- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Jan 19,2012
Patients with hip and knee replacements can now determine over time how the implant is interacting with their body thanks to a new tracking system being used by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (MOR) physicians. Drs. Scott Sporer and Wayne Paprosky, MOR hip and knee orthopaedic surgeons, are the first in the country to implant all compliant patients with radiostereometric analysis (RSA) beads, which monitor if a replacement implant is wearing down or moving.
The procedure, performed at Central DuPage Hospital, part of Cadence Health, also provides the world’s first RSA registry for implants that allows scientists to collect data on materials and designs used for hip and knee replacement prostheses. A recently published study conducted in the Netherlands showed a 22 to 35 percent reduction in the number of revisions of RSA-tested total knee replacements as compared with non-RSA-tested total knee replacements in the national joint registries.
The use of RSA in joint replacement patients comes at a crucial time. A pending bill in the U.S. Senate requires manufacturers to track the performance of all medical devices used for hip and knee replacements. Read the rest of this entry »
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- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Jan 18,2012
Within the first days of life, screening tests are performed on all newborns born in the U.S. to identify rare and often life-threatening medical conditions that are not apparent at birth. These newborn screening programs have been operating for decades, permitting doctors to intervene early and improve outcomes in potentially devastating conditions.
Now a pediatric research project plans to strategically expand the data collection linked to newborn screening results, aiming to open up broad opportunities to develop new ways to screen for and treat childhood diseases.
Many existing therapies for rare childhood diseases are seriously limited, while screening tests and treatments remain to be discovered for many other congenital disorders not currently included in newborn screening. At The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a research group is developing tools to store long-term clinical data on children with conditions picked up in the screening tests. The goal is to harness the power of numbers—using clinical data from many patients over years of their lives as a resource for researchers seeking new and better tests and treatments. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Jan 17,2012
New Survey Reveals That Over 90 Percent of Ultra-Wealthy Families View Access to Emergency Medical Care as a Top Priority
The Rothstein Kass Family Office Group announced the release of “The Single-Family Office Healthcare Advantage,” a comprehensive study highlighting the increasing use of concierge healthcare providers by single-family offices. The report features the findings of a survey of 151 single-family office executives, indicating that more than half currently use a concierge healthcare provider. Research conducted in 2009 found that around 36 percent of single-family offices were doing so at that time.
“The single-family office model continues to grow in popularity as wealthy families appreciate their ability to combine financial and lifestyle aspects under a unified family strategy. Due to the uncertainty surrounding healthcare systems in the United States and around the world, families are increasingly turning to single-family office executives for assistance with long-term healthcare concerns,” said Rick Flynn, Principal and Head of the Rothstein Kass Family Office Group. “Though most single-family offices now offer some level of concierge healthcare support, the scope and quality of service can vary greatly from provider to provider. It is important to work closely with clients to develop a strategy that best fits their individual requirements.” Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Jan 16,2012
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the approved usage for an endovascular graft manufactured by W.L. Gore and Associates Inc. to include treatment of life-threatening tears or ruptures of the aorta (thoracic aortic transection).
The Gore TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis is the first endovascular graft approved by the FDA to treat a variety of thoracic lesions, including dangerously large bulges in the aorta (aneurysms) as well as thoracic aortic transections. The expanded approval of the Gore TAG endovascular graft provides surgeons with a minimally invasive and potentially less risky alterative to open chest surgery for the treatment of thoracic aortic transection and other lesions.
“The FDA commends the manufacturer for recognizing the need to expand the indication of Gore TAG and for proactively working to obtain the safety and effectiveness data needed to support it,” said Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Read the rest of this entry »