Diagnosis: Ultrasound Against Endometrial Disease

Physicians evaluated the endometrium, a cavity that lines the inside of the uterus, in women who were in the midst of or had gone through menopause and who complained of abnormal bleeding. Abnormal bleeding can indicate certain diseases of the endometrium that may or may not be malignant. The current standard of care is to blindly biopsy the endometrium; however, the biopsy might not always sample the part of the cavity that is diseased.

A new study shows that using saline-infusion sonography (SIS), or ultrasound, a minimally invasive procedure, allows doctors to actually see where in the endometrium a polyp or growth exists and to biopsy it accordingly.

Read MoreHERE!

GE Healthcare announced the company has signed a research agreement with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a 777-bed teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, to establish a landmark alliance in medical research in area of Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The agreement is expected to leverage GE Healthcare’s Molecular Imaging (MI) research efforts, quickly transitioning those discoveries into the clinical environment. 

“Collaborations of this caliber are direct investments in the future of healthcare,” said Terri Bresenham, vice president of the GE Healthcare Molecular Imaging business. “Brigham and Women’s world-class patient care, in conjunction with their stellar research and clinical-trial track record, make them an optimal partner in discovering new MI technologies to diagnose and treat disease.”

Read More

 The Helena Cardiology Clinic of Helena, Mont. has installed two Toshiba Aplio™ Artida ultrasound systems with 3D Wall Motion Tracking capabilities. 3D Wall Motion Tracking allows sonographers and physicians to more quickly and accurately identify wall motion defects and the timing of cardiac events. This greatly improves the detection of wall motion abnormalities in many cardiac disease states and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) and helps physicians optimize pace maker settings.

Read More

Abbott announced the initiation of MOBILITY, a clinical trial studying the safety and efficacy of the Absolute Pro™ Peripheral Self-Expanding Stent System in patients with iliac artery disease. Iliac artery disease is a form of peripheral artery disease (PAD) that affects the lower extremities. The first patient was enrolled into the MOBILITY trial by John Campbell, M.D., assistant professor of surgery and medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Charleston Division, at the Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, W. Va.

"Iliac artery occlusive disease has the potential not only to have a significant impact on a patient’s ability to carry on daily activities, but it also can be an early sign of plaque buildup in other parts of the body," said Manish Mehta, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, director of Endovascular Services, The Vascular Institute for Health and Disease, Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y., and co-principal investigator of the MOBILITY trial.

Read More

Covidien, a leading global supplier of healthcare products, announced the global launch of its Alarm Management System for the Nellcor™ OxiMax™ N-600x™ pulse oximeter. The OxiMax N-600x pulse oximeter is a full-featured, flagship oximeter that delivers accurate, reliable readings even during low perfusion and signal interference. Oxygen saturation is a critical measure in patients experiencing respiratory depression. The Alarm Management System alerts hospital staff to periods of desaturation and potentially worrisome patterns and provides healthcare providers the ability to make timely, more-informed decisions about the care of patients.

Read More

Boston Scientific Corporation welcomed three-year results from the SPIRIT II Clinical Trial and a pooled meta-analysis of two-year data from the SPIRIT II and III Trials. SPIRIT II and SPIRIT III are prospective, randomized, non-inferiority trials with 300 and 1,002 patients respectively, designed to compare the safety and efficacy of the PROMUS® (XIENCE V™) Everolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent to Boston Scientific's first-generation TAXUS® Express2™ Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent. SPIRIT II three-year results were presented by Patrick W. Serruys, M.D., Ph.D, and the two-year meta-analysis was presented by Yoshinobu Onuma, M.D., at the 58th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology.

Read More