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First world conference on AMIS procedure

Medacta International, a manufacturer of total joint replacement systems and innovative surgical techniques, today announced that it is hosting the first world conference on the anterior hip approach, also referred to as the AMIS procedure.

3 Sep 2009

Alloantigen-specific Treg cells targeted for organ transplantation

An increased understanding of the role of the body's immune system in the development of diseases such as prostate cancer, squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer), type 1 diabetes, autoimmune liver disease, and in the rejection of transplanted organs by some transplant patients, has paved the way for a pioneering research programme which aims to develop 'enhanced' cells as therapies.

3 Sep 2009

ICD implantation reduces mortality in heart attack patients

Findings from the latest PreSCD II analysis show that patients protected against sudden cardiac death by an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) one month or more after MI showed a non-significantRemarkably," says investigator Professor Heinz Völler from the Klinik am See in Ruedersdorf, Germany, "we observed in the data a survival benefit that increased with the time interval between MI and ICD implantation."

2 Sep 2009

The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System deployed at the CHUM

In operation since recently at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), the CyberKnife(R) Robotic Radiosurgery System, is revolutionizing the treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors anywhere in the body. Used in radiation oncology, the CyberKnife System is the latest word in radiosurgery technology. Designed to destroy tumours using radiation beams, it is the first system of its kind to treat tumors non-invasively to be installed in Canada.

2 Sep 2009

LUNA surgical procedure did not alleviate chronic pelvic pain in women

A surgical procedure known as LUNA (laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation) did not result in improvements in chronic pelvic pain, painful menstruation, painful sexual intercourse or quality of life when compared with laparoscopic surgery that does not interrupt pelvic nerve connections, according to a study in the September 2 issue of JAMA.

2 Sep 2009

CardioWest Total Artificial Heart recipient going strong for more than 10 months

Over the last five years, Jim Hennigan has had four different hearts beating in his chest… the heart he was born with, two donor hearts and a Total Artificial Heart.

2 Sep 2009

Primary angioplasty procedures vary in European countries

Primary angioplasty (with stent implantation) is the most effective therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but it is not available to many patients, even though most European countries have sufficient resources (ie, catheterisation laboratories) for its wider use.

2 Sep 2009

$Prolonged surgery should be avoided in trauma patients with multiple fractures$

Prolonged surgery should be avoided in trauma patients with multiple fractures

Trauma patients who sustain multiple fractures are often in serious condition when they arrive at the emergency department. A review article published in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) explains that trauma patients who have several orthopaedic injuries and are considered to be in unstable condition should only have a few hours of surgery when first arriving at the hospital. This principle is known as 'damage control'.

2 Sep 2009

Ground breaking surgery leaves no unsightly scar

Surgeons at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University used a novel approach for the first time in Canada to remove a tumour embedded in the upper face of Jayden Cambridge, an 18-month old child.

2 Sep 2009

Weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy results in lower prevalence of obesity in children

Adolescent and young children of obese mothers who underwent weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy have been found to have a lower prevalence of obesity and significantly improved cardio-metabolic markers when compared to siblings born before the same obese mothers had weight-loss surgery. This new study has been accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

1 Sep 2009

Atrial fibrillation ablation - one of the fastest growing cardiology techniques

Atrial fibrillation ablation is one of the fastest growing techniques in cardiology and due to the very high number of patients that might be candidates to this procedure, a significant number of resources will have to be devoted to it to be able to treat them in the following years.

1 Sep 2009

Race, gender and insurance status influence liver transplant decisions

Patient race, gender and insurance status influence decisions about who will go on to receive liver transplants, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study.

1 Sep 2009

OHSU study reveals that fluoroquinolones may cause double vision

Highlights of September's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy), include a 2009 review by the Academy of the safety and efficacy of a widely used corneal transplant procedure and a warning about an unusual but serious reaction to systemic fluroquinolones, a class of antibiotics used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.

1 Sep 2009

New director appointed at the Saint John’s Neuroscience Institute

Saint John’s Health Center today announced the appointment of world-renowned neurosurgeon Amin Kassam, MD, as Director of the new Saint John’s Neuroscience Institute and faculty member of the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s. Dr. Kassam will lead the development of the new Neuroscience Institute which will offer an international minimally invasive neurosurgery center, as well as neuro-oncology, neuro-vascular surgery and other neuroscience services.

31 Aug 2009

New radiotherapy treatment devised for treating women with metastatic ovarian cancer

In the future, women with metastatic ovarian cancer could be treated with a radioactive substance that can seek and destroy tumour cells. An initial study in patients conducted jointly by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital has found that the treatment has no unwanted side-effects.

31 Aug 2009

Clinical data of the REVERSE trial reveals how CRT improves functioning of the heart

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a proven therapy indicated for patients with moderate to severe heart failure. Additional 24-month clinical data presented today on the European cohort of 262 patients in the REVERSE (Resynchronization Reverse Remodeling in Systolic Left Ventricular Dysfunction) trial, sponsored by Medtronic, Inc., provides a deeper understanding of how CRT improves the function of the heart, including reduction in heart size and improvements in pumping efficiency, in certain heart failure patients with mild symptoms.

30 Aug 2009

The Waismann Method of Accelerated Benzodiazepine Neuro-Regulation proves a suitable alternative to traditional benzodiazepine detoxification

The Waismann Method of Accelerated Benzodiazepine Neuro-Regulation (ABNR) involves a safe, medically-assisted withdrawal from Benzodiazepines in a hospital setting. This advanced approach to Benzodiazepine withdrawal offers patients another alternative to traditional benzodiazepine detoxification, which even when done gradually, can be extremely dangerous and even life threatening.

29 Aug 2009

DaVita's nocturnal dialysis treatment allows patients to dialyze in-clinic while sleeping overnight

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced its nocturnal dialysis patient population has reached a milestone, with 1,000 patients having received this life-saving treatment in more than 90 DaVita(R) centers around the nation. DaVita has one of the largest nocturnal patient populations in the country.

28 Aug 2009

Uncontrolled NHBDs could help counter the shortage of kidney grafts in France

A pilot study of a system for harvesting kidneys from non-heart-beating donors where attempts of resuscitation after a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have failed (uncontrolled NHBDs) resulted in 21 successful kidney transplants - a 10% increase in the transplantation rate - over 17 months.

28 Aug 2009

Ochsner Medical Center selected to participate as an FDA investigative site in the PARTNER clinical trial

On Tuesday, August 11, 2009, an 82-year old New Orleans resident with severe aortic stenosis successfully had a heart valve replaced at Ochsner Medical Center using the same technique as angioplasty, a far cry from the traditional open heart procedure. Patients who are considered high-risk or non-operable for conventional open heart valve surgery now have a potential new research option available regionally only through The John Ochsner Heart & Vascular Institute.

28 Aug 2009