RECENT NEWS

New research is being conducted to find the best type of urethral catheter for reducing urinary tract infections in hospital patients. The clinical trial will be conducted across eight hospitals – comparing antibiotic and antiseptic impregnated urethral catheters.

The Queen’s Hospital in Burton upon Trent has significantly speeded up its breast cancer surgery with a digital radiography system that can X-ray tumours in the theatre, immediately after removal and display the images within seconds.

An investigation into whether robotic surgery can be controlled via satellite and the internet has found that quality of surgery is not compromised.

Homerton University Hospital has eradicated document backlogs in its radiology department with the deployment of a speech recognition system – from SRC.

Evidence to suggest endometriosis increases cancer risk, regardless of whether women have given birth before, has been uncovered by a team of Swedish doctors.

People who are ill and have psychiatric disorders are not treated as effectively by doctors compared to those who have no mental health problems, according to new analysis.

At the Congress of the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA), Euroanaesthesia 2007, in Munich, the ESA presented the first “Dräger Award for Intensive Care Medicine.”

Welch Allyn, a manufacturer of medical equipment, has announced a new partnership with Sensitron – a developer of software solutions for patient monitoring.

New research is underway to investigate whether controlling the blood sugar levels of children in intensive care helps reduce deaths and serious complications.

The newly revised standard, BS EN ISO 14971:2007 medical devices, which is concerned with the application of risk management, is now available from BSI British Standards.

David Cameron MP (left) recently opened an extended manufacturing facility in Chipping Norton for medical device company Owen Mumford.

The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) will be launching the 1st Festival of Surgery in Primary Care, which will run concurrently with its Annual Congress and Exhibition, to be held on 10-11 October at the Harrogate International Conference Centre.

Nearly half of all patients are currently being treated within 18 weeks, a year and a half ahead of schedule, according to official figures produced by the Department of Health.

ClearCount’s patented SmartSponge system, based on radio frequency identification (RFID), has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Researchers at St Martins College (soon to become University of Cumbria) are planning a project that could help to save lives through a reduction in the number of inaccurate X-ray diagnoses and quicker warnings of the early signs of bowel cancer.

SonoSite hand-carried ultrasound systems, being used in several GP surgeries, are allowing quicker diagnosis and time to treatment.

AUS government body has announced it is to fund the use of CardioQ, which improves outcomes for patients undergoing surgery and cuts the cost of care. However, the manufacturer, Deltex Medical, claims that patients in the UK are being routinely denied this technology.

The Association for Perioperative Practice has launched two new publications:

An independent study of staff views of the progress of the NHS IT programme has found that financial deficits and poor communication are hampering its successful implementation. Staff also expressed fears that delays will present a risk to patient safety.

Dr Paul Hurlstone, consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, has won a prestigious Cancer Innovation Award, a category within the Medical Futures Innovation Awards 2007.