Solving the 5,000-Year-Old Murder of Otzi the Iceman
In 1991, the mummified body of a 5,000-year-old murder victim was discovered in melting ice at a rock-gully crime scene high in the Italian Otzal Alps. Nicknamed "Otzi", the estimated 45-year-old man and his possessions were incredibly well preserved. His skin, hair, bones, and organs were cryopreserved in time, allowing archeological researchers a phenomenal insight into human life in the Copper Age. The frozen corpse also gave modern science the opportunity to forensically investigate and positively determine how Otzi the Iceman was killed. The story began on a sunny September day, when two hikers were traversing a mou...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - February 11, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
What Are Risk Factors for Cholelithiasis?
Discussion
Bile is produced by the liver to aid absorption of fat soluble vitamins and lipids from the gastrointestinal tract and to transport bilirubin, cholesterol and other substances to the gastrointestinal tract. Bile is the main form of cholesterol excretion. Gallstones or cholelithiasis form when the balance of substances within the hepatobiliary tract favors supersaturation with crystal formation and gallstone formation. It is a dynamic state of affairs as gallstones can form and also have a high rate of resorption of up to 50%. Gallstones 3 mm are called gallstones.
Gallstones, while not as common as adult popul...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - January 4, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
MassDevice.com +3 | The top 3 medtech stories for September 29, 2015
Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 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.
3. House advances reconciliation bill to dismantle Obamacare
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means said yesterday it is advancing legislation targeting the Affordable Care Act with a provision to repeal the medical device tax.
The legislation will operate through a budget ...
Source: Mass Device - September 29, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: MassDevice Tags: News Well Plus 3 Source Type: news
Boston Scientific launches Captivator EMR device
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) said today it launched the Captivator endoscopic mucosal resection device designed as a minimally-invasive alternative to esophagectomy procedures.
The Captivator allows for staging and removal of precancerous tissue and early esophageal cancer in the upper gastrointestinal tract, the Marlborough, Mass.-based company said.
The device gives operating physicians a 360 degree view of the esophagus and can be used with accessory devices that can be used to “manage potential complications quickly,” the company said.
“The Captivator EMR Device provides improved endoscopic visual...
Source: Mass Device - September 29, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Endoscopic / Arthroscopic Otolaryngology Ear, Nose & Throat Surgical Boston Scientific Source Type: news
Boston Scientific Launches The Captivator EMR Device To Treat Diseases Of The Upper GI Tract
Boston Scientific Corporation has announced the launch of the Captivator EMR Device for Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR), a minimally invasive alternative to an esophagectomy, a surgical procedure that removes part of the esophagus in upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract cases. (Source: Medical Design Online News)
Source: Medical Design Online News - September 29, 2015 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: news
Upper GI Endoscopy: Greatly Overused? (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) -- One-third of procedures deviated from guidelines, one center finds. (Source: MedPage Today Primary Care)
Source: MedPage Today Primary Care - July 20, 2015 Category: Primary Care Source Type: news
Lower-cost procedure for children with digestive tract problems
Physicians have published research that suggests a safe and lower-cost way to diagnose and treat problems in the upper gastrointestinal tract of children. The researchers assessed the effectiveness of unsedated transnasal endoscopy (TNE) in evaluating pediatric patients with potentially chronic problems in their esophagus, which is the tube that connects the patient's mouth to the stomach. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - July 15, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
Illustrated case report of phenol exposure
Phenol
3.5 out of 5 stars
Phenol Toxicity Following Cutaneous Exposure to Creolin®:A Case Report. Vearrier D et al. J Med Toxicol 2015 Jun;11:227-231.
Abstract
This paper is worth looking at for the excellent color photographs of the partial thickness skin burns induced by exposure to Creolin®, which contains carbolic acid (phenol), sodium hydroxide, and isopropanol.
A 9-year-old girl was brought to the emergency department because of respiratory distress and unresponsiveness. Symptoms came on quickly and started within 4 minutes of the mother pouring 8 oz Creolin® over the patients hair in an attempt to get rid of hea...
Source: The Poison Review - June 18, 2015 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical coagulative necrosis creolin phenol surface burn Source Type: news
Computer-assisted sedation reduces patient recovery time by almost 20 percent
(Digestive Disease Week) Use of computer-assisted propofol sedation for routine upper endoscopy and colonoscopy reduced recovery room time by almost 20 percent, according to a study released today at Digestive Disease Week® 2015. The study, conducted by researchers at Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Wash., showed the process yielded a better recovery experience than the commonly used combination of midazolam and fentanyl. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - May 19, 2015 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Three Things You Should Know Before Your Endoscopy
The recent news story about patients at UCLA medical center developing a life-threatening infection has been shocking. Two of seven infected patients died from the nightmare bacteria carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) after an ordinary medical device was used to inspect their digestive system. In this specific case, a type of endoscope called a duodenoscope was used to perform the procedure. Although the design of the duodenoscope largely carried the blame, the medical community should now be looking to make all types of upper endoscopy safer, because many of them have been implicated in other outbreaks of dange...
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - February 27, 2015 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Steve Brozak Source Type: news
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2.5 out of 5 stars
Evaluation of Residual Toxic Substances in the Stomach Using Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy for Management of Patients With Oral Drug Overdose on Admission. Miyauchi M et al. Medicine 2015 Jan;94:e463
Abstract
Despite many flaws, this paper has some interesting data that the authors use to come to exactly the wrong conclusion.
The authors studied patients presenting with oral non-liquid drug overdose. Using endoscopy they classified the contents of the stomach as: 1) tablet/food phase; 2) soluble/fluid phase; and 3) reticular/empty phase.(I’m not clear on the precise meaning of a “tablet/f...
Source: The Poison Review - February 24, 2015 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical gastric empyting gastric lavage gastrointestinal decontamination Source Type: news
Manhattan Clinic That Treated Joan Rivers Will Lose Federal Funding
Yorkville Endoscopy has failed to correct the deficiencies implicated in Ms. Rivers’s death, according to a letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - January 12, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS Tags: Medicare Cohen, Lawrence B Rivers, Joan Health Insurance and Managed Care Yorkville Endoscopy Upper East Side (Manhattan, NY) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Source Type: news
New Research Study by the Mayo Clinic Finds Sedation-Free TNE With EndoSheath(R) Technology May Provide an Effective Alternative to Standard Upper Endoscopy Procedures
(Source: Medical News (via PRIMEZONE))
Source: Medical News (via PRIMEZONE) - December 29, 2014 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
SEDASYS Computer-Assisted Propofol Sedation System Rolling Out in U.S.
SEDASYS, a division of Ethicon, itself part of J&J, is releasing the SEDASYS Computer-Assisted Personalized Sedation (CAPS) System in the U.S. market. The device is intended for delivery of propofol (1% (10 mg/mL) injectable emulsion) by non-anesthesiologist clinicians when performing colonoscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy procedures.
The technology allows administration of minimal to moderate amounts of propofol during upper and lower GI endoscopies and for monitoring of patient sedation. According to the company, only adult ASA class I and II patients are eligible to receive propofol via SEDASYS.
The SEDASYS Sys...
Source: Medgadget Anesthesiology - October 14, 2014 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Editors Tags: Anesthesiology GI Source Type: news
Do pediatric patients require endoscopy after ingesting a laundry pod?
3 out of 5 stars
Laundry Detergent Pod Ingestions: Is There a Need for Endoscopy? Smith E et al. J Med Toxicol 2014 Sep;10(3):286-91
Abstract
The authors never answer their title question definitively, but you wouldn’t expect that they’d be able to on the basis of this small case series and the limited data published to date.
Ingestion of laundry detergent pod (LDP) ingredients can present with manifestations affecting a number of systems:
Gastrointestinal
Pulmonary
Neurological
Metabolic
The paper presents 3 cases of pediatric LDP ingestion in patients ages 13 months to 3 years. Presenting signs and sympt...
Source: The Poison Review - September 8, 2014 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical caustic ingestion esophageal stricture laundry pod detergent Source Type: news
