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6/27/2006 2:25:00 PM | Medtronic drug-eluting stent advancing 
=(0) Medtronic reports on the status of several studies on its coronary stent: Patient enrollment is complete in the fourth phase of a study, which compares the Medtronic Endeavor stent to the Boston Scientific Taxus Stent. Both are stents that release medication into the patient's bloodstream. A study is also under way to compare the Endeavor to Johnso...
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6/27/2006 9:31:00 AM | Boston Scientific to recall defective heart devices =(0) Boston Scientific has issued another recall for its Guidant division, on a variety of cardiac devices: some Insignia, Nexus and Contak Renewal pacemakers; and Ventak Prizm 2, Vitality, and Vitality 2 implantable defibrillators. A defect was found that could lead to premature battery failure. Five malfunctions, but no deaths, have been re...
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6/22/2006 1:45:00 PM | Angiotech shares drop on report of lower stent use =(0) Contrary to a report in the Wall Street Journal, officials at Angiotech, a company that makes drug preparations for stents, say that the use of drug-coated stents is not declining and that they remain more effective than bare metal stents. The Journal report had stated that hospitals were concerned about the formation of blood clots so had beg...
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6/20/2006 3:20:00 PM | Charles City man sues over tissue used in surgery =(0) An Iowa man is suing Medtronic, Biomedical Tissue Services, and two funeral homes because tissue he received during spinal surgery was not properly screened for disease. This is one of many lawsuits nationwide involving Biomedical Tissue Services of New Jersey, which was recently closed down for using bodies without permission nor screening.&n...
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6/19/2006 6:58:00 PM | Pacemaker that can predict heart failure =(0) A new generation of pacemakers is being developed that can detect fluid retention and transmit information about a patient's heart to remote locations. It can warn a patient if trouble is looming, before symptoms develop, with the idea of reducing the need for hospitalization. One such device, the Medtronic Concerto, has recently been app...
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6/17/2006 8:40:00 AM | Chicago Suit Says Man Got Hepatitis From Stolen Body Tissue =(0) A Chicago man who claims he acquired Hepatitis B from a surgical procedure using stolen body tissue, has filed a lawsuit. The defendants include Biomedical Tissue Services and Medtronic. The suit alleges negligence, failure to screen harvested tissue for disease, and failure to maintain proper documentation.......
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6/16/2006 7:02:00 AM | Johnson & Johnson to appeal stent ruling =(0) Boston Scientific has scored a point in their patent war against Johnson & Johnson. The companies are claiming each infringed the patents of the other with regard to various models of stents, wire mesh devices that are placed inside arteries. The latest ruling upholds a previous decision that Johnson & Johnson's Cypher stent infringed Bos...
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6/12/2006 4:23:00 PM | Medtronics targeted in St. Clair County again =(0) Medtronic is being sued by an Illinois man, claiming damages because the implantable defibrillator he received was later revealed to have a defective battery. He was subsequently hospitalized and is claiming personal and economic damages. The 24 counts in the lawsuit include fraud, negligence, misrepresentation and defective design.......
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6/12/2006 12:59:00 PM | Boston Scientific Says Data Reinforces Benefits Of TAXUS Stents In ... =(0) Boston Scientific Corp. states that statistics from the multi-center STENT registry show that patients with its TAXUS Express2 paclitaxel-eluting stent system have better outcomes than patients with Johnson & Johnson's Cypher sirolimus-eluting stent system. The study was comprised of over 5000 patients who received one of the two stents at eig...
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6/8/2006 5:03:00 PM | Guidant never sent doctors letter about defibrillator risks =(0) Guidant considered warning doctors about a malfunction in its implantable defibrillator devices - but decided not to, according to documents. Instead of a warning letter that had been drafted, Guidant sent a routine "product update". Ultimately, Guidant ended up recalling the devices in question, and some pacemakers as well, after at least sev...
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6/8/2006 5:25:00 AM | New federal grant helps U of I ear-implant study =(0) A new type of cochlear implant is in development at the University of Iowa. A "hybrid" implant is intended for people with partial hearing loss, to supplement natural hearing. The implant is small and does not damage the inner ear. Tests of the device are underway on adults, and are expected to begin soon on children....
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6/8/2006 2:02:00 AM | Slides: A Playground Menace =(0) For those who have cochlear implants, static electricity is a menace. It can "fry" the implant, erasing its memory and requiring an expensive and time-consuming reset. Plastic playground slides have been found to be particularly harmful to implants, as they build up charges of 25,000 volts or more. Metal slides are not as bad, but they p...
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6/5/2006 7:19:00 AM | Suits Target J&J Discs =(0) Lawsuits are piling up against Johnson & Johnson's Charite Spinal Disc. The first of its kind, it is marketed as an alternative to spinal fusion, providing a more natural range of movement; however when the surgery fails, it can apparently lead to further, dangerous surgery and disability. The company stands by its product, saying those for wh...
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6/2/2006 2:34:00 PM | Study Focuses on Cochlear Implant Placement =(0) For hearing-impaired children who are helped by a cochlear implant, studies show that two implants are often better than one, especially for younger children. Two implants improves speech perception in noisy conditions, and the improvement continues to develop for up to one year after the second implant....
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6/2/2006 11:53:00 AM | 20 insurers sue over defective defibrillators =(0) Guidant faces a lawsuit over defective defibrillators - however this one is not from patients, but from twenty Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, which must bear the consequences of increased health costs for those harmed. Patients whose internal defibrillators have been recalled face a sobering dilemma: have the device replaced, or leave it in...
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5/31/2006 11:11:00 AM | UA doctor barred from research on humans =(0) The FDA has barred a University of Arizona cardiologist from conducting research using human subjects. Dr. Paul Fenster was found to have violated rules protecting patient safety after his own University reported him to the FDA. The research involved implanted Guidant heart pacemakers. Breaches of rules included using doctors and pat...
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5/25/2006 4:31:00 PM | 30% of Eye-Infection Cases Have Required Corneal Transplants =(0) Almost one third of those affected by the recent outbreak of Fusarium keratitis, the fungal eye infection associated with a Bausch & Lomb contact lens solution, have required a corneal transplant, and the figure could go as high as 50%, according to doctors. The solution, ReNu with MoistureLoc, was pulled from the market on May 15 and should n...
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5/19/2006 6:05:00 PM | Tonsil removal doesn't hurt cochlear =(0) Studies so far seem to indicate that the technique of electrosurgery does not interfere with the functioning of cochlear implants. Electrosurgery is often a preferred method of performing ear nose and throat surgery such as tonsillectomy. Many cochlear implant recipients are children who might eventually need such throat operations, so the saf...
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5/19/2006 2:53:00 AM | Six face remote risk of rare brain disease =(0) Six patients who had neurosurgery at a Colorado hospital are under watch for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a rare, progressive and fatal brain disorder. The instruments used to operate on these six people had been used on a woman who was later found to have the disease. The infectious agent can conceivably survive sterilization although the...
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5/18/2006 5:16:00 PM | Recalls of Automated External Defibrillators Are Common =(0) Defibrillators - once used exclusively by doctors to restart failed hearts - are now commonly found in many public places and even some private homes, with the development of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) which are simple for anyone to operate. However, a new study finds that up to one-fifth of them may be defective, according to th...
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