Catheter News and Research

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In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters . In most uses, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube ("soft" catheter), though in some uses, it is a larger, solid ("hard") catheter. A catheter left inside the body, either temporarily or permanently, may be referred to as an indwelling catheter. A permanently inserted catheter may be referred to as a permcath.

FDA approves Absorb GT1 BVS to treat coronary artery disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first fully absorbable stent to treat coronary artery disease.

5 Jul 2016

New research holds potential to improve fetal surgery outcomes

University of California, Berkeley engineer Phillip Messersmith is happy to be learning lessons from a lowly mollusk, with the expectation that the knowledge gained will enable him and fellow physicians to prevent deaths among their youngest patients -- those who haven't been born yet.

4 Jul 2016

ADAPT technique offers promising outcomes for stroke patients with large-vessel clots

In an article published online April 16, 2016 by the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery, investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina report promising 90-day outcomes for stroke patients with large-vessel clots who underwent thrombectomy or clot removal using the direct-aspiration, first pass technique.

30 Jun 2016

Stent retriever devices revolutionize acute ischemic stroke care

New devices called stent retrievers, which effectively reverse strokes, have revolutionized the treatment of certain stroke patients, according to an article in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.

25 Jun 2016

Experts discuss innovative, non-surgical approaches to treat varicose veins

Are you embarrassed to show off your legs this summer? Well you're not alone. Varicose veins affect more than 30 million adults in the US between the ages of 18 to 70, with women twice as likely as men to develop the condition. They are often unattractive, uncomfortable and could cause further medical problems.

23 Jun 2016

VentureMed Group receives FDA 510(k) clearance for FLEX Scoring Catheter

VentureMed Group, Ltd., a medical device company based in northwest Ohio, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the commercial distribution of a new surgical device for treating peripheral artery disease (PAD).

20 Jun 2016

Watchman device for irregular heart rhythms may be preferable to standard blood thinning medications

A new study by a Yale researcher may support the use of a device for patients suffering from irregular heart rhythms.

17 Jun 2016

Study evaluates effectiveness of robotic approach over manual ablation in treating heart arrhythmia

Whether ablation of the highest-risk heart arrhythmia is best handled by a robot or the hands of an electrophysiologist should be answered by an international comparison of the two.

16 Jun 2016

New drug-capture device can soak up chemotherapy drugs to limit toxicity

Doctors have a powerful arsenal of cancer-fighting chemotherapy drugs to choose from, though a key challenge is to better target these drugs to kill tumors while limiting their potentially harmful side effects.

8 Jun 2016

Large national effort shows promise in reducing both catheter use and UTI rates

Right now, about one in five hospital patients has a catheter collecting their urine - and putting them at risk of a painful and potentially dangerous urinary tract infection, or UTI.

2 Jun 2016

Computerized virtual haptic system for NGT placement can provide students with safe, self-paced training

Nasogastric intubation, through the nostril and the throat, is an essential clinical procedure for inserting a plastic tube into the stomach for feeding or drainage. However, the placement is a blind process in which the tube may be misplaced and could lead to unexpected complications or fatal incidents.

1 Jun 2016

UK's first heart operation uses new Topera system to analyse electrical activity during AF

The UK's first heart operations using a novel software platform to pinpoint the source of the heart condition have been carried out in Leicester thanks to research at the University of Leicester.

19 May 2016

New IVPA catheter design helps imaging system to reveal deeper details of fatty arteries

As plaque accumulates on the inside of arteries, it can cause the arteries to thicken and harden. When that plaque ruptures, it can ultimately block blood flow and lead to a heart attack, stroke or other problem throughout the body.

12 May 2016

Wolff-Parkinson-White patients continue to have atrial fibrillation risk even after catheter ablation, study finds

Patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome who receive catheter ablation to cure their abnormal heart rhythms are just as likely as non-ablated patients to develop atrial fibrillation no matter what age they receive ablation, according to a new study.

6 May 2016

New technology allows for safer, more precise removal of plaque during atherectomy procedure

Rush Oak Park Hospital is the first hospital in the surrounding area to acquire and use a newly approved technology that allows vascular surgeons to see in real-time the plaque they are removing during an atherectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that helps treat peripheral artery disease (PAD).

6 May 2016

Older adults become more sensitive to pain, study shows

When older relatives complain about their pains, show a little empathy, because new research suggests that as we age, we may all become more sensitive to pain. A small, preliminary University of Florida Health study has suggested for the first time that inflammation may occur more quickly and at a higher magnitude -- and stays around longer -- when older adults experience pain versus when younger adults experience pain.

5 May 2016

Detailed digital models of human organs could bring substantial benefits to clinical trials

Computer simulations of disease processes and detailed digital models of our organs could provide more accurate monitoring and outcome measurements for clinical trials, according to research being presented in Sheffield today.

5 May 2016

Clinicians describe placement of first implantable hemodynamic monitor in single ventricle Fontan anatomy

While the Fontan procedure has improved the short- and mid-term outcomes for patients born with single ventricle anatomy, long-term complications of Fontan circulation include heart failure. These complications are thought to be secondary to elevated central venous pressure, chronic venous congestion and low cardiac output.

29 Apr 2016

New catheter infection alert system could help tackle life-threatening urinary infections

A new infection alert system in catheters could prevent serious infections in millions of hospital patients worldwide. The system, detailed in a new paper in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, changes the color of the urine so patients and carers can see easily if bacteria are starting to block the catheter.

25 Apr 2016

Newly developed implantable device can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to pancreatic tumors

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, in part because it is very difficult for chemotherapy drugs to reach the pancreas, which is located deep within the abdomen.

16 Apr 2016