A Medical Device Daily

Welch Allyn (Skaneateles Falls, New York) and West China Hospital (Huaxi) have reported the opening of the Clinical Skills Training Center in general practice.

Located at the West China School of Medicine of Sichuan University, this is the first national general practice training center that is fully sponsored by Welch Allyn. The company said it "represents the start of a long-term partnership between the two organizations in building general practice skills to support community and rural health care clinics in China."

West China Hospital, also called Huaxi Hospital, is now the biggest hospital in China, with 4,300 beds and 6,100 employees.

Welch Allyn President/CEO Julie Shimer said,. "This training center dovetails directly into the Chinese government's initiative to build nationwide community clinics and rural healthcare system by increasing the number of skilled general practice physicians available."

She added that the initiative builds on "Welch Allyn's 90 years of experience in diagnostics and general practice medicine, combined with Huaxi Hospital's reputation and expertise in clinical education and training to create a path-making training center."

The Clinical Skills Training Center in General Practice at Huaxi is the first of six similar Welch Allyn-sponsored training centers expected to be established around the country. The centers are expected to train about 900 general practitioners per year through "train-the-trainer" programs, to provide the thousands of GPs expected to be needed in community and rural health care clinics being developed in China.

"We are pleased to be working with Welch Allyn and other international organizations such as the American Osteopathic Association [AOA] and Heart to Heart to give heightened skills in general practice medicine to medical school students, residents, continuation education doctors and those doctors that government expects to transform from current non-GP specialty to GP specialty," said Yingkang Shi, dean of West China School of Medicine.

Shi added: "Our primary care system from function to essential standards needs physicians who are skilled in general practice medicine, and we are very happy that Welch Allyn has joined us in helping the country in its efforts to raise this standard."

The new center will host its first major "train-the trainer" training program in May, on diagnosis techniques and skills of the general practitioners, conducted by the AOA with Welch Allyn as a sponsor.

Family physicians from the AOA will teach basics of diagnosis, how to train a family physician, how to evaluate the outcomes for family practice trainings, and will demonstrate a "typical day in life" of a family practice resident.

The training center features equipment that would typically be found in a community clinic, including an integrated diagnostic system, ECG, ambulatory blood pressure monitor and electronic vital signs devices.

Future plans under development between Huaxi and Welch Allyn include identifying ways to maximize the use of the training center and enhance international exchange programs. Activities conducted by the training center will be used as case studies for the China Medical Doctors Association as it looks to establish national GP training standards.

Vbeam laser sales okayed in China

In other China med-tech news, Candela (Wayland, Massachusetts) reported receiving registration approval from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to market the full line of the company's Vbeam lasers in that country.

"We are delighted about the opportunity to now be able to offer the latest-generation pulsed dye laser to the market in the People's Republic of China." said Candela President/CEO Gerard Puorro. "With this approval, many of our products are now ... being marketed in China, enabling us to offer the Chinese medical community a more comprehensive range of aesthetic laser solutions."

He noted that "through our partners, Chindex International, we have been working closely with the Chinese registration authorities and we hope to receive further approvals for additional products over the next several months."

The company said the Vbeam pulsed dye laser has an "unparalleled 25-year proven track record of safety, reliability and efficacy for the treatment of a wide range of vascular conditions."

It said the latest-generation Vbeam features "advanced micro-pulse technology, multiple handpieces, and a patented Dynamic Cooling Device that allows for fast and comfortable treatments, which is a particularly important factor when treating infants and children."

A delegation of physicians from China visited the Candela corporate offices and factory in Wayland on Tuesday.

1st patients in India treated with CyberKnife

Accuray (Sunnyvale, California) said the first patients in India have been treated using its CyberKnife radiosurgery. The CyberKnife System, which is located at the Apollo Specialty Cancer Hospital in Chennai, treated six patients in its first week of operation, with eight more patients in the treatment planning process being readied for treatment.

"Our new CyberKnife System allows us to deliver highly precise radiosurgical treatments to patients with tumors throughout the body," said Prathap Reddy, MD, executive chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group. "We ... look forward to witnessing the benefits that the system offers, including real-time tracking of tumors that move with respiration."

The CyberKnife treatment team at Apollo Hospital plans to focus on CyberKnife radiosurgery for lung, liver and prostate treatment as well as head, neck and spine treatments.

Lung cancer is currently one of the leading cancer incidences and causes of death among men in India, Accuray said.

"Since India is the second-most-populous nation in the world, we are excited that CyberKnife radiosurgery is now an option for its population and that the first patients have received treatment," said Eric Lindquist, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Accuray. "We believe this is just the first step in the opening of a large market for the CyberKnife System, as illustrated by the momentum within this system's first week of use."