Researchers offered mixed messages on the safety and effectiveness of Covidien (NYSE:COV) subsidiary ev3 Inc.’s Pipeline embolization device, lauding the system as an option for patients with aneurysms that may not otherwise be treatable but warning of a significant risk of serious complications.
Research & Development
Boston Scientific enrolls 1st patient in new biliary duct stenting trial
Medical device company Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) enrolled its 1st patient in a new study evaluating its WallFlex Biliary RX fully covered self-expanding stents, part of the WallFlex suite of stents which the company says "is the most frequently implanted biliary metal stent worldwide."
TransMedics notches 1st U.S. “breathing lung” transplant
Organ-transport system maker TransMedics notched a U.S. 1st in accommodating a "breathing lung" transplant at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical center.
Using the same technology that made possible the "heart in a box" experiment, in which a donor heart was delivered warm and beating to a recipient rather than frozen in an ice cooler, doctors implanted a 57-year-old man with a functioning and "breathing" lung delivered in TransMedics’ Organ Care System.
Mixed messages on the merits of mammograms
The latest published research on mammogram use and breast cancer trends in the U.S. offered mixed messages for women who must navigate betwen the dangers of missing mammograms as well as for getting over-treated as a result of them.
A new study released by the Radiological Society of North America warned that new federal recommendations regarding breast cancer screening could result in skipped mammograms and missed cancers.
Largest yet AAA study finds no long-term mortality benefit for endovascular over open surgery
The latest results from the largest study to date comparing open and endovascular surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair found no difference in long-term survival between the procedures.
The findings called into question the benefit of offering endovascular AAA repair to patients who are too sick to undergo open surgery.
Non-surgical sunken chest treatment device may eliminate surgery
Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, a research center for chest-wall deformities and a training site for surgeons, performed 2 non-surgical vacuum procedures to correct a common chest deformity called pectus excavatum, also known as sunken chest syndrome.
The vacuum bell device, uses sustained pressure similar to those used in body shops to pop out dents, marked its 1st human use of a non-surgical pectus device, according to a press release.
Cordis unveils 1-year results for its Incraft AAA stent graft system
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary Cordis this month unveiled 1-year clinical findings from a study of its Incraft AAA stent graft system in treating abdominal aortic aneurysms.
The Incraft AAA system is under investigation through the company’s multi-center, prospective, non-randomized INNOVATION study in AAA patients, according to a press release.
Boston Scientific: Better heart implant programming means fewer unnecessary shocks
Changes to programming in pacemakers and defibrillators could significantly cut down on inappropriate shocking and reduce mortality risks for patients, according to a Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) study.
A pacemaker powered by a heartbeat | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — University of Michigan engineers believe they have developed a battery system that can power a pacemaker or other implantable cardiac device using the electrical energy generated by a beating heart.
In lab experiments using a prototype system and a heartbeat simulator, the device generated far more than enough power to support a modern pacemaker, according to a press release.
The researchers hope to incorporate their technology into commercial pacemakers, but have a ways yet to go. The next step involves implanting the so-called "energy harvester."
Research: MindChild and Oxford agree to work on fetal and maternal monitoring
North Andover, Mass.-based startup MindChild Medical landed a research partnership with Oxford University dedicated to developing signal processing software with MindChild’s Meridian, a non-invasive fetal heart rate data monitor.
TAVI: Mixed results for Edwards’ Sapien valve in latest Partner analysis
Newly unveiled results from Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) transcatheter aortic valve studies showed mixed results for its Sapien TAVI system when compared with surgical aortic valve replacement.