RECENT NEWS

Patients who undergo surgery for oesophageal cancer have a much greater chance of long-term survival if the operation is carried out by a surgeon who has performed it many times before, according to a large-scale study conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Researchers have found that directing short bursts of radio waves at nerves surrounding the kidneys can lower blood pressure, for up to one year, in patients with hypertension which has not responded to medication.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has published its principles for the reshaping of surgical services. Reshaping surgical services: principles for change makes the case for a different approach to reconfiguration from one which has been taken in the past.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued new guidance recommending that a potentially sight-saving drug should be made available on the NHS to people with diabetic macular oedema (DMO).

A vaccine against HPV should be extended to young gay men, the BMA has told the Department of Health.

Synergy Health has become a corporate sponsor for MRSA Action UK, a charity dedicated to raising public awareness and influencing Government and healthcare providers in the fight to prevent MRSA and other healthcare-associated infections.

People taking beta blockers may be less likely to show changes in the brain, which can be signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, according to the findings of a study of 774 elderly Japanese-American men.

The BMA has called for more neonatal care capacity in Wales, after a consultant claimed lives were being lost owing to a shortage of cots. Cardiff obs and gynae consultant, Richard Penketh, has alerted the WMC (Welsh Medical Committee), which advises the Welsh government, of a ‘neonatal cot crisis’.

Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, announced today that £120 million will be invested in health research to tackle some of the country’s biggest health problems over the next five years.

Prime Minister, David Cameron has announced plans for new patient and staff satisfaction tests across all NHS services to expose unacceptable standards of care.

The health service must adapt to the demands of an increasingly obese nation, according to a report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The RCP working party found that despite the strain put on the NHS by obesity, the delivery of healthcare to patients with an established obesity problem is ‘extremely patchy’.

As part of its continuing commitment to providing world-class operating room and critical care area solutions, STARKSTROM is pleased to reassert its partnership with endoscopy specialist, RICHARD WOLF.

Clinell Spill Wipes, available from GAMA HEALTHCARE, provide a solution for safe cleaning and removal of body fluid spills. Simple, quick and highly efficient; the patented, large, plastic backed, super absorbent pad will absorb up to one litre of fluid.

ORTHODYNAMICS, a specialist in orthopaedic reconstruction solutions, has announced the exclusive UK launch of the aMace Acetabular Revision System, in partnership with Mobelife NV.

With over 400,000 occupational injuries reported each year, the EU Council Directive 2010/32/EU aims to achieve the safest possible environment for healthcare workers through the prevention from sharps related injuries.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has undertaken a major project to upgrade existing bed and dynamic pressure area care stock to state-of-the-art electric profiling beds.

A share of a £25 million fund to improve the birthing environments in more than 100 hospitals has been announced by the Department of Health.

The Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) approach to deciding which treatments are available on health services - used by the UK and generating much interest across Europe - is dangerously flawed and should be abandoned, according a European Commission funded research project.

Twelve years ago, controversial clinical trial results caused an international medical society to warn against the use of stents in leg arteries. But recent years have brought significant improvements in stent technology. One-year follow-up results of a worldwide, multicenter trial with 744 patients show that 90% participants had successful procedures that did not require a repeat treatment.

Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, has announced that £120 million will be invested in health research to benefit millions of patients and tackle some of the country’s biggest health problems over the next five years.