Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Blogs This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Looking to the Future of Neuro Devices: Exclusive Interview with Alcyone Lifesciences CEO PJ Anand
Alcyone Lifesciences is a medical technology company based out of Lowell, MA, which specializes in central nervous system (CNS) drug delivery platforms for targeted infusions of the brain or spinal cord. Their Thecaflex DRx System was recently awarded Breakthrough Device designation by the FDA, for spinal infusion of therapeutic medications. Medgadget had the opportunity to speak with Alcyone Lifesciences CEO, PJ Anand, about his inspiration for cutting edge medical technology and the future direction of neurological devices. Kurt Yaeger, Medgadget: Great to talk to you, PJ. Please first give us a sense of your back...
Source: Medgadget - May 7, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Kurt Yaeger Tags: Exclusive Neurology Neurosurgery Pain Management Psychiatry Source Type: blogs

UC Davis First to Get Canon ’s Ultra-High Resolution CT
Clinicians at the University of California, Davis Health are now scanning patients using an Ultra-High Resolution CT scanner, the only of its kind in the United States. The Aquilion Precision from Canon Medical Systems is able to resolve things down to the 150 micron level, allowing for diagnostic insights previously impossible. The capability is made possible in large part because of a new ultra-high resolution detector that provides more than twice the pixel density that many other existing CT scanners can. It has 160 rows of detectors, each of which is only 0.25 mm in width. The X-ray tube, rotating gantry, and the soft...
Source: Medgadget - April 30, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Emergency Medicine Neurology Neurosurgery Radiology Thoracic Surgery Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs

CleanCase Device-Specific Smart Sterile Covers Going on Sale
SteriDev, a Lansing, Michigan firm, is releasing the first device-specific sterile mobile device coverings. The CleanCase coverings are FDA-compliant and allow surgeons, technicians, and other clinical staff to use smartphones and tablets even in the operating room (OR). These days, it can be quite a hassle to bring a smartphone in the OR, making it difficult to document and share details about a procedure, take quick notes about something, or simply to photograph a clinical curiosity. The CleanCase device is designed to make it easy to transfer a non-sterile phone into a sterile case. It requires a sterile user to hold th...
Source: Medgadget - April 30, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Medicine Neurosurgery Ob/Gyn Orthopedic Surgery Plastic Surgery Radiology Thoracic Surgery Urology Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs

Why Is the USA Only the 35th Healthiest Country in the World?
By ETIENNE DEFFARGES According the 2019 Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, the U.S. ranks 35th out of 169 countries. Even though we are the 11th wealthiest country in the world, we are behind pretty much all developed economies in terms of health. In the Americas, not just Canada (16th) but also Cuba (30th), Chile and Costa Rica (tied for 33rd) rank ahead of us in this Bloomberg study. To answer this layered question, we need to look at the top ranked countries in the Bloomberg Index: From first to 12th, they are Spain; Italy; Iceland; Japan; Switzerland; Sweden; Australia; Singapore; Norway; Israel; Luxe...
Source: The Health Care Blog - April 15, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Economics Health disparities Health Policy American healthcare Etienne Deffarges Mediterranean Diet Opioids world health Source Type: blogs

EnVisio Surgical Navigation System for Breast Lumpectomies Cleared in U.S.
Elucent Medical, a firm based in Eden Prairie, MN, won FDA clearance for its EnVisio Navigation System. The technology involves placing a wireless SmartClip implantable marker within the breast that identifies the location of the tissue to be removed. Normally guidewires are used to locate the target tissue, which extend out through the skin. The SmartClip marker remains completely implanted until the lumpectomy. It’s actually possible to use multiple SmartClips to target different locations within the breast, and this is aided by the fact that each of the implants has its own radiofrequency signature identifying it...
Source: Medgadget - April 12, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Pathology Radiology Surgery Source Type: blogs

HEMAsavR Helps to Recover More Intraop Blood
Ecomed Solutions, out of Mundelein, Illinois, is releasing its HEMAsavR device for blood capture and transfer during surgeries. The product helps to avoid allogeneic blood transfusions by not requiring specialized resources for collection and return to patient. Hospitals will therefore be able to gather more useful sterile and anti-coagulated blood that can be evaluated for cell salvage and for return. “Allogeneic transfusions are among the costliest contributors to healthcare expenditures,” in a published statement said David Yurek, CEO of Ecomed Solutions. “Reducing the need for allogeneic transfusions has a dramat...
Source: Medgadget - April 11, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Anesthesiology Cardiac Surgery Thoracic Surgery Urology Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs

Maquet PowerLED II Smart Surgical Lights Coming to America
Getinge has announced that its Maquet PowerLED II surgical lights are now available for purchase in the United States. The devices are applicable to general, as well as hybrid operating rooms, offering features that help illuminate all sorts of procedures. The lights are powered by high-end LEDs, which can be tuned to deliver light of different colors, something that’s often useful in minimally invasive procedures. White light itself can be delivered at a preferred color temperature, helping to alleviate fatigue among the clinicians. The Maquet PowerLED IIs have lasers built-in that are used to help align the lights ...
Source: Medgadget - April 9, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery ENT Neurosurgery Ob/Gyn Orthopedic Surgery Thoracic Surgery Uncategorized Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, April 8th 2019
This study did not confirm the hypothesis that ELL individuals have lower polygenic risk scores for cardiovascular-related phenotypes. Only the HDL cholesterol and triglyceride PRS were nominally significantly associated with ELL participants. In contrast and as expected, ELL individuals had higher polygenic risk scores for exceptional longevity (EL). In regards to the associations of the various cardiovascular PRS with EL, no findings survived correction for multiple testing. This is despite validating the utility of the lipid PRS by confirming positive associations with measured lipid levels in our sample. Interestingly,...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 7, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

RejuvenAir Cryospray for Treating COPD with Chronic Bronchitis Going on Trial
The FDA has just issued a Breakthrough Device designation and an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to CSA Medical for its RejuvenAir system as a treatment option for patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that have chronic bronchitis. The company soon plans to start a prospective, multi-center, blinded randomized sham controlled trial, under the IDE, to evaluate the effectivness of the RejuvenAir system. The system features a metered cryospray that delivers liquid nitrogen at -320° Fahrenheit (-196° Celsius) to specific targeted spots within the lungs. It sprays in a circular ...
Source: Medgadget - April 3, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Medicine Thoracic Surgery Source Type: blogs

Trocar during Times of Trauma
Seventy-five percent of trauma injuries involve some kind of thoracic insult, a quarter of which need a procedural intervention like a chest tube. (Surg Clin North Am 2007;87[1]:95; http://bit.ly/2HaoX90.) Long-term illness, lung disease, and post-operative complications may cause pleural effusions or a pneumothorax, so treating these conditions quickly can significantly decrease patient morbidity and mortality. Other indications for chest tube placement include:Trauma: Pneumothorax, hemopneumothorax, or tension pneumothoraxLong-term illness: Pleural effusion (cancer, pneumonia)Infection: Em...
Source: The Procedural Pause - April 1, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs

Safer surgery: Steps you can take
Chances are high that most of us will have a surgical procedure at some point during our lives. Estimates based on 2002 data in three states suggest Americans have a lifetime average of nine surgical procedures. In 2010 in the United States, there were an estimated 1.4 million inpatient procedures, ranging from childhood tonsillectomies, breast lumpectomies, and gallbladder removal to cataract surgeries, hernia repairs, and hip or knee replacements. And the rate of surgical procedures continues to rise. So it’s valuable to know what you can do to make safer surgery and a successful outcome more likely. How do I choos...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 28, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Susan Abookire, BSEE, MD, MPH, FACP Tags: Health Managing your health care Safety Surgery Source Type: blogs

Net Revenue Generation for Hospitals on the Basis of Physician Speciality
I have previously blogged about the wait time for primary care physicians in the U.S. (see:PCP and Family Physician Wait Times increasing 50% in Many Markets) and the fact that many health systems may be limiting the number of PCPs on their staff because they do not generate as much revenueper capitaas specialized physicians (see: same reference as above). This is because PCPs don't perform procedures like surgeons or interventional cardiologists who are highly reimbursed by our healthcare system. Along these same lines, I came across an article that discusses hospital revenue generated per physician by speciality and ...
Source: Lab Soft News - March 25, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Cost of Healthcare Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Hospital Executive Management Medical Consumerism Quality of Care Source Type: blogs

Phillips Azurion with FlexArm for Enhanced Image-Guided Therapy: Interview with Dr. Barry Katzen of Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute
Phillips recently announced the release of an enhancement to its Azurion imaging system – the FlexArm. Developed in partnership with the Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, the technology allows a clinician to image a patient from every possible angle without having to move the patient or table. Given the proliferation of minimally invasive procedures possible under image guidance, technologies to simplify and streamline these sometimes complex procedures are likely to be welcome. During product development, extensive collaboration was conducted between engineers and potential users of the system, to assess their nee...
Source: Medgadget - March 25, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Exclusive Radiology Thoracic Surgery Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 25th 2019
This study defines a new clinically relevant concept of T-cell senescence-mediated inflammatory responses in the pathophysiology of abnormal glucose homeostasis. We also found that T-cell senescence is associated with systemic inflammation and alters hepatic glucose homeostasis. The rational modulation of T-cell senescence would be a promising avenue for the treatment or prevention of diabetes. Intron Retention via Alternative Splicing as a Signature of Aging https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2019/03/intron-retention-via-alternative-splicing-as-a-signature-of-aging/ In recent years researchers have in...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 24, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Over-the-counter cold and flu medicines can affect your heart
As the cold and flu season continues this year, it is important to be aware that many of the most commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) remedies for congestion, aches, pains, and low-grade fevers contain medicines that can have harmful effects on the cardiovascular system. Chief among these medications are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and decongestants. NSAIDs and your heart Certain NSAIDs are associated with a small increase in the relative risk for developing a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, increased blood pressure, and blood clots. NSAIDs relieve pain and inflammation by inhib...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 20, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Mark Benson, MD, PhD Tags: Cold and Flu Drugs and Supplements Health Heart Health Source Type: blogs