Treatment • healthcare-in-europe.com

ICU-quality respiratory technology enters home care

John Power is breathing easier after agreeing to let the Philips Home Healthcare deal with the complex and competitive consumer market for medical technology.

Dirt, danger and germs are killers for allergies and asthma

Infants exposed to rodent and pet dander, roach allergens and a wide variety of household bacteria in the first year of life appear less likely to suffer from allergies, wheezing and asthma, according to results of a study conducted by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and other institutions.

Using brain waves to steer a wheelchair

At the Joint Congress of European Neurology in Istanbul, researchers from Austria and Belgium have presented a study exploring innovative methods for communicating with coma patients. Their aim is to be able to communicate with patients by detecting brain activity even in people with inhibited consciousness.

Burnout: The physicians’ dangerous affliction

Burnout. The word jars – and it is particularly unsettling when associated with medical professionals. Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and feelings of low personal accomplishment.

Laughter is the best remedy

It has long been suggested that laughter could be the best medicine – and now a group of researchers in the United Kingdom is applying that theory to help patients cope with long-term conditions.

Pumping synchronously with the heart

Synchronised Cardiac Assist i-cor, which the company reports to be the first system that links mechanical circulatory support to the heartbeat.

News • Cardiology

Transcatheter aortic valve implantations (TAVI)

A hybrid operating theatre is considered ideal for TAVI because cardiologists and cardiac surgeons can work hand in hand. Here, in the hybrid theatre at Kerckhoff Heart Centre, Bad Nauheim, a transcatheter aortic valve implant with transfemoral access is being performed. The clean air room features cardiac cath lab equipment and an X-ray system.

British-made early warning monitor a “game changer”

A disposable vital signs monitoring system no bigger than a plaster was today hailed a “game changer" by a leading hospital medic ahead of its UK rollout.

First pacemaker with event-triggered IEGM transmissions

Biotronik, a leading manufacturer of cardiovascular medical technology, announced CE approval for its new Eluna pacemaker series. The new generation of pacemakers includes single and dual-chamber as well as cardiac resynchronization (CRT-P) devices.

Researchers Find Protein 'Switch' Central to Heart Cell Division

In a study that began in a pair of infant siblings with a rare heart defect, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified a key molecular switch that regulates heart cell division and normally turns the process off around the time of birth. Their research, they report, could advance efforts to turn the process back on and regenerate heart tissue damaged by heart attacks or disease.

First patient for artificial heart dies

The first patient to receive a totally implantable artificial heart died 75 days after the procedure. The cause of death on March 2, 2014 was not disclosed in a short announcement made by the Hôpital Georges-Pompidou in Paris. European Hospital reported on his new heart device in the recently published issue 1/2014.

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.

Optimising peri-operative procedures

Many physiological and observational studies indicate that non-invasive ventilation (NIV) after both thoracic and abdominal surgery is helpful and non-randomised trials have indeed confirmed the benefits.

Improved catheters and biopatch

Patients in intensive care units in hospitals across the UK are benefiting from a combination of new techniques and technology with changes in clinical practice that help to dramatically cut incidences of infection.

Promising substitutes for human hearts

Fully implantable mechanical hearts bring hope to 121,000 heart failure patients who will never receive a heart transplant

Medical Robots Will Revolutionize Most Surgical Disciplines

Surgical robots are gaining widespread acceptance across the globe as they enhance the surgeon’s abilities in terms of surgical imaging, navigation, planning and instrument manipulation.

Apps for disaster planning and flu forecasting

Johns Hopkins scientists have developed three new Web-based software tools designed to help hospital emergency departments, first responder organizations and others model and prepare for major disasters, including flu outbreaks.

European approval for advanced SAPIEN 3 Valve

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, announced that it has received CE Mark in Europe and is initiating the launch of its most advanced transcatheter aortic valve, the Edwards SAPIEN 3 valve.

News • Research

Deaths higher for heart attack patients at night and weekends

Off-hour presentation and outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: systematic review and meta-analysis

New AF classification by ECG will deliver personalised treatment

Despite the availability of cardioversion, ablation and medications to treat AF, outcomes are often poor because it is unclear which patients will benefit most. A new classification of atrial fibrillation (AF) by electrocardiogram (ECG) is set to be developed by European experts to aid personalised management of this devastating condition.