Archive for the ‘Diagnostic’ Category
Hologic C-View 2D Imaging Software Receives FDA Approval for Low-dose 3D Mammography
Debate over how often women should have a mammogram is an ongoing discussion and concerns over dose rates and patient safety continue to be a part of the conversation. . However, one thing that is clear is prompt annual mammography have been shown to have the ability to reduce the mortality rate from breast cancer in a population by 15% - 50%. Read More »
P-Scan: Urine Sample for Breast Cancer Diagnosis?
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), which estimates that there will be 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in 2013. The survival rate of these patients depends heavily on a combination of factors but, in general, patients diagnosed in earlier stages of the disease have better overall survival rates. Read More »
Cardiac Pressure: To Stent or Not to Stent
Since the FDA first approved the use of stents in 1993, stenting has moved beyond a lifesaving procedure and turned into a highly profitable business. However, amid the stenting ‘boom’ of the last 20 years several studies have been published supporting the idea that stents are being overused. Read More »
The Test of Time on the epoc! What happened?
Alere announced on February 4, 2013 the acquisition of Epocal, Inc, the culmination of a definitive agreement Alere entered into with Epocal Inc. back in 2009. Previously, in May, 2011 Alere Inc. assumed the distribution and customer support for the epoc™ system as part of the contingencies set forth by the agreement to achieve gross margin and other financial milestones on or before October 31, 2014. Read More »
The Growing Market for Fractional Flow Reserve: The Clinical and Financial Proof
With several different studies supporting the idea that heart stents are being overused and the controversy that has surrounded their use and/or overuse, physicians are being more selective when considering stenting. Additionally, as less costly drug therapies have been introduced to the market and studies have found them to be just as effective, if not more, at treating patients with stable coronary disease when compared to stenting, we’ve seen a modest decline in stenting. Read More »
Trending: Extended Warranties on Hand-Carried Ultrasound
When purchasing medical capital, service cost over the life of the equipment is a crucial calculation that can make or break your return on investment. Wisely balancing risk and cost savings has always been a tricky component of the purchase decision. Vendors have been known to offer low prices on equipment only to later negate the initial savings with higher post-warranty service costs, increasing the cost of ownership and potentially busting hospital budgets. Read More »
FPD’s: New Technology, Old Germs
Portable flat panel detectors have become a common sight in medical imaging departments across the country and have led to dramatic improvements in efficiency, convenience and reducing patient dose rates. Their popularity has seen them partnered with R/F systems, radiography rooms and portable X-ray units. As portable detectors are most commonly used in bed side exams in the form of a film-filled X-ray cassette, a CR imaging plate or current-generation FPD’s (flat panel detectors), they pose a possible risk for transferring methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other hospital acquired infections. Read More »
Current Status of Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) Market: What Does the Future Hold?
Over the years ultrasound has evolved as an adjunct to mammography, becoming a valuable tool for use in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Historically, the gold standard for routine breast cancer screening involved radiographic mammography technology but imaging limitations for those patients with dense breast tissue was an issue; dense breast tissue makes mammography interpretation difficult as radiographic images of dense breast tissue appear similar to cancer. Read More »
Vascular Brain Injury Could Play an Important Role In Predicting Cognitive Impairment
New research, published in JAMA Neurology by Dr. Bruce Reed and colleagues, has found that vascular brain injury, resulting from high blood pressure or stroke, might be more significant at predicting cognitive impairment than amyloid plaque formation, which is traditionally associated with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Read More »
LifeBox Foundation: Helping the World One Pulse Oximeter at a Time
Pulse oximetry has been used in operating rooms since the early 1980’s to monitor and alert medical personnel of a drop or change in patient oxygen levels. It offers a non-invasive way to monitor the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin and forewarn against cardiac arrest or brain damage. In a world where both of these situations can occur in as little as three minutes of oxygen starvation, early detection is critical. Read More »