Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health have revealed the ability of wearable biosensors, similar to the Apple Watch or Fitbit, to detect physiological changes that may indicate illness, even before symptoms appear. The findings, published Jan. 12, 2017, in PLoS Biology, may open the door to new ways to manage and monitor health, especially for those with limited access to doctors or clinics.

More than 80 percent of stroke patients with a history of atrial fibrillation either received not enough or no anticoagulation therapy prior to having a stroke, according to a Duke Clinical Research Institute study. This revelation comes despite the drugs’ proven record of reducing stroke risk.

March 14, 2017 — The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded use of the Medtronic Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve (TPV) for implantation in patients whose surgical bioprosthetic pulmonary heart valves have failed. Designed specifically for the pulmonic position, Melody TPV is the first transcatheter pulmonary valve to receive this approval in the U.S.

TAVR, TAVI, conscience sedation

March 14, 2017 — Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for aortic stenosis continues to evolve with the adoption of methods intended to maximize efficacy, safety and patient recovery. Researchers at the Valve Science Center at Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation recently conducted quality improvement review to examine the impact of the use of minimal anesthesia with conscious sedation (CS) in patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing TAVR.
 

Stratasys Ltd. announced last week enrollment is now open for 3DHEART, an investigator-initiated trial. 3DHEART, which stands for 3D Hearts Enabling A Randomized Trial, is a randomized, single-blind clinical trial to study the use of patient-specific 3-D-printed models in pre-operative planning for pediatric heart surgery. Stratasys is providing in-kind support with printing of the models to be used in the trial.

A new research study by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute assesses relationships between county-level variation in Medicare beneficiary imaging resource consumption and measures of population economic status. The study, published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR), found that in the Medicare population, imaging utilization and costs vary greatly at the county level, and far more than at the state level.

The Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency recently released new recommendations on procedures employing gadolinium-based contrast agents, in which the committee recommended suspension of marketing authorization for four agents.

The most prevalent method for obtaining images of clogged coronary vessels is coronary angiography. For some patients, however, the contrast agents used in this process can cause health problems. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now demonstrated that the required quantity of these substances can be significantly reduced if monoenergetic X-rays from a miniature particle accelerator are used.

March, 10, 2017 - Medtronic announced that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved coverage for the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS). This decision, effective immediately, follows the approval of two studies required to enable reimbursement through Medicare's policy of Coverage with Evidence Development (CED).
 

Subscribe to
© Copyright Wainscot Media. All Rights Reserved.
Subscribe Now