MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Headlines are abuzz over GOP candidate Rick Perry’s unusual decision to undergo a controversial and perhaps legally problematic stem cell therapy to treat his bad back.
Perry opted to have stem cells taken from fat in his back via liposuction, cultured in a lab and injected into his bloodstream in a procedure that is not yet determined safe or effective.
The procedure, which some doctors called brave and others deemed irresponsible, falls into a regulatory gray area because, while the watchdog agency doesn’t oversee how doctors practice medicine, the cells themselves may fit the definition of a medical product that should have gone through agency review prior to human use, the Associated Press reported.
Military weighs the switch to tablets for battlefield medical care
Army field medics may soon turn in their handheld devices for shiny new iPads, citing an imperviousness to sand and more robust health application platform, Health IT Update reported.
New "bionic" leg is no drag
A new leg prosthetic developed at Vanderbilt University utilizes synchronized knee and ankle joints that give the wearer a more natural gait with less of the "leg-dragging" of conventional artificial legs, according to a press release.
Medics use capnography to successfully revive a man after 96 minutes
Medics successfully revived a man whose heart stopped for more than an hour and a half using a technology called capnography that measures the carbon dioxide expelled with each breath, helping them determine whether CPR efforts were successful in maintaining circulation, NPR reported.
Deep brain stimulation without implants may provide relief for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy
A non-invasive magnetic field therapy may be able to provide patients with drug-resistant epilepsy with relief from seizures, according to a press release.