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Increased Medicare reimbursement leads to rise in outpatient bladder cancer surgeries

Increased Medicare payments to physicians for outpatient surgeries for bladder cancer have led to a dramatic rise in the number of these procedures being performed and an overall increase in cost to the healthcare system. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The findings indicate that some Medicare policies aimed at decreasing costs may instead be contributing to an increase in healthcare expenditures.

8 Feb 2010

Women using oestrogen-only HRT at increased risk of asthma after menopause

Oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the risk of developing asthma after the menopause, suggests a large scale study published ahead of print in the journal Thorax.

7 Feb 2010

EndoSheath Systems advantageous over germicidal immersion in preventing flexible ENT scope contamination

Results of a clinical study presented Thursday, Feb. 4 at the annual Triological Society meetings in Orlando, Fla., suggest a sterile barrier sheath system has distinct advantages over germicidal immersion processes used to prevent contamination of fiberoptic nasopharyngolaryngoscopes (flexible ENT scopes). Flexible ENT scopes are used by otolaryngologists to examine the nose and throat area for various disorders such as dysphagia, reflux disease, snoring, and chronic sinusitis.

6 Feb 2010

Valentine's Day designated as National Organ Donor Day, drive for registration

While many commemorate Valentine's Day with cards, candy and flowers, Pennsylvanians are encouraged to give the ultimate gift of love by signing up to become organ and tissue donors. With the support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Valentine's Day has been designated as National Organ Donor Day to raise awareness of the lives that can be touched -- potentially more than 50 at a time --through one person becoming an organ and tissue donor.

6 Feb 2010

Two U.S. insurers approve coverage of radioembolization for treatment of unresectable liver cancer

MDS Nordion, a global leader in providing products and services for medical imaging and radiotherapeutics, today announced that two of the largest health insurers in the United States have recently approved coverage of radioembolization to treat unresectable liver cancer, which includes the use of MDS Nordion's TheraSphere(R) treatment. The two insurance companies and their affiliates together serve more than one-quarter of Americans and do business in all 50 states.

6 Feb 2010

Novus Scientific's TIGR Matrix Surgical Mesh receives FDA marketing approval

Novus Scientific Pte. Ltd today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the company 510(k) clearance to market the TIGR™ Matrix Surgical Mesh, for use in reinforcement of soft tissues where weakness exists. TIGR™ Matrix Surgical Mesh is a 100 percent resorbable, synthetic matrix, knitted from two different resorbable fibers that degrade at different rates following implantation.

5 Feb 2010

Survey finds majority of patients are interested in video recording of colonoscopy procedure

Colonoscopy is operator-dependent and substantial numbers of pre-cancerous polyps are missed during colonoscopy. Colonoscopies are often poorly documented, with only a few still photographs taken of anatomic landmarks and abnormal findings.

5 Feb 2010

Low frequency therapy for temporary tinnitus: Student research project evolves into web-based company

In 2009 a student research project investigating a low frequency therapy for temporary tinnitus was joint runner-up in the 2009 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, held in Dublin, Ireland. The student research project which has now evolved into a web-based company, Restored Hearing (www.restoredhearing.ie) was one of the companies which showcased recently at the 2010 exhibition.

5 Feb 2010

Tracking early signs of coronary artery clogs: CT perfusion vs. SPECT nuclear imaging tests

Cardiologists and heart imaging specialists at 15 medical centers in eight countries, and led by researchers at Johns Hopkins, have enrolled the first dozen patients in a year-long investigation to learn whether the subtle squeezing of blood flow through the inner layers of the heart is better than traditional SPECT nuclear imaging tests and other diagnostic radiology procedures for accurately tracking the earliest signs of coronary artery clogs.

5 Feb 2010

Hope for back pain: Minimally invasive facet arthrodesis and spinal cord stimulation

Results from the first prospective study of minimally invasive facet arthrodesis and long-term data on spinal cord stimulation demonstrate the viability of these options to achieve pain relief in patients with various back pain conditions. The studies were presented today at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 26th Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX.

5 Feb 2010

Patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis can be operated within 48 hours of admission

Patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis usually stay in the hospital for several days, waiting for the symptoms to subside, before undergoing surgery to remedy the condition. A new study from researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) indicates patients may no longer have to wait so long for surgery and could leave the hospital sooner.

5 Feb 2010

San Antonio Methodist Hospital upgrades to Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion system

AMERICAN SHARED HOSPITAL SERVICES, a leading provider of turnkey technology solutions for advanced radiosurgical and radiation therapy services, announced today that it has entered into a contract to supply a Leksell Gamma Knife® PerfexionTM system to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. This new Perfexion system, the eighth placed by AMS to date, will replace an existing Gamma Knife supplied by AMS and is expected to begin treating patients later this year.

5 Feb 2010

Use of laparoscopic hepatectomy in treating HCC patients achieves complete resection

Conventional hepatectomy is an effective way to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is invasive and stressful. Laparoscopic surgery, a kind of minimally invasive surgery, has recently gained considerable advances.

5 Feb 2010

ASTRO and ACR release practice guidelines for new radiation treatments

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) have released practice guidelines for image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in the February issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

4 Feb 2010

Peripheral nerve stimulation promising for treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia

Doctors from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida showcased positive results of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) in a patient suffering from post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), or pain after a herpes breakout.

4 Feb 2010

New research may help adopt acupuncture as a treatment option for NHS patients

Important new research about the effects of acupuncture on the brain may provide an understanding of the complex mechanisms of acupuncture and could lead to a wider acceptability of the treatment.

4 Feb 2010

PLX cell therapy may be an effective treatment for ischemic stroke disorder

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. today announced that the results of a pre-clinical study in an animal model of ischemic stroke demonstrated that its PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cell therapy may be an effective treatment for this disorder.

4 Feb 2010

Wound complications in cesarean delivery closure: Subcuticular sutures safer than staples

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will present findings that there were less complications for women, after having a cesarean delivery, if sutures were used instead of staples to close the wound.

4 Feb 2010

New technique may reduce recovery time in arrhythmia patients

A surgeon and an electrophysiologist in the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center last week worked together to perform a novel, minimally-invasive procedure to treat a common but dangerous arrhythmia in a 61-year-old lawyer from east Texas who has suffered from the condition for months.

4 Feb 2010

Acupuncture viable for treatment of depression during pregnancy

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that show that acupuncture may be an effective treatment for depression during pregnancy.

4 Feb 2010

Medical Procedure News

Increased Medicare reimbursement leads to rise in outpatient bladder cancer surgeries

Women using oestrogen-only HRT at increased risk of asthma after menopause

EndoSheath Systems advantageous over germicidal immersion in preventing flexible ENT scope contamination

Valentine's Day designated as National Organ Donor Day, drive for registration

Two U.S. insurers approve coverage of radioembolization for treatment of unresectable liver cancer

Novus Scientific's TIGR Matrix Surgical Mesh receives FDA marketing approval

Survey finds majority of patients are interested in video recording of colonoscopy procedure

Low frequency therapy for temporary tinnitus: Student research project evolves into web-based company

Tracking early signs of coronary artery clogs: CT perfusion vs. SPECT nuclear imaging tests

Hope for back pain: Minimally invasive facet arthrodesis and spinal cord stimulation

Patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis can be operated within 48 hours of admission

San Antonio Methodist Hospital upgrades to Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion system

Use of laparoscopic hepatectomy in treating HCC patients achieves complete resection

ASTRO and ACR release practice guidelines for new radiation treatments

Peripheral nerve stimulation promising for treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia

New research may help adopt acupuncture as a treatment option for NHS patients

PLX cell therapy may be an effective treatment for ischemic stroke disorder

Wound complications in cesarean delivery closure: Subcuticular sutures safer than staples

New technique may reduce recovery time in arrhythmia patients

Acupuncture viable for treatment of depression during pregnancy

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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