Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week articles from June 2001

Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week archives from June 2001

Modified Procedures Used In Living-Donor Organ Graft Recipients.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Living-donor liver transplantations can be performed successfully with modifications to current surgical procedures, according to researchers in the U.S....

Plasma-Mediated Ablation And Monopolar Electrosurgery Techniques Compared.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A comparison of two popular techniques, plasma-mediated ablation (coblation) and monopolar electrosurgery (hot ablation) reveals that a method to remove tonsils with less heat does not, as...

Better Pulmonary Function, Less Pain With Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Obese patients considering gastric bypass (GBP) surgery may sit up and take notice of study suggesting that laparoscopy has a couple of major advantages...

Invention Makes It Possible For One Person To Move Patients.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In 1995, after seeing people with rigid, heavy power wheelchairs struggle with transporting them, Virginia Tech human factors engineer John Casali invented and patented a light-weight,...

Rx For Contact Lenses: Mobility + Lubricity = Comfort And Safety.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Freedom to move around is a great thing. Just ask a group of researchers who have created a model they hope will lead to better contact lenses. In their eyes, greater lens mobility is needed to...

Heart Rhythm Disorders Are Getting Easier To Diagnose And Treat.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bioengineering has replaced the need for surgery, in many cases, when it comes to treating life-threatening heart arrhythmias. Implantable defibrillators and electro-catheters now can achieve...

Diagnostic Technologies Trying To Meet Mammographic Standards.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alternative technologies for imaging breast cancer are in various stages of development, but they will be playing only a supporting role to conventional mammography for some time, according to an...

Procedure Improves Quality Of Life For Large-Breasted Women.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A review and meta-analysis of 29 studies involving more than 4,000 patients found that breast reduction surgery significantly improves the physical symptoms and quality of life in large-breasted...

Nature Sights And Sounds Can Ease Pain Of Common Lung Procedure.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Investigators at Johns Hopkins University have proven that distracting patients during and after bronchoscopy with the gurgle of a brook and a colorful panorama of tranquil meadow improves pain...

New Test Detects 25% More Disease Than Pap Smears.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study published in the May 2001 issue of the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease reports that prototypes of a non-invasive cervical cancer detection device being jointly developed by Welch...

Better Treatments, New Devices Are Available.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Better treatments for heart failure are available and new treatments are being studied, but patients must first take charge of their health and acknowledge they may have a problem, asserts a...

Position Changes Affect Blood Components.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Patients in a supine position undergo hematological changes that should be taken into account during hemodialysis studies, researchers in Japan report. ...

Canadian Study Suggests Guidelines For Use Of CT Scans For Minor Head Injury.(computed tomography )(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A sensitive decision rule for computed tomography (CT) scans described in the May 5, 2001, issue of the Lancet could standardize and improve the emergency management of patients with minor head...

Benefits Can Last As Long As 30 Years.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients undergoing surgery to repair their mitral heart valve continue to experience excellent long-term clinical results as long as three decades after their procedure, says Dr. Sylvain Chauvaud...

Bold New Treatment Improves Facial Symmetry, Corrects Breathing, Bite, And Jaw Problems.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Physicians at the Rush Craniofacial Center in Chicago, Illinois, have adapted an orthopedic surgical technique previously used to lengthen bones in the leg into a pioneering treatment for...

FDA Clears First External Defibrillator For Use On Young Children.(Food and Drug Administration )(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing the first automatic external defibrillator (AED) system for use on infants and young children who experience cardiac arrest....

First Non-Surgical Bypass Successfully Turns Vein Into Artery.
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A 53-year-old man became the first person to undergo a new, non-surgical technique that turned one of his coronary veins into a coronary artery to bypass a blockage, according to a special report...

Simple Device Collects Data From Patients At Home.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Julie Henderson, senior editor - Evidence-based medicine, or EBM, has enjoyed buzzword status for the last few years, yet the principles behind it date back to the 19th century. One...

One Year Later, Robotic Heart Grafts Are Still A Success.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have completed the first North American pilot trial of endoscopic heart surgery performed with assistance from a robot. At the one-year follow-up, all 19 patients who underwent the...

Defibrillator May Effectively Detect Heart Rhythm Disturbances In Children.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An automated external defibrillator (AED) - an electronic device that recognizes and restores normal heartbeat rhythm through electric shock - is as accurate in recognizing rhythm abnormalities in...

Beating-Heart Surgery Reduces Transfusion Needs.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Performing heart bypass surgery on a beating heart significantly reduces postoperative transfusion requirements, researchers in England report. ...

Clinical Trials On Efficacy Of Monitor Begin.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pheromone Sciences Corp (PHS) has begun patient recruitment in a U.S.-based multicenter efficacy trial of its PSC Fertility Monitor(TM). The trial, which will enroll 140 subjects, is taking...

Real-Time Breath Tests May Replace Blood Waste Screens.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in California argue that real-time ammonia breath tests may be able to replace blood-based assays for determining dialysis efficacy. L.R....

Add 'Infotherapy' To Your List Of Medical Terms.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NewsRx Network, Atlanta, Georgia, the leading provider of life science databases and daily and weekly health news, now has coined a new medical word: "infotherapy." The new word is the...

Gelatin Matrix Controls Bleeding During Surgery.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fusion Medical Technologies, Inc. (FSON) reports on a study showing that its surgical gelatin matrix product, FloSeal(R), is effective in controlling bleeding during surgery. Dr. Francesco...

Researchers To Test Skeletal Muscle As Replacement For Damaged Human Heart Muscle In Humans.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- After demonstrating in 1998 that muscle cells taken from a rabbit's leg could replace severely damaged heart muscle cells in the animals, Duke University Medical Center researchers plan to see...

CT Scan A Valuable Diagnostic Tool For Aspergillosis.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Computed tomography (CT) is useful in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary aspergilloma, the most common form of pulmonary aspergillosis, say...

New Pulse Oximetry Technology Improves Detection For Hypoxemia.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Masimo Corp.'s SET pulse oximetry improved the detection of obstructive sleep-apnea-related hypoxemia, according to a study by physiologist, Ha Trang, PhD, MD, Director of the Pulmonary Laboratory...

Mechanical Support Could Offer Long-Term Alternative.(heart failure)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Heart transplantation is the ultimate treatment option for the ever-increasing number of people with severe heart failure. Because of a shortage of donor hearts, however, only a very small number...

Laparoscopic Kidney Removal Is Effective Treatment.(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Minimally invasive surgery can remove a cancerous kidney just as effectively as traditional open surgery while providing patients with equivalent long-term survival, a new study finds. ...

New Compact Heart-Lung Machine Reduces Blood Trauma, Morbidity.(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new, compact, heart-lung bypass system was shown to be safe and effective in reducing the blood trauma and morbidity often associated with conventional heart-lung machines, surgeons report. ...

FDA Clears Device That Prevents Blood Clots From Traveling To Bloodstream.
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing a new medical device for coronary procedures performed on diseased bypass grafts. Thousands of heart patients each year may...

Lung Volume Reduction Surgery Improves Outcome For End-Stage Patients.(emphysema)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) improves pulmonary function, decreases severe breathlessness, and enhances exercise capacity in many patients with end-stage emphysema who have already tried...

First Cell Therapy Intervention Performed.(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A research team has completed the first-ever non-surgical endovascular procedure to augment heart function by injecting cultured autologous myoblasts (primarily immature muscle cells cultured from...

Delayed Cochlear Implantation Endorsed for Congenitally Deaf Children and Adults.(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Little research has been done to assess the efficacy of cochlear implantation at a delayed age for the congenitally deaf child or adult - until now. Previous research had concluded that...

Neck Dissection Proves Effective In Treating Recurrence.(nasopharynx cancer)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Recurrence of cancer in the nasopharynx (the part of the pharynx that lies above the soft palate) has usually been treated with a second course of radiation. Additionally, the disease is known to...

FDA Approves Implanted Stomach Band To Treat Severe Obesity.(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new surgically implanted device to help severely obese people lose weight. The product, the Lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System, made...

New Guide Developed for Nasal Analysis of African-American Women.(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nasal analysis is the first step a surgeon takes prior to performing rhinoplasty, or plastic surgery to change the shape and size of the nose. In plastic surgery literature, "ethnic" and...

Study Finds Back Surgery Yields Good Results.(sciatica)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Back surgery provides better long-term outcomes than nonsurgical treatment for patients with moderate to severe sciatica caused by a herniated disk in the lower back, suggests a five-year study...

Image-Guided Technology Provides A Clear Road-Map For Complex Surgery.(chronic sinusitis)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 37 million Americans are believed to have chronic sinusitis. Most find relief with a regimen of antibiotics. A sizable number, though, must undergo endoscopic sinus surgery, a procedure...

Intervention More Successful In Nonsmokers.(cervical spine fusion)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Smoking has a significantly negative impact on healing and recovery from cervical spine fusion, according to a new study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Spinal fusion...

Overnight Stays Post-Surgery Recommended For Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An ongoing debate regarding postoperative management of patients undergoing tonsillectomy continues between physicians and health insurance companies. Concerns about potentially...