News • Post-viral condition
'Don't call it long-Covid'? It's not that simple
A recent suggestion to stop using the term ‘long-Covid’ may have been well-intentioned, but could ultimately do more harm than good, experts point out.
Search for: "chronic pain" - 167 articles found
News • Chronic inflammatory disease
"Frozen shoulder" holds key to understanding fibrosis resolution
Researchers have identified how cells work to resolve "frozen shoulder", a painful and disabling condition affecting the ligaments that form the shoulder joint capsule.
News • Neurology research
New study: Restoring lost brain function after stroke
Neurobiologists in Sweden have discovered a way to partially restore communication between nerve cells in the brain after a stroke. This could lead to future treatments, the researchers say.
News • Three times faster
Magnetic gel to speed up healing of diabetic wounds
Chronic wounds in diabetes patients are often slow to heal, which can lead to serious infections and even limb amputation. Now, researchers propose to address this with a magnetic wound-healing gel.
News • New assessment method
AI system could help detect patients’ pain before, during and after surgery
An automated pain recognition system using artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise as an unbiased method to detect pain in patients before, during and after surgery.
News • Replacement of unnecessary medicines
Are placebos fair game in healthcare? New study confirms
Using placebos in primary care to reduce overprescribing, conserve existing antibiotics and limit further resistance, is publicly acceptable, a new study shows.
News • Q&A on research, diagnosis, treatment
Endometriosis: More than just ‘painful periods’
Endometriosis, which can cause debilitating pain each menstrual cycle, as well as infertility, is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. An expert from Yale Medicine sheds light on the condition.
News • Deep learning in imaging
Earlier detection of diabetes through chest x-rays and AI
A new AI model finds that x-ray images collected during routine medical care can provide warning signs for diabetes, even in patients who don’t meet the guidelines for elevated risk.
News • Dermatology prototype
3D skin bioprinting shows potential for eczema treatment
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed a 3D prototype of human skin bioprinted to model inflammatory skin disease such as atopic dermatitis — more commonly known as eczema.
News • Women's health
Cadmium levels in urine linked to endometriosis
Women with a history of endometriosis had higher concentrations of cadmium in their urine compared to those without that diagnosis, a new study finds, linking the toxic metal to the condition.
News • New printing method
Self-folding 4D electrodes enhance nerve stimulation
Using 4D printing technology, researchers have developed flexible electrodes. On contact with moisture, they automatically fold and wrap themselves around thin nerves.
News • UK research findings
Digital health tools could prevent hundreds of thousands A&E admissions
UK researchers find that digital health products, e.g. health apps, could make a substantial contribution to tackling NHS urgent care pressures, by keeping patients out of hospital in the first place.
News • Sars-CoV-2 infection sequelae
From over 200 to 12 symptoms: Study sharpens definition of "Long Covid"
A study led by the National Institutes of Health’s RECOVER Initiative and supported by NYU Langone Health provides an expanded working definition of long Covid.
News • Promising biomarker found
Who will develop long Covid? It's in the blood
New research has found molecular signature differences in the blood of patients who fully recover from Covid-19 and those who develop long Covid.
Article • Good-bye “surgery first”
Interventional radiology: out of the shadow and into the light
Using imaging guidance, interventional radiology – a sub-discipline of diagnostic imaging – allows targeted and ultraprecise diagnostic and therapeutic procedures without anesthesia and without large incisions. Nevertheless, surgery continues to be widely considered the procedure of choice, making interventional radiology the Cinderella of the discipline. Professor Dr. Marco Das, Medical…
News • Novel therapeutic strategy
Chemogenetics for the treatment of challenging epilepsy cases
Scientists from Japan demonstrated, for the first time, a successful chemogenetic suppression of widespread epileptic seizures in macaque monkeys. Their findings represent an essential step towards clinical trials, and effective treatment for patients with severe epilepsy.
News • Unjustified disparities
Sensitive women, stoical men? How gender stereotypes sabotage medical pain treatment
Stereotypical gender notions can affect how healthcare staff treat people in pain. This, in turn, may result in medically unjustified disparities in treatment of men and women, or “gender bias.”
News • Evaluation of high- and low dose therapy regimens
Knee osteoarthritis: Every bit of exercise helps, but...
Both high and low dose exercise therapy have beneficial effects in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. However, a new Swedish study shows that, sometime, more can indeed be more.
News • Key findings in perivascular spaces
Ultra-high-res MRI reveals how migraine changes the brain
For the first time, a new study has identified enlarged perivascular spaces in the brains of migraine sufferers. Results of the study will be presented at the annual RSNA meeting.
Article • “Taiwan Excellence” at Medica 2022
Sustainable solutions for post-pandemic healthcare
Innovative gastrointestinal imaging, medical panel PCs with hygiene optimisation, smartphone-based diagnostic tools, and sustainable hardware setups: At Medica 2022, manufacturers from Taiwan again showed their capability to adapt and provide solutions for a world radically changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the “Taiwan Excellence” banner, outstanding products from the island nation’s…
Article • Home-based assessment
How ‘smart’ weighing scales can help monitor health
Innovative smart weighing scales are adding a new dimension to home monitoring for healthcare. By collecting data via sensors and proprietary technology as people stand on them, the scales can assess health metrics to give users more precise measurements for a deeper understanding of their body.
News • Assessing bone quality via blood sampling
New device for diagnosing bone fragility
A new device for diagnosing bone fragility invented by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has been approved for marketing in the European Economic Area and Switzerland. The device is based on a new approach to assessing bone quality via blood sampling.
News • Covid-19
Preparing for another outbreak
What will the next pandemic look like? Health officials from across the globe gathered in Geneva in late August at a World Health Organization meeting to focus on how lessons learned from Covid-19 might best prepare civilization for the "next one."
News • Hopeful study
A noninvasive way to diagnose endometriosis
Women can suffer for years with the debilitating pain and medical complications of endometriosis without a diagnosis. Now, researchers believe they may be able to diagnose the condition using just menstrual blood.
Sponsored • PJI risk mitigation
Arthroplasty: Avoiding infection and revisions in high-risk patients
The main goal of arthroplasty is to relieve pain, improve and restore joint function and recover quality of life. Periprosthetic joint infection remains a complication that has to be taken seriously.
News • Coronavirus infection
Hair and libido loss: list of 'Long Covid' symptoms grows
Long Covid sufferers have experienced a wider set of symptoms than previously thought including hair loss and sexual dysfunction, new research has found.
News • Neurodiversity
Autism-friendly MRI, for more inclusive medical imaging
Dr Christina Malamateniou spoke to The European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology about the recent review she led to help make MRI brain scans more accessible to autistic people.
Article • Extended reality
The application of XR in mental health care
Mental disorders are among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide, and the demand for a viable solution to battle the mental health crisis has risen. The past two decades have witnessed the emergence of extended reality (XR) as a tool for investigation, assessment, and management in mental healthcare.
News • Coronavirus complications
Covid-19 infection linked to higher risk of neuropathy
Researchers have found another long-term complication associated with Covid-19 infections: peripheral neuropathy during and following their bouts with the virus.
Article • Endoculus
Robotic ‘mini-tank’ to enhance colonoscopy techniques
A miniature colonoscopy robot on tank-like treads, which carries a camera and uses other small surgical tools, could have clear benefits for both patients and endoscopists.
News • Brachytherapy side-effects
Countering skin damage from cancer radiation therapy with light
Light therapy may accelerate the healing of skin damage from radiation therapy by up to 50%, according to a recent University at Buffalo-led study.
News • Non-invasive indicator
3D-printed sensor 'sniffs' wound infection, changes colour
Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast have invented a tiny indicator that changes colour if a patient’s wound shows early signs of infection.
Article • Physicians forecast benefits for healthcare providers and patients
The impact of technology in 2030
How will digital technology impact healthcare in 2030? If challenges to acceptance and utilisation can be overcome, healthcare providers and patients will benefit significantly, according to physicians participating in a recent online seminar on this topic.
News • Multiple biomarker detection
Smart bandage shows promise for chronic wound monitoring
A research team led by Professor Lim Chwee Teck from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech), in collaboration with clinical partners from Singapore General Hospital, has developed a smart wearable sensor that can conduct real-time, point-of-care assessment of chronic wounds wirelessly…
News • 3D microelectrodes
Promising approach for pain relief without side effects
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a completely new stimulation method, using ultra-thin microelectrodes, to combat severe pain. This provides effective and personalised pain relief without the common side effects from pain relief drugs. The study, which was conducted on rats, has been published in the research journal Science Advances.
News • Virtual insights
World's first augmented reality neuromodulation spinal surgery
The first augmented reality (AR) spinal surgery in the world has taken place at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). Surgeons at NNUH utilised the latest video technology and augmented reality (AR) googles with the assistance of a neurosurgical colleague in Wales providing extra support with a complex spinal cord stimulation procedure. The NNUH is one of the biggest neuromodulation…
News • For discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch
Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 was awarded jointly to two scientists who made important discoveries regarding our receptors for temperature and touch. Our ability to sense heat, cold and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interaction with the world around us. In our daily lives we take these sensations for granted, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that…
Video • Innovative approach
Osteoarthritis: Nasal cartilage relieves knee pain
Cartilage cells from the nasal septum can not only help repair cartilage injuries in the knee, they can also withstand the chronic inflammatory tissue environment in osteoarthritis and even counteract the inflammation – according to researchers from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel.
News • Orthopaedics
Iliac crest reconstruction: 15 patients recruited into GreenBRIC study
GreenBone Ortho, a company specialising in bone regeneration, announces that it has achieved its aim of recruiting 15 patients into the GreenBRIC study. GreenBRIC study is a prospective, open label, single-arm, First-in-Human clinical investigation, in male and female patients, aged between 18 and 70 years, undergoing surgery to correct bone defects using GreenBone Implant, specifically for iliac…
News • Promising approach
Shape-changing implants could help treat severe back pain
A team of engineers and clinicians has developed an ultra-thin, inflatable device that can be used to treat the most severe forms of pain without the need for invasive surgery. The device, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, uses a combination of soft robotic fabrication techniques, ultra-thin electronics and microfluidics.
News • Advanced care
This 'smart' wound dressing monitors the healing process with built-in sensors
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have developed smart wound dressings with built-in nanosensors that glow to alert patients when a wound is not healing properly. The multifunctional, antimicrobial dressings feature fluorescent sensors that glow brightly under UV light if infection starts to set in and can be used to monitor healing progress.
News • Parkinson’s disease
An algorithm for next-gen deep brain stimulation devices
Brown University researchers have developed a technique that could allow deep brain stimulation devices to sense activity in the brain and adjust stimulation accordingly.
News • Headache
Chronic migraine: potential novel treatment discovered
By discovering a potential new cellular mechanism for migraines, researchers may have also found a new way to treat chronic migraine. Amynah Pradhan, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago, is the senior author of the study, whose goal was to identify a new mechanism of chronic migraine, and propose a cellular pathway for migraine therapies. The study, “Neuronal…
News • Lasting impact
COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of death
A major study from the Washington University School of Medicine details numerous long-term effects of COVID-19, pointing to massive health burden.
News • Microneedles
No more needles for bloodtests?
Blood draws are no fun. They hurt. Veins can burst, or even roll — like they’re trying to avoid the needle, too. Oftentimes, doctors use blood samples to check for biomarkers of disease: antibodies that signal a viral or bacterial infection, such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, or cytokines indicative of inflammation seen in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and…
News • Crossing the blood-brain barrier
Nanoparticle drug-delivery system to treat brain disorders
In the past few decades, researchers have identified biological pathways leading to neurodegenerative diseases and developed promising molecular agents to target them. However, the translation of these findings into clinically approved treatments has progressed at a much slower rate, in part because of the challenges scientists face in delivering therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier (BBB)…
Article • A technique evolves
Cardiac CT: a diagnostic jack-of-all-trades
According to Professor Fabian Bamberg, Medical Director at the Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at University Hospital Freiburg, Germany, ‘In recent years, cardiac CT has seen a mindboggling technological evolution.’ It is, he believes, a very robust procedure that allows the routine acquisition of high-resolution images with very few side effects.
Article • Improving diagnosis
Multiparametric ultrasound finds causes for male infertility
Infertility has long been attributed to women alone, but medical advances have shown it really is a couple’s problem, with 20% of couples presently having trouble conceiving. Medical imaging, in particular ultrasound, can help identify underlying causes of men’s infertility and other related health issues, an Italian radiologist explained during the last European Congress of Radiology.
Video • List by top clinicians and researchers
Top 10 medical innovations for 2021
An up-and-coming gene therapy for blood disorders. A new class of medications for cystic fibrosis. Increased access to telemedicine. These are some of the innovations that will enhance healing and change healthcare in the coming year, according to a distinguished panel of clinicians and researchers from Cleveland Clinic. In conjunction with the 2020 Medical Innovation Summit, Cleveland Clinic…
Article • One year as Senhance reference centre
Robotic system supports surgeons and increases patient safety
In August 2019, the Evangelische Krankenhaus Wesel (EVK) was the first hospital in the Lower Rhine region in Germany to invest in a robotic system for abdominal surgery. In the beginning, the Senhance® Surgical Robotic System, developed by TransEnterix, was used for minimally invasive interventions in general surgery but today its field of application has widened considerably. The EVK team is…
News • Joint study shows
Endoprothetic risk: Metals from implants can accumulate in bone tissue
Using highly complex analytical techniques, a group of researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin were able to observe in detail how different metals are released from joint implants and accumulate in the surrounding bone tissue. Findings showed a steady release of metals from various implant components. In contrast to previous assumptions, this was not related to the degree of…
News • Anti-inflammation
Can special coatings reduce complications after implant surgery?
New coatings on implants could help make them more compatible. Researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have developed a new method of applying anti-inflammatory substances to implants in order to inhibit undesirable inflammatory reactions in the body. Their study was recently published in the "International Journal of Molecular Sciences".
News • Sex bias
Is pain research turning a blind eye on women?
Females process pain differently, but search for pain medication still based on hypotheses drawn from work in males, a study from Canada finds. It is increasingly clear that male and female humans and rodents process pain in different ways. And that there are important differences in the underlying mechanisms involved at genetic, molecular, cellular, and physiological levels. Despite this fact,…
News • Classification
Researchers get a common language to describe pain
Pain researchers around the world have agreed to classify pain in the mouth, jaw and face according to the same system; according to a Danish participant, this means more precise diagnoses and improved treatment.
Article • Mammacarcinoma screening
Breast cancer: Simply monitoring might be best
Breast cancer screening is a well-designed and scientifically proven, evidence-based procedure, but has pitfalls such as under-detection and over-diagnosis. Surgery or radiotherapy may have serious consequences on health and must therefore be administered in carefully selected patients.
News • Diabetic feet prevention
Smart insole detects signs of foot ulcer
Stevens Institute of Technology has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Bonbouton, giving the company the right to use and further develop a graphene sensing system that detects early signs of foot ulcers before they form, so diabetic patients can access preventative healthcare and manage their health.
Sponsored • KUKA Innovation Award
Five Healthy Living finalists selected
Augsburg, Bavaria – Five teams of robotics specialists are finalists in the KUKA Innovation Award 2019 competition. Established in 2014, the Award focuses on medical robotics for the first time, Dr Rainer Bischoff, Vice President Corporate Research at KUKA, one of the judges of the award, explained. Around thirty talented robotics teams from all over the world submitted their concepts and an…
News • Cognitive chemical manufacturing
‘Lab-bot’ could revolutionise hunt for cancer drugs
A robot-controlled laboratory where decisions are made by artificial intelligence will change the way new drugs are discovered, says a leading researcher. The engineer leading a project to develop a prototype "lab-bot" says it will reduce the time it takes to identify and synthesise molecules for new medicines – a process that can take years as scientists refine the shape and property…
News • When painkillers won't help
A new approach to pancreas pain treatment
One of the worst symptoms associated with inflammation or cancer of the pancreas is severe chronic pain. Pancreatic pain is difficult to treat, because many painkillers prove ineffective in pancreatic patients. In a recent study, a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) discovered the cause of this phenomenon for the first time: a particular neuroenzyme in the body is present in the…
News • New ideas
MEDICA becomes number one trade fair for health start-ups
Healthcare is going digital worldwide at an incredibly rapid pace. More and more applications for prevention, diagnostics and therapy are being made into apps (with matching hardware) for smartphones and tablets or are even available as wearables for direct use on the body. Digitalisation is also striding forward in Germany, where doctors, therapists and patients still take a fairly analogue…
News • In the skin
New 'pain organ' discovered
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a new sensory receptor organ that is able to detect painful mechanical damage, such as pricks and impacts. The discovery is being published in the scientific journal Science. Pain causes suffering and results in substantial costs for society. Almost one person in every five experiences constant pain and there is a considerable need to…
News • Hidden chemistry
This flower might hold the key to killing cancer cells
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have shown that it’s possible to produce a compound with anti-cancer properties directly from feverfew – a common flowering garden plant. The team was able to extract the compound from the flowers and modify it so it could be used to kill chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells in the laboratory. Feverfew is grown in many UK gardens, and also…
News • MCG motion capture
The world’s first precision motion analysis and digital care company
A team of seasoned European healthcare entrepreneurs announced the foundation of MCG motion capture GmbH (MCG), the world’s first precision motion analysis and digital care company. The team combines decades of expertise in the medtech, digital health and biopharmaceutical industry, including big data integration, analysis for decision support, and long-standing experience in clinical trials as…
Article • Improvement of cardiac care
Rapid myocardial infarction verification
The use of troponin assays to rule in or rule out myocardial infarction (MI) rapidly is critical on several levels. The quick result can reassure the patient that they have not had a heart attack and can return home safely; or, in the event of MI, the relevant treatment can start very soon. It also ensures that clinicians can make the right decision with confidence. Troponin levels have been the…
News • Women's health
Endometriosis: Antibiotic could be key to treatment
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found, in mice, that treatment with an antibiotic reduces the size of lesions caused by endometriosis. The researchers are planning a large, multicenter clinical trial to test the drug metronidazole in women who have the painful condition. The study is published online April 30 in the journal Human Reproduction.…
News • More than a symptom
Chronic pain: a real disease after all?
For the first time ever, chronic pain will be classified as a diagnosis in line with other diseases when the World Health Organization (WHO) approves the next catalogue of recognised diseases in May. According to Professor Peter Svensson from the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, this is very significant for the approx. 20% of the population who suffer from chronic pain. Working with top…
Article • Meeting of the generations
We need a Senior Laboratory
It’s undeniable: the bulk of our population is growing older. Yet, this demographic change has not altered laboratory medicine: the reference values for many analyses are still based on data of a younger cohort. Inevitably this could lead to serious errors in the interpretation of older patients’ test results.
News • Blood cell disorder
Promising results for new acute porphyria treatment
Acute porphyria is a group of uncommon diseases that can cause severe, potentially life-threatening attacks of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and paralysis. Liver transplantation is currently the only effective treatment available for the most seriously afflicted patients. A clinical trial conducted in collaboration with researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now shows that a new drug…
News • Cingulum stimulation
Laughter may be best medicine for brain surgery
Neuroscientists at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered a focal pathway in the brain that when electrically stimulated causes immediate laughter, followed by a sense of calm and happiness, even during awake brain surgery. The effects of stimulation were observed in an epilepsy patient undergoing diagnostic monitoring for seizure diagnosis. These effects were then harnessed to help…
Article • Endoprosthetics
Joint efforts: New guidelines for arthroplasty
According to the Swedish Knee Arthroplasty Register, knee arthroplasty – with a revision rate of five percent after ten years – is one of the most successful surgical interventions of the post-World War II decades. The most frequent reasons for revision are loosening or infections, whereas patient dissatisfaction is often caused by mobility impairment and pain. Since many adverse events are…
Article • Wound care
Healing helped by fish skin or bio-ink
Many methods to treat current or chronic wounds are available. However, the differences in general conditions prevailing in hospital, or for out-patient care, make effective therapy more difficult. Each patient also has other preconditions for healing. Improved communication between everyone involved in the treatment would benefit patients. We see a lot of progress with the issue of “wounds”,…
News • Electric wound care
This E-bandage could speed up wound healing
Skin has a remarkable ability to heal itself. But in some cases, wounds heal very slowly or not at all, putting a person at risk for chronic pain, infection and scarring. Now, researchers have developed a self-powered bandage that generates an electric field over an injury, dramatically reducing the healing time for skin wounds in rats. They report their results in ACS Nano. Chronic skin wounds…
News • Guselkumab vs Secukinumab
Psoriasis: New data point to improved treatment
The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced results from the ECLIPSE study demonstrating that Tremfya® (guselkumab) was superior to Cosentyx® (secukinumab)* in treating adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis for the primary endpoint assessed at week 48. Data from the multicentre, randomised, double-blind head-to-head Phase 3 study demonstrated that 84.5…
Article • Embracing the digital age
France simplifies healthcare
Successful pilot scheme means TERR-eSanté will be rolled out for the whole of the Ile-de-France. The French have a reputation as early adopters of telemedicine driven by the desire to modernise healthcare by the judicious use of the latest technology. The first ‘carte vitale’ (national health card) with a microchip was introduced in 1998. Since 2011, the information stored on the cards has…
Sponsored • Point-of-care
Improving the safety and quality of pediatric emergency care with POC ultrasound
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become an important adjunct to clinical diagnosis and procedural guidance in the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED), supported by literature demonstrating that its use can improve patient safety and expedite life-saving care. POCUS further helps to reduce costs and children’s exposure to ionizing radiation. Not only is POCUS ideally suited for…
News • Research
Path to deadly sepsis varies by bacterial infection
Sepsis remains a common and deadly condition that occurs when the body reacts to an infection in the bloodstream. Scientists know little about the early stages of the condition; however, physicians must act fast. Every hour that passes without one or more of the few treatments available increases the risk of death.
News • Infections
Reliable point-of-care blood test can help prevent toxoplasmosis
A recent study, performed in Chicago and Rabat, Morocco, found that a novel finger-prick test for infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy — and many other potential applications — is 100 percent sensitive and 100 percent specific for detecting the presence of this life-damaging microorganism.
News • Plaster
Self-adhesive drug-eluting patch to treat oralulcers
Until now ulcers inside the mouth have been treated using creams or mouthwashes for the whole mouth. A new biodegradable patch administers steroids directly to oral ulcers and forms a protective barrier. Scientists from the University of Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry, working in close collaboration with Dermtreat A/S from Copenhagen, have developed a unique patch using special…
News • Neurology
Next-gen EEG could help bring back lost brain function
SLAC and Stanford researchers are developing a device that combines electrical brain stimulation with EEG recording, opening potential new paths for treating neurological disorders. It could help bring back lost brain function by measuring how the brain responds to therapies that stimulate it with electric current.
Sponsored • Radiation garment
Zero-Gravity suspended radiation protection
In today’s operating rooms, increasing fluoroscopic procedures keep interventionists at work longer, wearing the hugely heavy lead aprons necessary for protection against radiation. Chronic back pain is often accepted as something that simply comes with the job. Relief has arrived at last in the form of Zero-Gravity, a suspended radiation protection system designed to increase radiation…
News • Uncommon causes
Abdominal pain? Try thinking outside the box
Early detection of mesenteric ischemia increases treatment options and the possibility of a full recovery, but the condition’s rarity may lead to a delay in diagnosis while more common causes of abdominal pain are explored. An article in the February 2018 issue of Critical Care Nurse (CCN) aims to heighten nurses’ knowledge of mesenteric ischemia and infarction (MI), which are infrequent but…
Sponsored • Innovation
The future of elastography rides on the shear wave
A practicing radiologist specialising in ultrasound, Pavlos Zoumpoulis MD PhD is also President and CEO of Diagnostic Echotomography, a day clinic based in Kifissia, Greece. The past President of the Hellenic Society of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology spoke with our European Hospital team about his experiences with the next-generation in shear wave elastography on Mindray’s Resona 7 platform.
Article • Electrospinning
Renewing the promise of bioabsorbable implants
Electrospun materials bring a spark of hope to a cardiovascular landscape darkened by setbacks for reabsorbable stents. It was famously said that implanting a device in a person to cure a disease is to implant a new disease. Simply put, the human body will continually fight against foreign materials, leading to chronic inflammations or repeated interventions.
News • Rheumatoid arthritis
Hibernation causes inflammation
A research team found that in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, a special cell population called innate lymphoid cells are in a state of hibernation which is why these patients suffer from persistent inflammation.
News • Laparoscopic surgery
New pancreatic transplant surgery approach successful
Surgeons at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that their first series of a minimally invasive procedure to treat chronic pancreas disease, known as severe pancreatitis, resulted in shorter hospital stays, less need for opioids and fewer complications, compared with standard surgical approaches.
News • Mindfulness
Meditation - a cheaper alternative to traditional pain medication?
Just ten minutes of mindfulness meditation could be used as an alternative to painkillers, according to research by Leeds Beckett University.
How does the body process pain? Study sheds new light
Currently available pain medications have limited efficacy and numerous side effects. New research, however, provides deeper insights into how our bodies process pain, paving the way for an innovative, more effective way of targeting chronic pain.
Sponsored • Point-of-care
The TUBE approach to perioperative point-of-care ultrasound
Anaesthetists working in perioperative medicine have increasingly taken a whole body approach to patient evaluation known as TUBE – Total Ultrasound Body Examination – thanks to the development of point-of-care ultrasound. Dr Christophe Aveline, Consultant Anaesthetist in critical care and surgery at the Sévigné Private hospital in Rennes, is an advocate of TUBE and works closely on its…
News • Infectious disease
Antibody removed: help with resistant bacteria
Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Newcastle University found that the unusual approach of removing antibodies from the blood stream reduced the effects of chronic infections, the requirement for days spent in hospital and the use of antibiotics.
News • Pain relief
Medasense Launches New Pain Monitoring Device, PMD200TM following European CE approval
New state-of-the-art technology helps clinicians provide personalised pain relief
News • Antibiotic-loaded bone cement
Reduction of infection risk in femoral head fractures by 66%
Good news for World Antibiotics Day on November 18th. As local substances carriers, antibiotic-loaded bone cements from Heraeus help in the battle against implant-associated infections in orthopaedics and trauma surgery to prevent infection. This is demonstrated by a new randomised study from Great Britain in which the use of double-loaded antibiotic bone cement following femoral head fracture…
Sponsored • Experience
25 years of point-of-care ultrasound in anaesthesia
Dr. Thomas Grau, Head of Anaesthesia, Surgery, Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Pain at the Gütersloh Clinic, first studied ultrasound for a PhD on spinal imaging at Heidelberg University Hospital in the 1990s. 25 years on, he reflects on the role point-of-care ultrasound now plays in anaesthesia.
Man develops hepatitis from consuming too many energy drinks
A 50-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with hepatitis, most likely due to his intake of 4-5 energy drinks every day for three weeks, reveal doctors writing in the journal BMJ Case Reports.
Article • Microsurgery
Lower limb trauma – reconstruction or amputation?
‘Amputation v. reconstruction’ – a vital issue – was debated by two leading surgeons during the Microsurgical Lower Limb Reconstruction session at the Advances and Controversies in Reconstructive Microsurgery (ACRM) 2016 conference, held in the United Kingdom this May. Consultant Plastic Surgeon Umraz Khan, from North Bristol NHS Trust presented a plastic surgeon’s view, while Ben…
Article • Epidemic
Ebola leaves a health legacy
First the good news: the most severe Ebola outbreak ever has been contained. Last December, Guinea, where the first infection was reported in late 2013, was declared free of Ebola cases. Liberia was considered free of Ebola in mid-January after no new case had been reported for 42 days (the WHO criterion for ‘free of Ebola’).
News • Discovery
Blueprint of body's heat sensor
Touch a hot stove, and your fingers will recoil in pain because your skin carries tiny temperature sensors that detect heat and send a message to your brain saying, "Ouch! That's hot! Let go!" The pain is real and it serves a purpose, otherwise we'd suffer greater injury. But for many people with chronic pain, that signal keeps getting sent for months or years, even when there is no…
Article • Politics
EU aims to avoid opioid epidemic
In the USA, there is already talk of an ‘opioid epidemic’. Whereas in the past 20 years some 100,000 people died directly or indirectly through prescribed opioids, reports indicate that more than 16,000 died in 2010 alone. Since the sales of opioid analgesics quadrupled between 1999 and 2010 recent debates have intensified surrounding the use of opioids for non-tumour-related pain in the USA,…
News • VenomKB
World's first therapeutic venom database
What doesn't kill you could cure you. A growing interest in the therapeutic value of animal venom has led a pair of Columbia University data scientists to create the first catalog of known animal toxins and their physiological effects on humans.
Article • Medication
Where pain relief is a matter of luck
Access to pain relieving medication varies greatly within Europe. ‘The availability and reimbursement of certain pain relieving medications for patients depends less on medical criteria than luck – living in the right country,’ declared Professor Hans Georg Kress, past president of the European Pain Federation EFIC, speaking in Vienna this September at the 9th EFIC Congress. Report:…
News • Arthritis
Modular partial wrist implant may help with pain
Studies are underway to determine if a new modular partial wrist replacement will allow for better movement and last longer than traditional implants for people seeking relief from painful wrist arthritis. Although current options such as total wrist replacement and wrist fusion can alleviate pain, patients are often limited in performing certain activities after surgery.
Antibiotic exposure could increase risk of juvenile arthritis
Taking antibiotics may increase the risk that a child will develop juvenile arthritis, according to a study from Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania and Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children published today in Pediatrics.
News • Diabetics and elderly
Ultrasound accelerates skin healing
Researchers from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Biomedical Science discovered the ultrasound transmits a vibration through the skin and wakes up cells in wounds helping to stimulate and accelerate the healing process.
Article • Politics
UK will cut non-essential medical care
Following up on European Hospital’s page one report (Issue 2: Cut prescriptions… Choose treatments wisely!) EH reports that the United Kingdom has also launched the campaign to help. Report: Mark Nicholls
Article • Cold plasma
Treatment out of a power socket
Electricity is not the only thing that should come out of an electrical socket; ideally so should cold atmospheric plasma, according to Dr Georg Daeschlein, at the Dermatology Department, University of Greifswald, who has investigated its medical properties for years. Report: Ralf Mateblowski
News • Communication
Negative patient-doctor communication could worsen symptoms
Doctors who unintentionally communicate to patients that they do not believe or understand them could actually make their symptoms worse, a new study suggests.
New trial to combat gonorrhoea
A Birmingham hospital trust is to lead a major research study over concerns that one of the commonest sexually transmitted infections is becoming resistant to current treatment.
eSMART: mobile phones help patients through chemotherapy treatment
Coping with the side effects of chemotherapy treatment is challenging for people with cancer. When fatigued or nauseous, it is not easy to assess if these conditions are acceptable treatment side effects or require medical assistance.
Only the sky’s the limit for future healthcare devices
About four years ago, Samsung Electronics Co. – specialist in electronic components and mobile phone sets, was recognised by its revenues as the world’s largest IT company, displacing Apple Inc.
Gathering to beat pain
This March, the Complesso Monumentale Santo Spirito in Sassia, Rome, was the unique and original venue for the 6th Annual SIMPAR Meeting, which aims to spread and support a wider scientific and cultural awareness of pain. Jane MacDougall interviewed Professor Massimo Allegri, President of organising committee, about the meeting and his own pain research projects.
Therapies for damaged intervertebral discs
‘No large incision, no scalpel and no sutures: Radiologically guided, minimally invasive procedures can help many patients with chronic pain when conservative procedures don’t work,’ said Professor Siegfried Thurnher, head of the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Vienna’s Hospital of St. John of God.
Quips and Pain Out provide worldwide pain data
Around 50% of surgical patients experience moderate to severe postoperative pain, and ‘minor’ surgery patients receive little pain care.
From MIS to optimally invasive cardiac surgery
Since minimally invasive surgery (MIS) entered cardiac surgery in the mid-1990s it became unthinkable not to use this medical specialty. However, MIS procedures do not always result in the best outcome for patients.
Pain is the point of departure for medical interaction
Pain is the point of departure of any medical interaction. When a body sends out pain signals to say that something is wrong, the person in pain will react – either by selfmedication or by consulting a physician.
EU doctors not ‘trained for pain’
Despite one in five EU citizens suffering chronic pain, doctors across Europe are woefully under-educated about pain management, according to a major EU survey unveiled at The European Pain Federation (EFIC) Congress, held in Florence, Italy (October 10th).
Chronic disease
There is a global shortage of doctors that is getting worse every year. With the demographic shift in many countries from a predominantly young to an increasing aging population, a steep increase in chronic disease is occurring.
Minimally invasive stents show some advantages over bypass
Compared to open bypass, stenting keeps circulation flowing longer in some patients, small study concludes.
The needs of European hospitals are similar
Procedures, financing and cultural philosophies can shape the difference, Michael Reiter, Mark Nicholls, Eduardo de la Sota, Jane MacDougall report
Save money: improve pain care in hospitals
Only individualised pharmacotherapy can maintain the quality of life for patients suffering from severe pain – and the benefit for the healthcare system is a resulting reduction in costs. A report by Anja Behringer.
Dose reduction for pregnant patients with thromboembolic disease
Suspicion of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a pregnant patient will quickly bring a radiologist to a choice, where the next step holds potentially significant consequences for both the mother and unborn child.
Imaging hip joint replacement
Ultrasound and radiography are helping to identify causes of failures and patient pain from hip joint replacements.
Administrators struggle to find cost savings in hygiene and many other areas
‘Before each ward round my students and I wash our hands’ – so said Ignaz Philip Semmelweis in the mid-19th century, in his drive to reduce the hospital mortality rate. Today, the World Health Organisation states that ‘Clean care is safer care’ – and yet, particularly in recent times, the lack of hygiene in numerous hospitals has resulted in mortalities. Who is to blame? What can be…
Migrants suffer pain more intensely
Cultural differences in pain perception and their consequences for pain therapy were discussed today at the 7th EFIC Congress: Pain in Europe VII. More than 4,000 experts from all over the world are currently gathered in Hamburg (D) to discuss the latest developments in pain research and therapy.
High-end ultrasound at Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Sahlgrenska University Hospital provides emergency and basic care for the 700,000 inhabitants of the Gothenburg region. It also provides highly specialised care for the 1.7 million inhabitants in Sweden’s west because, in this country, endoscopic ultrasound examinations are only provided in university hospitals. Thus Sahlgrenska’s physicians receive referrals of difficult diagnostic cases…
Psycho-oncology in practice
Having cancer is an extremely complex experience for those people concerned. Alongside the purely physiological aspects, those suffering from cancer find themselves in a highly threatening and an entirely different situation in life. In the past, classical medicine has concentrated on the treatment of the carcinogenous changes. But what role does the patient’s psyche play in treating the…
How can we measure infants' pain after an operation?
It turns out to be difficult to find out exactly how much a child who cannot yet speak suffers after a surgical operation. Researchers at the University Hospital of La Paz, in Madrid, have validated the 'Llanto' scale, the first, and only, tool in Spanish which measures infant pain rapidly and simply.
New report reveals inefficient management of chronic pain costs Europe billions of Euros each year
A new report launched today in the European Parliament shows inefficiencies in the treatment of chronic pain result in increasing healthcare costs and prolonged patient suffering.[1] Chronic pain costs Europe billions of Euros every year, with national costs ranging from €1.1 billion to nearly €50 billion.2,3 21% of Europeans with chronic pain are unable to work at all as a result of their…
Cardiac Biomarkers
When in 1992 Dr Luigi Marzio Biasucci, head of the Sub-intensive Care Unit at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, Italy, published with his team the first paper on C-reactive protein (CRP) in unstable angina, few people believed in the diagnostic power of biochemical features to measure the effects or progress of disease, illness, or a condition. Today, biomarker tests are part…
1st partial knee system launched in Europe
Until now, orthopaedic surgeons have had limited options for the treatment of progressive degradation of the knee joints (osteoarthritis) in active patients who require care, but are not yet ready for a total knee replacement. DePuy Orthopaedics EMEA now launches the first complete surgical system Sigma® High Performance Partial Knee, specifically designed to treat progressive osteoarthritis…
Negative pressure wound therapy
Quality in wound care no longer centres only on a successful healing process but is taking a more holistic, patient-orientated approach. Wounds cause pain, impair quality of life, and make treatment far more complex for medical teams. Approaches that facilitate a painless change of dressings and less wound trauma are therefore welcome – and advancing.
Self-monitoring of blood glucose
Around 75% of adult type 1 and type 2 diabetics say they believe they know what their blood sugar levels are, without testing, according to data presented at the American Diabetes Association 70th Scientific Sessions. These results are important to consider because self-monitoring with a blood glucose meter is essential for people with diabetes to obtain accurate blood glucose results that guide…
Peripheral nerve surgery
Neurosurgery has seen enormous progress, which should benefit as many patients as possible. However, according to Prof. Hanno Millesi MD, director of the Millesi Centre for Surgery of Peripheral Nerves, Wiener PrivatKlinik (WPK), a private hospital in Vienna, Austria, ‘methods are perceived incorrectly, because they are often confused with problematic predecessors, and sensible methods are…
Health services research
The German Medical Association aims to evaluate the use of guidelines, the influence of drug companies on studies, the impact of economisation on staff and patients, and ultimately to assess the realities of medical care.
The hidden epidemic: women's cancer in emerging countries
Breast and cervical cancer together account for more than one quarter of all female cancer deaths worldwide, with the majority – including more than 85 % of all cervical cancer deaths – occurring in developing countries. However, a small number of highly effective programs demonstrate that much can be done to reduce risk and increase sustainable access to diagnosis and treatment for these…
Wound healing
The new Traumastem biodress is the world’s first oxidised cellulose preparation to treat acute and chronic wounds, its Czech manufacturer Bioster a.s. reports.
Simultaneous hot/cold and electrotherapy
ELFcare, which simultaneously uses hot/cold and electrotherapy to treat acute and chronic pain, is a new innovation from the Israeli firm Mediseb, which was set up in 2000 to develop and manufacture medical engineering systems and products specifically for pain relief.
Toshiba ASQ delivers hard data on liver fibrosis
Ultrasound presents a promising technology for non-invasive examinations of the abdomen. There is a vast, unmet medical need in the area of liver fibrosis for the clinical assessment of patients with fibrosis who either refuse or cannot undergo the painful and invasive biopsy procedures that provide hard histological evidence of the state of the disease.
Pain therapy for urological patients
Pain is the most common symptom of any illness thus having an alerting function to evoke protective responses. If tissue damage has happened as a consequence of surgery, obstruction, injuries, or cancer a cascade of changes in the peripheral and central nervous system occurs leading to physical inactivation, an increase of morbidity thus delaying hospital stay and treatment costs.
ID wristbands and bracelets
Throughout the world, every day, thousands of hospital patients are victims of identification breakdowns and errors that resulted or could have resulted in far greater health problems for them and other outcomes for hospitals.
Russia's continuing laser medicine advances
For the past 30 years, in the former USSR and Russia, laser medicine has been actively developed and regular annual conferences have opened new avenues for its use by the country's doctors.
Enjoying childhood - despite being a type 1 diabetic
Type 1 diabetes is a life-long autoimmune disease with onset in early childhood. The diagnosis will initially turn the everyday life of children and their families topsy-turvy due to blood glucose testing, insulin injections, thorough calculation of meals, etc. It takes time before all these new and often frightening procedures become part of the daily routine of small diabetics.
246 Million Euros for faster medicine development
Fifteen new research projects aimed at bringing innovative medicines to market faster have been selected to receive 246 million Euros from the European Commission and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The projects will foster understanding of health issues such as diabetes, pain, severe asthma and psychiatric disorders while increasing medicine safety.
Pain control
The availability of a new opioid-based treatment option, has led pain specialists to believe they may at last be able to solve the age-old problem of how to provide effective chronic pain relief without causing opioid-induced constipation (OIC).
Stents: Most patients don't receive stress tests to confirm need
Investigating the appropriate use of procedures to open narrowed coronary arteries, e.g. angioplasty and stenting, researchers at UCSF (University of California, USA) found that less than 50% of Medicare patients had documented non-invasive stress testing prior to elective percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI (clinical name for these procedures).
MEDICA 2008 opens its doors
When from 19 to 22 November the world's largest medical fair takes place in Dusseldorf, the entire city is in a kind of emergency state: hotels are bustin' out of their seams, traffic periodically comes to a standstill and at night exhibitors and visitors alike crowd the narrow streets of the Altstadt and the fancy hotel bars and enjoy whatever entertainment North Rhine-Westphalia's capital has…
Better care saves hospitals money
Researchers from the Center to Advance Palliative Care and from the National Palliative Care Research Center, New York, found out that US-hospitals can save more than $300 per day and patient receiving palliative care while even enhancing the quality of care. Palliative care programs provide a way for hospitals to meet the needs of these patients while staying financially viable.
Anaesthesiology today
Ever since Boston surgeon John Collins Warren commented on the first successful ether anaesthesia at Harvard University with the now famous words, ‘Gentlemen, this is no humbug!’ anaesthesiology has developed into a separate and modern medical discipline.
Russia: New cardiology centre signals better healthcare
One of the most painful problems of modern Russia is the high death rate, especially among able-bodied people. In 2005, the average life expectancy for men was 58.8 years.
Open High-field MRI
As part of a research and development project, doctors at the University Hospital Magdeburg, Germany, are treating oncology patients with local minimally invasive surgery (MIS) which, for the first time, can be carried out under radiological image control using high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The system offers excellent image quality under extremely favourable, radiation-free…
PC diagnoses Alzheimer's better than physicians
Standard computers can be taught to diagnose Alzheimer's disease from brain scans, according to researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuro-imaging at University College London.
MEDICA 2007
Germany - Once again MEDICA 2007 drew healthcare professionals- this year around 137,000 — to attend the congress and view the enormous number of medical products demonstrated by over 4,300 exhibitors.
MEDICA 2007
The specialist world consisting of doctors' surgeries, clinics, laboratories, the trade and industry, seized the opportunity and was present in Düsseldorf in impressive numbers. Over the four days of the fair the events still attracted approx. 137,000 trade visitors from around 100 countries to the Rhine (2006: 137,500 visitors). They were shown a broad spectrum of innovations and new products…
A new scientific association promotes use in mainstream medicine
Enzymes are biocatalysts that control the different metabolic processes of living organisms. These range from digestion to the copying of genetic information.
Paediatric interventional ultrasound
By Professor György Harmat MD, Director General of the Budapest Municipal Council Pal Heim Children's Hospital, Hungary
Article • Neuropelveology
Forging links between neurology and surgery
Surgery in the lower pelvic region often involves injury to or severing of nerve tissue. As in chronic diseases of the nervous system, the result can be pain, sensory disturbances or loss of function. Up to now the poor view of the nerves, partially formed of fine interwoven networks, has been one of the major problems – exacerbated by the strict division of skills between neurologists and…
EHFG celebrates 10th anniversary
In 1998, during Austria's first EU presidency, Professor Günther Leiner founded the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG). From 3-6 October this year, the Forum will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Our Austria correspondent Hans-Christian Pruszinsky asked Dr Leiner about the value and role of this organisation in Europe today.
First FDA-approved artificial disc for the neck
New treatment for patients suffering from Degenerative Disc Disease: Medtronic's Prestige Cervical Disc is the first artificial disc system for the neck that received approval from the FDA.
Acupuncture What others say
During the last ten years or so, there has been a convergence of modern international science with traditional Chinese medicine, with research carried out in physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology.
Ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia and pain therapy - a painstaking technique
'Ultrasound-guided interventional pain therapy originates in ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia,' Dr Eichenberger explained.
Low compliance with guidance harms patients
By Henning von Eicke of Roche Diagnostics GmbH
What wounds tell us
Every day, patients are admitted to surgeries, hospitals and outpatient clinics with chronic wounds. Careful inspection gives a wound therapist clues to the appropriate primary care required even before further diagnostic procedures are carried out. So what do the clinical signs and symptoms tell us? Report: Heidi Heinold
High-tech for healthy living
A special exhibition in Paderborn's Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum (HNF) is demonstrating the use of state-of-the-art computer technology in medical science. With more than 100 exhibits, a third of them interactive, it runs until May 1, 2007. EH correspondent Holger Zorn was one of the first visitors
Treatment of orthopaedic patients to accelerate
UK - Around 10 million people suffer from musculoskeletal ailments in England alone.
Bone Support study is underway
Cerament Spine Support, designed by the medical technology company BoneSupport to treat osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, has achieved full patient enrolment in an open, multi-centre study which will investigate the product's efficacy, safety, and the beneficial quality of life outcome for the patients. The study, being carried out at six centres in Germany, involves 40 patients aged…
Royal Society of Medicine under new leadership
The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) has appointed a new Chief Executive: Stephen Dodd, and new President: Professor Ilora Finlay.
Secondary healing wounds
An application report by assistant plastic surgeon Thomas Aigner, and F Weyer, of the Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, at St. Polten Hospital, Austria
HF shower to treat pain and depression
In the first six months of 2004, over 17,000 people sought help and advice from the German Pain Union (Deutsche Schmerzliga), which demonstrates the high number of people, in Germany alone, who have failed to find a therapy that can alleviate recurrent or chronic pains
Hormone-resistant prostate cancer
Prostate cancer, the most common neoplasm in men, often progresses from an androgen-dependant state (and is commonly treated by androgen ablation therapies) to a hormone-refractory stage, therefore making hormone therapy ineffective. The response duration to androgen ablation therapy is finite and ultimately most prostate cancer will become hormone-insensitive.