Largest study to date evaluates occupational health risks to hardmetal workers
(University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences) Workers in the hardmetal industry are not at increased risk for lung cancer or any of 63 other potential causes of death, concluded the largest and most definitive study on this population to date. The study of more than 32,000 workers in five countries was performed after smaller French and Swedish studies indicated that tungsten carbide with a cobalt binder -- the primary ingredients in hardmetal -- may be linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - August 30, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Uganda: New Cancer Machine Not the Best, Says Doctor
[Observer] Dr Ekwaro Obuku, the general secretary of the Uganda Medical Association, says the new Cobalt-60 cancer machine for radiotherapy services, which arrived at Mulago national referral hospital on Wednesday is not the best for cancer patients since it uses old technology, has many side effects and treats fewer patients per day. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - August 18, 2017 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Uganda: Cancer Machine Arrives, to Start Work in October
[Observer] Cancer patients in need of radiotherapy treatment can breathe a sigh of relief after the long-awaited Cobalt-60 machine finally arrived at Mulago hospital on Wednesday this week. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - August 18, 2017 Category: African Health Source Type: news
India institutes price caps for orthopedic knee implants
Indian regulators are capping prices of orthopedic knee implants as the country looks to lower the cost of medical devices.
The country’s drug pricing authority said today that orthopedic implants in the country had unjustified, unreasonable and irrationally high trade margins, which led to exorbitant pricing.
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar said the prices had been capped “in public interest” during a new briefing today. With the change, Kumar said that commonly used cobalt chromium knee implants, previously priced up to $3,895 (INR ₹250,000), would be capped at $852 (INR ₹54,720)....
Source: Mass Device - August 16, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Business/Financial News Healthcare Reform Orthopedics Regulatory/Compliance Abbott India Medtronic Source Type: news
MassDevice.com +5 | The top 5 medtech stories for August 14, 2017
Say hello to MassDevice +5, a bite-sized view of the top five medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 5 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
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5. Abbott’s new contact ablation catheter: Here’s what you need to know
The new TactiCath contact ablation catheter unites EndoSense and St. Jude Medical technologies that Abbott acquired, marrying fiber optics, flexibility an...
Source: Mass Device - August 14, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: MassDevice Tags: News Well Plus 5 Source Type: news
Medtronic launches DAPT study for Resolute Onyx DES
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT)
said today that it’s launching a study of dual anti-platelet therapy and its Resolute Onyx drug-eluting stent.
The 2,000-patient study is designed to compare a one-month course of aspirin and an anti-coagulant in conjunction with the Resolute Onyx device or the BioFreedom DES made by Biosensors International (PINK:BSNRY). The Resolute Onyx stent is made from a single strand of cobalt alloy, formed into a sinusoidal wave with a radio-opaque core, Medtronic said.
Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News.
The post Medtronic launches DAPT study for Resolute Onyx DES appeare...
Source: Mass Device - August 14, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Brad Perriello Tags: Clinical Trials Drug-Device Combinations Stents Medtronic Source Type: news
Avalign Technologies acquires Thortex and Millennium Surgical
Avalign Technologies announced that is has acquired Thortex and Millennium Surgical. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Thortex provides precision manufacturing, porous coatings and metal injection solutions to the medical device market. It has porous coating solutions for titanium and cobalt-chrome orthopedic implants and manufacturing and engineering technologies for medical device OEMs.
Millennium Surgical offers specialty surgical instruments and more than 17,000 branded SKUs in a variety of clinical areas like neurosurgery, ophthalmics and orthopedics.
Get the full story on our sister site, Medical ...
Source: Mass Device - July 25, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Danielle Kirsh Tags: Mergers & Acquisitions Avalign Technologies Millennium Surgical Thortex Source Type: news
Toxic metal hip replacements could cause Alzheimer's
Dr Neil McGuire, clinical director of medical devices at the MHRA, said he wanted to establish whether cobalt leached from the implants was causing adverse effects. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - July 10, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Fresh warning over toxic metal hip replacements
Dr Neil McGuire, clinical director of medical devices at the MHRA, said he wanted to establish whether cobalt leached from the implants was causing adverse effects. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - July 10, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Agilent Tech pays $52m for Raman spectroscopy dev Cobalt
Agilent Technologies said today it acquired UK-based Raman spectroscopic instrument dev Cobalt Light Systems for $51.5 million (GBP £40 million).
Cobalt develops benchtop and handheld Raman spectroscopic instruments based on proprietary technologies to enable through-barrier identification of chemicals and materials, the company said.
Read the whole story on our Sister Site, Medical Design & Outsourcing
The post Agilent Tech pays $52m for Raman spectroscopy dev Cobalt appeared first on MassDevice. (Source: Mass Device)
Source: Mass Device - July 7, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Business/Financial News Mergers & Acquisitions Agilent Technologies Inc. Source Type: news
FDA clears Biotronik ’ s Pro-Kinetic Energy cobalt chromium stent
Biotronik said today it won FDA approval for its Pro-Kinetic Energy cobalt chromium coronary stent system, with indication for use in patients with arterial blockages between 2.25 and 4mm in diameter and lesion length up to 31 mm.
The Pro-Kinetic Energy stent system is designed to imProve coronary luminal diameter in patients with new or recurring blockages in the coronary arteries. The Berlin, Germany-based company said FDA apProval of the device based off of results from its Biohelix-I clinical study.
“We’re proud to make the Pro-Kinetic Energy stent available to physicians and their patients in the US. It i...
Source: Mass Device - February 15, 2017 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Cardiovascular Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Regulatory/Compliance Stents Biotronik Source Type: news
Scientific experts agree with NTP about cobalt and cancer
A panel of experts agreed with the National Toxicology Program that a class of cobalt and cobalt compounds is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.
(read more) (Source: Environmental Factor - NIEHS Newsletter)
Source: Environmental Factor - NIEHS Newsletter - August 7, 2015 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: news
Review: cobalt toxicity and artificial metal hips
4.5 out of 5 stars
Systemic toxicity related to metal hip prostheses. Bradberry SM et al. Clin Toxicol 2014;52:837-847.
Abstract
As TPR has reported before, cobalt poisoning can cause hypothyroidism, cardiomyopathy, and neurotoxicity. Neurological manifestations include:
optic nerve damage and retinopathy with reduced visual acuity
bilateral nerve deafness and tinnitus
polyneuropathy (sensory and motor)
cognitive impairment and memory loss
A number of papers and case reports have described clinical cobalt toxicity related to metal-on-metal hip prostheses or revision of a failed ceramic prosthesis with metal parts. Al...
Source: The Poison Review - September 25, 2014 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical cardiomyopathy cobalt toxicity hip replacement hypothyroidism neurotoxicity prosthesis Source Type: news
You don’t need Dr. House to suspect cobalt toxicity in a patient with an artificial hip
Dr. Gregory House
3 out of 5 stars
Cobalt intoxication diagnosed with the help of Dr. House. Dahms K et al. Lancet 2014 Feb 8;383:574.
Full text
This is a neat short case report that can fix in the mind the features of cobalt toxicity. A 55-year-old man came to clinic with a history of:
severe heart failure (ejection fraction = 25%)
decreased hearing acuity
decreased visual acuity
fever of unknown origin
hypothyroidism
abdominal discomfort
lymphadenopathy
All signs and symptoms seemed to have developed over the year before presentation.
Further history revealed that the patient had undergone bilateral hip replacement. ...
Source: The Poison Review - February 12, 2014 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical artificial hip prosthesis cobalt toxicity dr. gregory house Source Type: news
