It figures. I head out of town and the cardiovascular news world erupts:
Dick Cheney gets a heart transplant
The week in review – vacation style
Organ Transplant
Florida cancer docs, treatment centers sued for $3.5 million in Medicare fraud | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The U.S. Government accused 2 Florida radiation oncologists and a group of treatment centers of defrauding state and government health programs for more than $3.5 million by conducting unnecessary procedures and lying about them.
Since at least December 2007 and continuing through October 2011 the defendants allegedly billed Medicare and other health services for "unreasonable, unnecessary, or medically improper radiation diagnosis treatments provided to patients without complying with the regulations, protocols, and requirements for reimbursement."
Breast cancer: Ultrasound-guided surgery bests “blind” tumor removal | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Ultrasound-guided breast tumor removal proved "much more successful" than standard surgery in excising all cancerous tissue while leaving as much healthy tissue as possible, according to a report unveiled at the European Breast Cancer Conference last week.
Researchers expect their findings to reform the standard of care for palpable breast tumors, or those that can be felt, according to a press release.
Diabetes: Yale and Medistem partner on Type I diabetes stem cell treatment | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Medistem Inc. (PINK:MEDS) partnered with Yale University on diabetes treatment using stem cells to generate pancreatic islets from endometrial regenerative cells.
Pancreatic islets effectively treated diabetes in animal models, and Medistem is also studying ERCs as therapy for critical limb ischemia and congestive heart failure, both complications of uncontrolled diabetes.
First U.S. patient to get stem cell trachea transplant dies
Christopher Lyles, the 1st U.S. patient and the 2nd worldwide to receive a stem cell trachea transplant, died this month of unknown causes.
Lyles received an experimental trachea grown from his own stem cells and cultivated in a bioreactor made by Harvard Bioscience (NSDQ:HBIO) in November 2011.
MassDevice.com Q&A: Paragonix looks for a better way to transplant organs
Does a donated heart or kidney deserve fancier digs than a ham sandwich? The folks at Paragonix Technologies think so.
The Cambridge Mass.-based startup just landed a $710,000 accelerator loan from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to support development efforts for its Sherpa organ transport devices.
Mass. Life Sciences Center awards $2.2M to 3 local startups
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awarded a total of $2.2 million in loans to 3 Boston-area life sciences startups – Allurion Technologies, Paragonix Technologies and Intelligent Bio-Systems.
The quasi-public agency’s flagship Accelerator Program provides loans up to $750,000 to early-stage life sciences companies as a part of Massachusetts’ 10 year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative.
Mass. Life Sciences Center awards $2.2M to 3 local startups | Funding Roundup
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awarded a total of $2.2 million in loans to 3 Boston-area life sciences startups – Allurion Technologies, Paragonix Technologies and Intelligent Bio-Systems.
The quasi-public agency’s flagship Accelerator Program provides loans up to $750,000 to early-stage life sciences companies as a part of Massachusetts’ 10 year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative.
FDA approves Berlin Heart pediatric heart pump | Regulatory Roundup
Berlin Heart’s Excor pediatric VAD
The FDA granted a humanitarian device exemption to Berlin Heart’s Excor pediatric ventricular assist device, after a unanimous recommendation from the federal watchdog agency’s Circulatory System Devices Advisory Panel.
The pediatric VAD is a mechanical cardiac assist device for critically ill pediatric patients suffering from severe heart failure. The system supports patients from newborns to teenagers, helping to keep them alive while they’re awaiting heart transplantation.
Diabetes: Artificial pancreas stalled by safety debate | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Safety concerns by the FDA have stalled the development of an artificial pancreas to treat Type I diabetes.
Advocates of the artificial pancreas have been calling for the federal watchdog agency to issue a clear guidance for months and they could get an answer as early as this afternoon.
Medicare: Pols propose visions for health care reform
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — As a federal appeals court prepares today to consider a pair of challenges to the health care law, Beltway legislators are unveiling their visions for reforming the American health care system.
The proposals range from President Barack Obama’s landmark Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act to a radical plan to spike Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare and replace them with a single-payer system run by the states.
