A FIRST-OF-A-KIND clinical trial has been launched which will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new paclitaxel-eluting, polymer-free stent in the treatment of renal artery disease. Cook Medical has enrolled the first patient onto a clinical trial for the landmark Formula PTX Balloon Expandable Renal Stent, developed to treat patients with a narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. The multi-centre, randomised trial plans to enrol a total of 120 patients at sites across Europe, with initial results expected at the end of this year. The patients will test Cook’s new stent, which has been designed to help cross tightly-blocked vessels for placement into diseased renal arteries. Once placed at the site of the blockage, the balloon is inflated, expanding the stent and opening the vessel. The balloon is then deflated and withdrawn, leaving the stent behind to act like a metal scaffold to hold open the vessel and restore blood flow. Just months ago, Cook published the results of an earlier trial – the largest of its kind ever carried out – for its Zilver PTX Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease in the superficial femoral artery. The company’s vice president and global leader of the peripheral intervention business unit, Rob Lyles, said: “The proven results of the Zilver PTX clinical trial have shown the success of polymer-free paclitaxel elution in treating blockages in the peripheral arteries. Applying this technology to other devices, like the Formula renal stent, has the potential to significantly help patients in the battle against renal artery stenosis. We are committed to enhancing the delivery of care to patients and are looking forward to the initial results from the trial later this year.”

 

Mignot Memorial Hospital has installed a MULTIX TOP analogue X-ray system

MIGNOT Memorial Hospital on Alderney – the third largest of the Channel Islands – has installed a MULTIX TOP analogue X-ray system from Siemens Healthcare. The installation marks the final phase of a multi-million pound development to extend and refurbish the hospital, which provides healthcare services to Alderney’s 2,300 residents. Replacing a 14-year-old system, the new ceiling-mounted model will be used for all general radiography requirements including GP referrals and emergency patients. “The MULTIX TOP has given us the flexibility to carry out examinations that were not previously possible,” said Tessa Woodnutt, radiographer at the hospital. “It has also changed our emergency imaging procedures as we now have the ability to easily examine a person on a trolley. Its design is very user-friendly and we’re now working with much better quality images.” Jane Schwieso of Siemens Healthcare added: “As the island’s sole X-ray unit, we needed to supply a robust system that could deliver high quality images with the flexibility to support a wide patient profile, something the MULTIX TOP is ideally placed to provide.”

 

SURGICAL device manufacturer, Leeds-based Surgical Innovations, has been presented with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for the development of the innovative YelloPort+Plus access system for keyhole procedures. The company was acknowledged in the Innovation category for the port access system, which acts as a channel into the body allowing surgeons to carry out delicate minimally-invasive surgery. Announced on the Queen’s birthday on Wednesday last week, the awards are given for outstanding innovation and business performance. Commenting after the announcement, Graham Bowland, managing director of Surgical Innovations, told HES: “We are delighted to win such a prestigious award for our contribution to the healthcare industry. We were one of the first companies to develop flexible but rigid laparoscopic devices and have since gained a worldwide reputation for developing and manufacturing innovative devices. This award acknowledges this commitment and also the dedication made by every one of our employees from design through to production as well as Yorkshire’s cutting-edge healthcare technologies industry.” The YelloPort+Plus device combines reusable and disposable elements and was designed in close collaboration with surgeons.

 

The AD system is helping healthcare facilities to beat the vomiting bug

AN AIR disinfection company has reported an increase in sales to the NHS following recent outbreaks of the Norovirus. Milton Keynes-based Inov8 saw a rise in interest in its AD unit during the first quarter of 2010, during which the Health Protection Agency reported 693 ward closures in England and Wales as a result of the vomiting bug. A winner of the NHS Smart Solutions for HCAI Programme 2009, a key benefit of the unit is that it is not necessary to evacuate rooms during treatment. Instead, it emits a constant low-level stream of hydroxyl radicals that are harmless to humans, but attack bacteria and viruses. Inov8’s healthcare specialist, Bob Elen, said: “Norovirus is highly infectious and is caught by ingesting contaminated droplets from the air or through contact with an infected person or surface. As infection rates for Norovirus have increased over recent weeks and months, we have been contacted by many hospitals eager to learn more about how the spread of infections can be prevented by the AD technology to avoid the necessity to close wards, which is very costly. The air disinfection technology has been proven to be highly effective in both laboratory trials and hospital evaluations, so we are working hard to ensure infection prevention and control staff are aware there is a cost-effective solution that is quick and easy to install.”

 

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Theatre instrument manufacturer, Finsbury Surgical, has become Sheffield Precision Medical, an independently-owned firm which will specialise in producing orthopaedic surgical instruments… Siemens has launched a poster that illustrates highly-detailed clinical images of fetal anatomy to help with diagnostics in gynaecology, maternity and fetal medicine departments…