A Stroke prevention device
Patients with atrial fibrillation, so at risk of stroke, are usually treated with medication to prevent coagulation. The Hanover Medical School (MHH) has devised an alternative treatment.
ECG machines from China
Comen Medical instruments Co. Ltd, which manufactures a range of advanced ECG machines, is showing its CM1200 12-channel ECG machine with 12.1" fold-up colour TFT screen, which provides a more comfortable multi-angle observation, the firm reports.
Monitoring CHF patients
Close monitoring of vital signs such as ECG, BP and body weight are vital for many patients suffering cardiovascular disease. MyHeart, an integrated project involving 10 EU Member States, aims to produce better devices and better parameters than currently available, i.e. traditional sensor systems with digital upgrades. The ongoing clinical study has involved six European academic centres and 200…
Smoking bans have lowered AMI rates
Strongly enforced legislation to restrict smoking produces rapid and substantial reductions in community rates of heart attack, according to a meta-analysis published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.
Olympus is offering LESS Surgery
Laparo-Endoscopic Single-Site Surgery (LESS Surgery) is one of the most significant innovations in medical technology. Olympus is now one of the first providers in the world to offer a complete surgical instrument set specially tailored to LESS Surgery.
Seamless patient monitoring throughout the hospital
Draeger Medical showcases its new component for the Infinity Acute Care System, the M540, at this years Medica. The system makes it possible to seamlessly monitor and record vital signs data while moving through the hospital. It is fully integrated with Infinity C700 or C500 Medical Cockpit, which display vital signs data together with networked clinical information.
A better way to take temperature
The temporal artery thermometer was developed in response to the clinical requirements for a truly non-invasive, accurate method of taking temperature. GE now offers, in Germany and Middle-East, the Exergen handheld temporal artery thermometer TAT 5000, which provides several benefits including accuracy, ease of use and cost effectiveness.
Patient monitoring as part of the HIS
This October GE Healthcare launched its new Carescape Monitor B 850 at the 22nd Congress of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). Resulting from the expertise optimised in recent years through the acquisition of Datex Ohmeda and Marquette Electronics, the result is a successful integration of the patient monitoring platform with the inclusion of the hospital information systems…
PACS reloaded: Rapid Connect brings data up-to-date
The future of radiology is fast approaching -- with big steps. In some places it has already arrived, its appearance notable for the increased decentralisation of work, increase in the number of digitally generated images and a corresponding amount of digital data. Sounds straightforward? Well, it is not: the technological prerequisites to facilitate such a scenario are extensive.
The flat seca 874
The new seca 874, a highly mobile electronic flat scaless is ideal for weighing infants, children and adults, the manufacturer reports. Healthcare consultants and development aid workers in particular will appreciate the reliable scaless's performance in on-site mass screenings. The double display of the measured weight was especially designed to satisfy their requirements.
The Isolette 8000
The new Isolette 8000 is the latest model in Dräger’s respected Isolette series of infant incubators that introduced innovations such as the patented Dual Air Curtain, known from the Isolette C2000. ‘This thermal management capability, which is also part of the Isolette 8000, reduces radiant heat loss from the infant and contributes to a cocoon-like environment, where the neonate can…
Comprehensive NIV guidance
One of the most comprehensive articles on non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has been published this September. Specialists can access this online (e-medicine.medscape.com/article/304235-overview).
E-learning for SERVO-i with NAVA
NAVA is a new mechanical ventilation method in which the ventilator is controlled directly by the patient's neural breath control, and is incorporated in Maquet´s Servo-i system.
'Smart' patient monitoring needed to improve workflow
In the operating room, a surgeon typically is surrounded by 11 different medical devices, « and they all keep beeping at us, » complains Dr. Martin Schuster at Charité University Hospital in Berlin. «Which one of these alarms is important, » he asks, adding that blood pressure, oxygen saturation and ventillator alerts can sound between 10 and 12 times during each case.
Vexing questions for anaesthetists
How can postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction be avoided? How is it best to address the problem of epilepsy? How can anaesthetists cope better with a patient death under anaesthesia? These difficult questions were among many addressed by specialists at HAI 2009, the annual conference of the German Society for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI). Report:…
Cervical cancer prevention
ECCO 15 – ESMO 34, the joint congress of the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), is Europe’s largest oncology meeting; the event drew to Berlin 15,000 participants from 120 countries this September, when more than 2,000 presentations were made. Among the presentations on prevention, treatment and survivorship, proteomics, biomarkers,…
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.
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most frequently occurring cancers throughout the world, are expected to increase dramatically in the next 10-15 years in Germany alone. The main reason is the increased occurrence of fatty hepatitis. Thus, in the future, interventional radiologists will also be increasingly involved in HCC patients treatment.
The 2009 Organ Donation Congress
In 2008, EU organ transplants totalled 27,809, but, as of 31 December 2008, patients still on waiting lists numbered 63,283 and 3,812 of them died on that list. During 5th World Day and 11th European Day of Organ Donation held in Berlin this October, experts and patients from all over the world met to raise public awareness that, despite international transplants progress and successes, and…
Hologic to Feature MammoSite ML Radiation Therapy System
Hologic is using the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) at McCormick Place in Chicago, November 1 through 5, 2009, to feature the MammoSite ML radiation therapy system.
Benefits of surgery for prostate cancer
According to a major recent study, appearing in the July 27 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Oncology," there is a definite downstaging trend for prostate cancer. The study, which surveyed almost 13,000 American men who had a radical prostatectomy (surgical removal of a cancerous prostate gland) between 1987 and 2005, found that only 12% of them died of the cancer. This is great news, according…
Managing children´s anxiety before surgery
The prospect of surgery for a child is a frightening unknown for child and parent alike, and the pre-operative process that most children go through only heightens their anxiety. Research on how hospitals can minimize the anxiety and trauma children face both before and after surgery was recently published in the journal Anesthesiology
World Stroke Day 2009: Learning the risks for stroke - and taking action
Stroke accounts for almost 6 million deaths each year and ranks second only to heart disease as the world's leading cause of death. The theme of this year's World Stroke Day on 29th October is "What can I do?". As the World Stroke Organization says, everyone can do something: learn to recognise symptoms and take action, learn to recognise the risk factors and take action.
The role of nutrition in the elderly
At the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) congress in Vienna, experts highlighted the important relationship between nutrition and functionality in the elderly. They discussed the importance of an effective and flexible screening tool for the measurement of nutritional status, the impact of nutritional status on fall and fracture risk, and the role physical exercise…
Cigarettes on Sale on the Internet
The European Society of Cardiology comments on media reports last week that France is preparing to authorise the sale of cigarettes on the internet, to conform to European rights. Although Budget Minister Eric Woerth denies that this is the intention, the news is disappointing given the drop in heart attack rates following last year´s smoking ban.
