A Medical Device Daily

AngioDynamics (Queensbury, New York) reported the use of its Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) technology on a lymph node metastasis and the first lung lesion case, at The Alfred hospital (Melbourne, Australia).

Using the company's NanoKnife system, Dr. Ken Thomson, director of the department of radiology at The Alfred, which is part of Monash University, performed the procedures, which were judged to be successful from a safety perspective. The hospital will conduct further patient follow-up before determining final outcomes in terms of tumor response.

NanoKnife causes cell death by impacting the cell membranes of targeted tissue with pulses of electricity, "effectively sparing nearby nerves, blood vessels, lymphatic system, and other delicate structures," the company said. Targeted cells are removed from the body through blood vessels and lymphatic systems.

AngioDynamics said this is different from thermal ablation modalities such as cryo-ablation, microwave and radio frequency ablation. It said those modalities "destroy all cells, including critical structures in targeted tissue, leaving destroyed material in place for years. The body can only remove it slowly and tediously by attacking from the outside, as all normal pathways to remove damaged tissue have been destroyed."

Thomson reported that the two patients who were treated did not report pain related to the procedures. These are the fifth and sixth cases using NanoKnife at The Alfred, with three liver cases and a kidney case preceding them, all with procedural success.

"I have been an interventional radiologist since 1974 and this is the most exciting development in minimal access therapy I have seen," he said. "For the patient, the absence of post-operative pain is unique and remarkable. We have also treated tumors in the liver and kidney with NanoKnife, with similar experiences - no postoperative pain at all - and the procedures have raised no safety concerns. This is probably due to the fact that the supporting structure of the tissue treated is not destroyed and vascular and nerve function is unaffected."

Regarding a previously reported liver case from The Alfred, sequential triple-phase liver CT scans and ultrasound at two weeks and four weeks post-procedure have shown that a 2 cm tumor has disappeared on imaging. At the site of a 3.5 cm tumor near the diaphragm in the same patient there is only a minor non-enhancing scar. Thomson noted these outcomes contrast very favorably with the cavities left following thermal ablation procedures.

AngioDynamics President/CEO Eamonn Hobbs said, "We are delighted by the additional, positive progress at The Alfred, and very pleased that our thought leader program, which includes Dr. Thomson's important work, continues to demonstrate the value of this exciting new technology."

Dates changed for China Med 2009

The 21st China Med International Medical Instruments and Equipment Exhibition will be held at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing from March 19-21, 2009. That is a change from the originally reported dates of April 27-29.

The event will be jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf China, China World Trade Center Co. Ltd., Hui Tong Xing Ye International Exhibition Co. Ltd. and the Health Department of the General Logistics Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

China Med 2009 will have the support of Messe Düsseldorf, the organizer of the largest international medical trade fair, MEDICA, held annually in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The China Med exposition is expected to feature more than 500 exhibiting medical equipment companies in exhibit categories ranging from medical diagnostics and imaging equipment to surgical instruments and medical software, electro medical technology and hospital equipment and IT technology.

New additions next year will be the Medical Information and Application Pavilion, the Medical Consumables Pavilion, the Orthopedics Pavilion, the Dental Equipment Pavilion and the Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy Pavilion.

At the China Med 2008 staging last spring, 537 exhibitors from 20 countries displayed their products to 25,560 visitors from 57 nations.

U.S. quality group expands in India

The American Society for Quality (ASQ; Milwaukee) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) reported entering into a joint venture to promote business excellence and quality to executives and quality professionals of industries and businesses across India.

The venture expands ASQ's presence in India, where the society established an office in 2007.

The joint venture, known as "FICCI-ASQ Foundation for Innovation and Excellence," will broaden the relationship between the two organizations and, ASQ said, "Increase the use and impact of quality in response to the diverse needs of India."

The plan allows the U.S.-based society's participation in the quality movement in India and aims to disseminate ASQ's Body of Knowledge in that fast-growing economy.

"This agreement opens many doors for both ASQ and senior-level executives in India," said ASQ President Roberto Saco. "Bringing ASQ's Body of Knowledge to India will assist Indian corporations, executives and quality professionals in producing quality goods and services, which is good for both India and the many multinational corporations that do business there."