Music class may benefit kids with cochlear implants

2010-03-10T11:17:04Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Music class may help improve certain types of sound perception in deaf children who have cochlear implants, a new study hints.</p><p>Cochlear implants are small electronic devices that can give a sense of sound to people who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing, helping them to understand speech and other sounds in their environment. The implants work by bypassing the dam...

FDA panel sees user errors with insulin pumps

2010-03-05T14:17:49Z

<div><p>GAITHERSBURG, Maryland (Reuters) - Diabetics who wear insulin pumps appear more likely to experience problems from improper use than a device defect, members of a U.S. government advisory panel said on Friday.</p><p>The NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - When Bhoopnarayan Jha lost his leg in an accident, the government employee also lost his will to live, until he got a "Jaipur Foot."</p><p>Made from locally available and cheap materials, the rapid-fit, prosthetic limb is handed over for free to victims of road and rail accidents...

Cheney hospitalized after experiencing chest pains

2010-02-23T11:00:53Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney was hospitalized on Monday after experiencing chest pains, and his office said he was resting comfortably while doctors evaluated the situation.</p><p>Cheney, 69, who served as vice president from 2001 to 2009 under President George W....

Medtronic 3Q profit rises, pacemaker sales slow

2010-02-23T08:45:08Z

<div id="subtitle">Medtronic 3Q profit jumps, but sales of pacemakers, spine implants paint mixed picture</div><div><p>Medtronic said Tuesday its third-quarter profit rose 19 percent on robust sales of defibrillators and diabetes products.</p><p>Still, lackluster sales of pacemakers and spine implants cut into revenue and company shares dipped in early trading along with the broader market.</p>&...

FDA staff say agency may need new device powers

2010-02-22T08:36:02Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff said they face difficulties in reviewing certain medical devices, hurdles that may call for additional regulations and authorities, even as the industry defended the current approval process.</p><p>At a public meeting T...

Road bumps may trick defibrillators in ambulances

2010-02-22T08:39:22Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Using an automated defibrillator - a device that figures out whether to shock the chests of patients whose hearts have stopped beating - in a moving ambulance may not be a good idea, Korean researchers found in studies of pigs and mannequins.</p><p>Previous studies have found that the devices work just fine in moving planes and ships.

Ahead of the Bell: FDA meets on medical devices

2010-02-22T08:52:41Z

<div id="subtitle">FDA considers changes to decades-old medical devices approval system</div><div><p>Makers of medical devices could be the latest sector to see their industry overhauled by a safety-conscious Food and Drug Administration.</p><p>The agency spent much of the last decade overhauling its pharmaceutical safety syst...

FDA eyes overhaul for medical device approvals

2010-02-22T09:02:25Z

<div><p>Manufacturers of pacemakers, drug pumps and other implants could be the latest industry due for a safety overhaul, as the Food and Drug Administration takes a second look at how certain devices are approved.</p><p>Government regulators spent much of the last decade revamping their oversight of pharmaceuticals, following safety recalls of several ...

Boston Scientific cuts staff as costs persists

2010-02-22T10:15:57Z

<div id="subtitle">Boston Scientific to slash 1,000 workers as expenses continue to pile up</div><div><p>Medical device maker Boston Scientific on Wednesday posted a $1.1 billion loss in the fourth quarter after settling a patent dispute with Johnson &amp; Johnson, and said it will cut as many as 1,300 jobs.</p><p>Th...

Test of "artificial pancreas" offers diabetes hope

2010-02-22T11:43:25Z

<div><p>LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have used an "artificial pancreas" system of pumps and monitors to improve blood sugar control in diabetes patients in the first study to show the new device works better than conventional treatment.</p><p>Researchers from Britain's Cambridge Universit...

Boston Scientific spends $480K on lobbying in 4Q

2010-02-22T12:39:13Z

<div id="subtitle">Boston Scientific spends $480K to lobby government in 4th qtr, up about $100K year-over-year</div><div><p>Medical device maker Boston Scientific Corp. spent $480,000 in the fourth quarter to lobby the federal government on the health reform effort as well as other health care-related matters.</p><p>The

Boston Scientific to pay JNJ $1.73B in settlement

2010-02-22T13:00:48Z

<div><p>Boston Scientific said Monday it will pay medical device rival Johnson and Johnson $1.73 billion to settle several seven-year-old patent disputes over drug-coated stents.</p><p>Boston Scientific will pay Johnson &amp; Johnson's Cordis unit $1 billion Monday and $725...

Up to 10 percent of Iraqis disabled by war, sanctions

2010-02-22T17:10:44Z

<div><p>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Amputee Hamza Hameed is a living reminder of the U.S. "shock and awe" bombardment during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, one of up to three million Iraqis disabled after years of war, sanctions and economic deprivation.</p&...

FDA names permanent chief of devices unit

2010-02-22T17:33:31Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has named Dr. Jeffrey Shuren permanent director of its medical devices division which has been criticized for product recalls and controversial approvals in recent years.</p>&...

What is the Difference Between Silicone, Saline, And Cohesive Gel Implants?

2010-02-22T18:19:00Z

Women all over the globe are opting to have breast augmentation surgery. Women who live within the United States currently have only two choices for the procedure: silicone gel implants and saline breast implants. If you live outside of the United States, more than likely you have a third option for your breast augmentation procedure: cohesive gel implants (also called "gummy bear" breast implants).<br><br>A...

J&J, charity to start testing artificial pancreas

2010-02-22T21:01:09Z

<div><p>An experimental artificial pancreas will soon be tested in diabetes patients, potentially sparing them the hormonal disorder's most dangerous complications and frequent blood sugar checks and insulin injections.</p><p>If all goes well, a commercial model could be on the market in four years, said Aaron Kowalski, research director of the Reuters) - Diabetes advocates and a company that makes insulin pumps announced plans on Wednesday to team up to make a so-called artificial pancreas -- a system of pumps and monitors to manage type-1 diabetes.</p><p>The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundatio...

Studies spotlight problems in FDA device approvals

2010-02-23T08:19:29Z

<div id="subtitle">Researchers say FDA's approval of heart devices is often based on weak evidence</div><div><p>Two new studies find shortfalls in the Food and Drug Administration's approval process for heart devices such as pacemakers and stents.</p><p>Safety targets often weren't clearly spelled out in the research submitted...

FDA clears cardio devices on weak research: study

2010-02-23T08:17:34Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration's approval of cardiovascular devices is often based on weak studies or may be prone to bias, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.</p><p>The researchers reviewed 123 FDA su...

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