by Admin
1. March 2009 21:29
New valve procedure for high-risk patients A new minimally invasive procedure to replace the heart valve of patients with aortic stenosis has been introduced at Imperial College Healthcare.
The new technique, called TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation), will treat patients who are considered too high-risk for open-heart surgery.
The procedure, which is performed in a cardiology catheter laboratory rather than in an operating theatre, uses the Sapien transcatheter heart valve from Edwards Lifesciences.
Traditionally, aortic valves are replaced via open heart surgery, involving a major incision, putting the patient’s heart on bypass and a prolonged period of rehabilitation. Patients having the new procedure could have a shorter recovery period and potentially less time in hospital.
Dr Ghada Mikhail, cardiologist and programme lead for TAVI, said: “As this new technology develops we hope to be able to offer this procedure not only to older and higher-risk patients, but also to a wider group of lower-risk patients.”
Imperial College Healthcare Trust is the largest trust in the country and, in partnership with Imperial College London, is the UK’s first academic health science centre (AHSC). The AHSC was created to develop research discoveries into new and improved treatments to benefit patients in the trust.
For more information, visit www.edwards.com/eu.
 | PlasmaBlade gains CE approval for surgery  PEAK Surgical Inc has received European CE Mark approval for the use of its PEAK Surgery System in general surgery.
The system includes the PULSAR Generator and the PEAK PlasmaBlade family of disposable, low-temperature surgical cutting and coagulation devices. The generator provides pulsed plasma radiofrequency energy to the PlasmaBlade to incise tissue and control bleeding.
“We are pleased that the European authorities have approved the use of the PEAK Surgery System. We continue to receive positive feedback from surgeons in the United States. They not only find the PlasmaBlade to be intuitive and easy to use, but also to precisely cut tissue and control bleeding without extensive collateral thermal damage to tissues,” said John Tighe, President and CEO of PEAK Surgical.
“We look forward to commercialising this innovative device in Europe, where we believe the PlasmaBlade could eventually be used in more than one million surgical procedures each year.”
PEAK Surgery System has been used in general surgery in the US since July 2008, and received further FDA clearance last December for cutting and coagulation of soft tissue during plastic and reconstructive, ENT, gynaecologic, orthopaedic, arthroscopic, spinal and neurological surgical procedures.
For more details, visit www.peaksurgical.com. |
Keeping track of patients with 3M Diversified technology company 3M has launched a new RFID-enabled Patient Record Tracking Solution to help hospital staff locate patient records quickly and easily.
The new system places an RFID tag, linked to a 3M database, on each patient record. A network of strategically-placed tracking pads is created around the hospital. Each pad is connected to a computer, enabling hospital staff to locate any given record at the click of a button.
The launch comes at a time when the NHS’s patient record digitisation project faces scrutiny. Edward Leigh MP, Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts, said recently on BBC Radio 4 that the Care Records System at the heart of the digitisation project was “way off the pace” and that even the revised completion date of 2014–15 for these systems “now looks doubtful”.
Paul Woolvine, Sales & Marketing Manager for 3M, said: “With fresh doubt about a 2015 deadline for the £12 billion patient record digitisation project, it is more important than ever that the NHS looks at technologies that can help deliver better, safer and faster care. We strongly believe that our RFID-based solution can allow hospitals within the NHS to do just this. The patient record becomes ‘intelligent’ and procedural compliance is made easy.”
To find out more, go to www.3m.com |
Mobilis technology aids sports stars’ recoveries  Technology successfully used by leading international sports stars in accelerated injury recovery programmes has been launched in the UK.
Mobilis Healthcare has introduced the advanced InterX non-invasive, interactive neurostimulation system for the relief and management of acute and chronic pain.
The InterX system has already helped bring England rugby internationals Danny Cipriani and Jason Robinson, and former Wimbledon Ladies Champion Maria Sharapova, back to fitness. It provides a combination of neurostimulation, myofascial release, therapeutic exercise and trigger point therapy.
The Senior Physio for England RU, Phil Pask, used InterX to speed Jason Robinson’s recovery from a grade 2 hamstring tear, enabling him to play in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final 23 days later. “Using InterX, I was able to significantly reduce Jason’s nociceptive pain and facilitate an intensive manual therapy and exercise rehabilitation protocol that definitely optimised his recovery time,” he said.
Available in a professional model for clinical and sports therapy applications or as a personal device for home use, the technology delivers interactive stimulation to the cutaneous nerves, activating the body’s natural pain-relieving mechanisms. It can be used for post-surgical rehabilitation, the treatment of sports injuries, the management of chronic neuropathic pain and severe musculoskeletal conditions.
For further information, visit www.mobilishealthcare.com. |
Award provides Wellcome boost for knee repair Orthox Ltd has received a Wellcome Trust Translational Award worth over £1.6m to help it develop a regenerative meniscal (knee cartilage) repair device from its synthetic cartilage technology.
Using the Spidrex cartilage, a silk biomaterial combining the resilience, high strength and bioresorption of spider silk, Orthox plans to address other orthopaedic challenges such as spinal disc repair and bone regeneration.
Orthox founder and CEO Dr Nick Skaer said: “This funding will enable us to initiate the roll-out of our pipeline of Spidrex products, starting with our meniscal repair device.”
Injury to the meniscus in the knee joint is a huge unsolved clinical problem often associated with ageing, obesity and sport injuries. Meniscal damage frequently results in osteoarthritis and the need for knee joint replacement. Knee replacements cost the NHS more each year than hip replacements, estimated to cost nearly £1bn by 2010.
Dr Richard Seabrook, Head of Business Development at the Wellcome Trust, said: “Knee problems are now a major issue for health services across the world. The Wellcome Trust appreciates both the need to find a regenerative solution to knee damage and the potential of the Spidrex technology to address an increasingly common but complex clinical problem.” | News in Brief
Mobile Medic, a new IT product to help doctors and nurses working in hospitals at night prioritise patients and receive real-time updates on clinical issues, has been launched by medical software specialists ExtraMed. Developed in partnership with East Cheshire NHS Trust, Mobile Medic is accessed via PDA. It is fully compatible with the hospital’s central systems, so out-of-hours doctors can view and update the information. www.extramed.co.uk
Braidlock, a quicker and safer way of attaching tubes going into hospital patients, has been awarded the European CE Mark. The unique tube grip, invented by Great Ormond Street paediatrician Dr Marc Spinoza, is set to be used in hospitals throughout Europe. Braidlock is a short, braided sleeve for tubes, attached to the patient by two small sutures, an integral adhesive patch or a Velcro tape. www.sull-ltd.co.uk
Biotronik has launched the Trignum Flux magnetic irrigated gold tip catheter following CE Mark approval. The new technology, for the treatment of atrial fi brillation, is a highly fl exible ablation device equipped with three magnets at the distal end. Its complementary fl exibility, combined with the computer-aided magnetic-guided Stereotaxis Niobe System, ensures a precise, stable, sensitive and reproducible catheter positioning. www.biotronik.com
Varian Medical Systems has received the CE mark for the Varian Proton Therapy System, designed to help doctors improve treatments and outcomes in many cancer cases. With proton therapy, doctors can use higher doses of radiation to control and manage tumours while significantly reducing damage to healthy tissue and vital organs. www.varian.com |
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