Unnecessary.(in hip and knee surgery)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, staff medical writer - Suction drainage following knee or hip arthroplasty can be skipped in many cases without significant risk to patients, according to researchers in Belgium....

British Otolaryngologists Recommend Surgery Over Hearing Aids For Chronic OME.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Only a small fraction of otolaryngologists in Britain routinely recommend hearing aids instead of ventilation tubes following tube extrusion for otitis...

Speed Of Emergence, Quality Of Recovery Differ Between Genders.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women emerge more quickly than men from general anesthesia, but have a slower return to former health after surgery, according to a study the March 25, 2001, issue of the British Medical Journal....

Electron Beam Computed Tomography Gives Reliable, Immediate Diagnosis Without Stress Test.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients experiencing chest pain and other symptoms may be able to find out equally well whether blocked arteries are the cause by lying still for a quick heart scan or by running on a treadmill...

Advances Could Mean Longer-Lasting Artificial Hips.(artificial hips made with treated polyethylene)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in Switzerland are developing new materials that are more "friendly" to the body's lubricating proteins and could make future hip replacements last longer. Each year, more than...

Polymer Gel Holds Promise For Therapeutics Delivery And Tissue Engineering.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new polymer-based material with unique gelling properties found useful in medical applications ranging from targeted cancer treatment to tissue engineering has been developed by researchers at...

Fallopian Tube Device Gets High Marks From Patients.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Conceptus, Inc. (CPTS), developer of the Stop(TM) (Selective Tubal Occlusion Procedure) non-surgical permanent birth control device for women, announced that the first interim review of data from...

License Agreement Signed To Commercialize Intelligent Hearing Aid.(University of Illinois licenses Phonak Inc. to make hearing aid)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For someone with partial hearing loss, picking out a voice in a crowded social gathering can be hard, even with the help of a hearing aid. That's about to change in a revolutionary way. ...

Tests Speed Diagnosis, Improve Risk-Assessment Of Individuals With Chest Pain.(multiple biochemical marker testing)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Individuals with chest pain who have blood tests in the emergency room for multiple biochemical markers receive faster diagnosis and better risk assessment, according to a study in the April 3,...

New Type Of Mass Spectrometry Expands 'Molecular Photography' Options.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Move over Kodak, Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have developed a new way to take pictures. Of the molecules in a slice of tissue, that is. The technique, called "Imaging...

Vagus Nerve Stimulation May Be Viable Treatment Option For Severe Type Of Epilepsy.(Lennox-Gastaut syndrome)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cyberonics, Inc. (CYBX) announced March 28, 2001, that a recent study, performed by the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and Division of Neurology at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical...

Surgery Re-Gains Status As Viable Option For Diagnosis, Treatment.(for tuberculosis)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2001... 2001 APR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - With the rise of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis worldwide, surgery is once again being used to diagnose and treat the disease. Researchers in...

'Heart Block' With Pacemaker Is Safe Treatment.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For patients who have not responded to medications, treating atrial fibrillation by permanently blocking a key portion of the heart's electrical system and replacing it with a pacemaker leads to...

X-Ray Tube Allows Better Visualization Of Implant Positioning.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - An X-ray tube with a focal spot size of just over 5 (micro)m may allow clearer visualization and ideal positioning of electrode cables during cochlear...

Groundbreaking Surgery Implants Nerve Growth Factor Into AD Patient's Brain.(Alzheimer's disease)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a groundbreaking procedure, physicians at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), School of Medicine have surgically implanted genetically modified tissue into the brain of an...

Some May Not Benefit From Implantable Defibrillators.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients who have serious ventricular arrhythmias - potentially life-threatening changes in the heart's rhythm - often receive electronic devices called implantable cardiac defibrillators that...

HEPA Filtration Eliminates Aspergillosis Outbreak Among Leukemia Patients.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Following hospital renovation that may have contributed to an aspergillosis outbreak among leukemia patients on a general ward, patients staying on a new...

Percutaneous Excimer Laser Coronary Angioplasty Safe, Effective.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Spectranetics Corp. (SPNC) announced the publication of an article in the April 1, 2001, issue of the American Journal of Cardiology demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of excimer laser...

Surgically Reshaping Heart After Heart Attack Is Safe And Effective.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A type of heart attack called anterior infarction can result in changes to the ventricle's shape and size, impairing its ability to pump blood. To compensate, other parts of the heart dilate; this...

Perflubron Emulsion Halves Number Of Blood Units Used In Surgeries.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp. (ALLP) announced April 9, 2001, that the median number of units of blood required by study control patients was twice the median number of units of blood required by...

Study Describes Novel Imaging Technique For Surgery.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) technology for brain surgery is described in the April 2001 issue of Neurosurgery. Study data from 20 patient cases show that a new...

Success Of Bedside Analysis Highlights Importance Of Emergency Care Teams In Identifying At-Risk Patients.
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Each year, more than five million Americans rush to emergency rooms with chest pain. While only 10% to 15% are actually having a heart attack, as many as 4% of those considered low-risk and sent...

FDA Approves Device For Detecting Myocardial Ischemia.(Food and Drug Administration )(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Itamar Medical announced on April 4, 2001, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first clinical application of its pioneering technology to measure PAT (Peripheral...

Diabetics Face Higher Risk Of Death With Angioplasty Than With Bypass Surgery.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study has confirmed the results of a large clinical trial called the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation (BARI) that showed diabetics with multiple blocked arteries lived...

Nature Of HCV infections Acquired At Brazilian Center Analyzed.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer - Researchers in Brazil have determined five hemodialysis patients acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) at the same center, even though their HCV antibody tests...

Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation Improves Symptoms.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Susan Hasty, staff medical writer - Obese patients who suffer from hypercapnic respiratory failure can be effectively treated with nasal noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV), say...

Heart Attack Victims Do Better When Treated Urgently With Stents.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A standard treatment for heart attack patients is to use clot-busting drugs called thrombolytics. If that doesn't work, physicians can repair blocked arteries with a procedure called angioplasty...

NewsRx Announces Launch of Stem Cell Week as Part of Healthcare Database and Information Offerings.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NewsRx, the leading provider of life science databases and daily and weekly health news, announced April 11, 2001, the launch of Stem Cell Week, a new database product. Stem Cell Week is...

Study Finds Elderly People Benefit From Carotid Surgery.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2001... 2001 APR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Surgery has long been contraindicated in elderly people, who are often thought of as too frail to survive the invasive procedures involved. Research published in the April 14, 2001, issue of the...