Archive for October 2015
Back Pain Eased with Early Physical Therapy After Injury
(Reuters Health) – Starting physical therapy right after lower back pain begins may provide relief sooner compared to doing nothing, but makes little difference over the long term, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers followed more than 200 patients with recent onset of lower back pain for a year, randomly assigning them to receive either physical…
Read MoreAvita Medical sends devices and personnel to help treat mass burn victims in Taiwan
Avita Medical Ltd., a regenerative medicine company specializing in the treatment of wounds and skin defects, today announced that doctors in Taiwan have reported positive results from using ReCell® to treat burn victims of June’s waterpark disaster, with medics saying they have seen superior wound closure and better outcomes. A total of 12 people have…
Read MoreFDA: Theranos peddling “uncleared medical devices”MedCity News
One of Theranos’ top defenses against the Wall Street Journal‘s incisive exposé has been its good standing with the Food and Drug Administration. Well, looks like that’s crumbling. The FDA has said that Theranos’ “nanotainers” are actually “uncleared medical devices” that are being wrongfully shipped across state lines. These nanotainers, to be clear, are the tiny vials pictured above…
Read MoreIs Medtech Holding the Future of Wireless Power?
Eight years after it was founded with MIT-based technology, WiTricity appears ready for the bigtime with its wireless resonant energy transfer system, which is based on finely tuned oscillating magnetic fields between coils at a distance. WiTricity (Watertown, MA) has an agreement with Intel to power computing devices over a distance without a cord. And…
Read MoreQuitting Cigarettes Before Surgery Risky
MONTREAL — Quitting smoking before lung surgery is a good thing, but doing it too soon before the procedure might not be, a researcher said here. In a single-institution cohort, patients who quit smoking within a month of their thoracoscopic lobectomy to treat lung cancer had more complications than those with a longer time off…
Read MoreRobotic Surgeries Positioned to Surge Over Next Five Years
U.S. surgeons predict a big increase in robot-assisted surgeries over the next five years, especially for colorectal and hernia procedures, according to a survey by RBC Capital Markets. About 15% of surgeries today involve the use of robots, and the figure could hit 35% in five years and 41% in 10 years, the survey indicates.…
Read MoreEU drugs agency recommends suspension of Medtronic implant
Europe’s medicines regulator has recommended the suspension of Medtronic Plc’s InductOs, an implant to help bone development, pending the resolution of issues at a U.S. plant where a sponge used in the implant is made. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it began a review of InductOs after an inspection in April by Dutch and…
Read MoreMeat Is Linked to Higher Cancer Risk, W.H.O. Report Finds
An international panel of experts convened by the World Health Organization concluded Monday that eating processed meat like hot dogs, ham and bacon raises the risk of colon cancer and that consuming other red meats “probably” raises the risk as well. But the increase in risk is so slight that experts said most people should…
Read MoreIntuitive Surgical and Trumpf Medical Team Up to Address Hospitals’ Need for Operating Room Integration
Intuitive Surgical and Trumpf Medical are now offering Integrated Table Motion for the da Vinci® Xi® Surgical System in Europe. This first-of-its-kind product includes the latest Intuitive Surgical robotic-assisted surgical system and Trumpf Medical’s advanced operating table, the TruSystem® 7000dV. The surgical system and table have been seamlessly integrated to allow surgeons and anesthesiologists –…
Read MoreStroke in marijuana users linked to arterial stenosis
The new study, the first to investigate differences in stroke between marijuana users and non-users, found that ischemic strokes in young adults who use marijuana are more likely to result from stenosis, or narrowing of the arteries in the skull, than strokes in non-users. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the US.…
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