August 20th, 2011 by DeborahSchwarzRPA in News
Tags: Cardiology, Catheter Delivery System, Columbia, EVEREST Trial, Health News, Medical Devices, Minimally Invasive Procedure, MitraClip, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, New York-Presbyterian, Non-surgical Option, Recall, Susheel K. Kodali
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As of May 2011, performance of MitraClip, a minimally invasive procedure to correct mitral regurgitation, has been voluntarily suspended due to a problem with its catheter delivery system.
Since 2008, about 3000 patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation (leaky mitral valve) have been treated with MitraClip rather than open surgery. In this minimally invasive procedure a small clip is delivered via catheter to the heart, where it is carefully placed over the center of the mitral valve. This non-surgical option has been an important alternative for patients who may be unable to withstand open surgery. MitraClip has been advanced and investigated at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia since the first EVEREST trial in 2004, and is currently available throughout the U.S. as part of the EVEREST II trial. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Columbia University Department of Surgery Blog*
August 19th, 2011 by Davis Liu, M.D. in News, Opinion
Tags: Atul Gawande, Cleveland Clinic, Colonoscopy, Harmful Health Care, Heart Disease, Letting Doctors Make Tough Decisions, medicaid, Medicare, Misinformation, National Committee for Quality Assurance, NCQA, New York Times, Newsweek, Pauline Chen, Prostate Cancer, State of Health Care Quality, Unnecessary Testing, Unnecessary Treatment, Useless Health Care, Vaccinations
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Newsweek has a very provocative and yet incredibly too simplistic piece for the public and patients on its cover story – One Word Can Save Your Life: No! – New research shows how some common tests and procedures aren’t just expensive, but can do more harm than good.
The piece is actually well written and highlights facts that have been apparent for some time. More intervention and treatment isn’t necessarily better. Having a cardiac catheterization or open heart surgery for patients with stable heart disease and mild chest pain isn’t better than diet, exercise, and the prescription medication treatment. PSA, the blood test previously suggested by many professional organizations, isn’t helpful to screen for prostate cancer, even though the value of the test was questioned years ago. Antibiotics for sinus infection? Usually not helpful.
Certainly doctors do bear part of the blame. If patients are Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
August 16th, 2011 by Elaine Schattner, M.D. in News, Opinion
Tags: Cancer Drug, Cancer Meds, Cancer Treatment, Chemotherapy, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, Drug Shortage, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Leukemia, Lymphoma, Medical Expenses, Medical News, New York Times, Oncology, Pharmaceutical Industry, Testicular Cancer
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Last Sunday’s New York Times featured an op-ed by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, on the oncology drug shortage. It’s a serious problem that’s had too-little attention in the press:
Of the 34 generic cancer drugs on the market, as of this month, 14 were in short supply. They include drugs that are the mainstay of treatment regimens used to cure leukemia, lymphoma and testicular cancer.
Emanuel considers that these cancer drug shortages have led to what amounts to an accidental rationing of cancer meds. Some desperate and/or influential patients (or doctors or hospitals) get their planned chemo and the rest, well, don’t.
Unfortunately, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medical Lessons*
August 15th, 2011 by Medgadget in News
Tags: Approval, ASiR, Cardiovascular Imaging, Compact CT System, Computed Tomography, CT Scanner, Diagnostic Imaging, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, GE, GE Healthcare, GE Optima CT660, General Electric, Medical Devices, Radiology
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GE Healthcare has received the FDA OK for its Optima CT660 computed tomography (CT) system. The CT660, which is already available in Europe, Latin America and Asia, distinguishes itself by its compact footprint combined with a modular design and low dose imaging. In addition, it is also one of the most energy efficient CT scanners available and has an “environmental design” that eases refurbishment and end-of-life recycling. The scanner itself is scalable from 32 to 128 slices through purchasable options and features automatic table positioning and a color 12-inch integrated gantry display monitor. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
August 13th, 2011 by Iltifat Husain, M.D. in News, Opinion
Tags: Apple, Apps, Business Data, Doctors, Forbes, Health IT, Healthcare Providers, Hospital Setting, iPad, Medical Technology, Mobile Devices, Patient Interaction, Personal Data, Physicians, Tom Gillis, Work
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Great blog piece in Forbes by Tom Gillis — VP of Cisco’s Security Technology Business Unit — on how hospital Chief Security Officers (CSOs) are having issues with managing physician use of mobile devices at work. He had dinner with the CSOs of five major healthcare providers, who stated their biggest headache is how Doctors love their iPads and want to use them for work.
Gillis is in the business of enterprise security, and he gives an insider’s perspective on mobile device use in the hospital setting. He writes about the fundamental shift in how physicians are consuming content. Before the proliferation of mobile devices, hospitals had complete control of managing the “endpoint” — how the content was consumed. This is no longer the case, and since these personal devices have created a new paradigm, IT teams are left playing catchup.
It was refreshing to hear Gillis talk about how the solution Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at iMedicalApps*
