Specialists at Stony Brook Medicine’s Cerebrovascular and Stroke Center (CVC) are treating patients with a new generation of blood clot removal devices that show promise in successfully revascularizing stroke patients, including those with large vessel blockages. The Solitaire Flow Restoration Device and the Trevo device, approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012 to treat stroke caused by the sudden obstruction of a brain blood vessel (acute ischemic stroke) showed improved results over a previous standard and first generation clot-removal device in clinical trials.

The Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA) today launched Medical Device Tax Watch, a website dedicated to raising awareness of efforts of some medical device manufacturers to pass the costs of the medical device excise tax (MDET) to American hospitals, healthcare providers and patients. The new site will be a resource for hospitals and a tool for monitoring the device marketplace, and can be found at www.devicetaxwatch.com.

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) released a list of specific tests that are commonly ordered—but not always necessary — in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign, an initiative of the ABIM Foundation. The list identifies five targeted, evidence-based recommendations that can support conversations between patients and physicians about what care is really necessary and appropriate.