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House Passes Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act Advocacy groups applaud passage of bill that would permanently repeal and replace SGR.
Scientists Find Unusual Immune System Activity in Brains of Schizophrenics The "germ theory" of schizophrenia got a mild boost this week as scientists discover that recently afflicted schizophrenics show higher levels of inflammatory proteins in the brain.
Aural Trumps Oral for Ear Treatment A novel microfluidic drug delivery system makes it possible to reach parts of the body poorly served by oral and injectable medications.
Clinical PET-MRI Moves Closer to Reality Thanks to a European grant for the HyperIMAGE project, a consortium of scientists across Europe have worked with Philips to develop a proof-of-concept, pre-clinical combined MR-PET scanner that could one day lead to improved radiation therapy and cardiology treatments.
Senate Health Care Reform Bill Unveiled Legislation may go to cloture vote this weekend. Read the details.
RSNA 2009 Preview This year's RSNA should provide a very interesting look at the effects of the economy on the major OEMs. As always, vendors are whipping up the hoopla, and inside this story are great previews of what's being debuted. But DOTmed reporters will also be there to get the real buzz. Look for video interviews in our Online News direct from the show.
Interview With Fred Robertson, President & CEO of TomoTherapy TomoTherapy president and CEO Fred Robertson talks with DOTmed about his perspective on ASTRO's 2009 annual meeting, changes in the radiation oncology industry and two important TomoTherapy product launches that occurred at the show. Watch the HD video.
Health Care Reform Round-Up: CBO Pegs Senate Bill at $849 Billion The numbers are in on the Senate's version of reform. Also read about the wide-ranging impact that the legislation would have.
Pen-Sized Microscope Aims for Precise Brain Surgeries A confocal microscope picking up brain-safe fluorescent dyes could result in more accurate and streamlined surgeries to remove tumors from the brain.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Has Stunning New Guidelines on Mammography Agency recommends no routine screening for women 40-49, no self-examination. Read the details.
two ICD studies
Defibrillator Study Leads to Shocking Conclusion
Lead investigator Jeanne E. Poole, M.D., University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues studied heart failure patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), devices that shock the heart back into rhythm. Some of the shocks were considered appropriate but others inappropriate. In both types of cases the ICD shocks increased the risk of death according to an analysis of study data.
"Among patients with heart failure in whom an ICD is implanted for primary prevention, those who receive shocks for any arrhythmia have a substantially higher risk of death than similar patients who do not receive such shocks," the study abstract concluded.
A related study in the same journal finds that ICD patients enjoy favorable quality of life. Read about it at http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/6954.
AdvaMed Response
ICDs can save lives, according to David Nexon, senior executive vice president of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), an organization of medical technology companies.
"It is important to put the results of the study within the context of the significant overall patient benefit of implantable-cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). First and foremost, ICDs are incredibly successful in achieving their primary purpose: saving lives. ICDs are 98 percent effective in treating dangerous ventricular arrhythmias that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. The SCD-HeFT data set used by the study's authors showed that ICD therapy significantly reduced all-cause mortality by 23 percent compared to placebo, and ICDs were superior to drug therapy. Several other studies also have demonstrated the benefits of ICD therapy," he said in a statement. "Patients should discuss any concerns they may have arising from this study with their physician."
Read the New England Journal of Medicine (9/4/08) study abstract (Volume 359:1009-1017; September 4, 2008; Number 10).
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