A Medical Device Daily

A variety of measures for leaner operation by Britain's hospitals are being supported by the NHS Confederation , a group representing more than 90% of National Health Service organizations, in the face of current and potential personnel layoffs.

Gill Morgan, MD, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said that in order to “balance the books, some hospitals have been looking at how they can work more productively by changing the way they organize and run services.“

Among the changes he mentioned include more out-of-hospital care to reduce the number of beds needed “or using new and better technologies to treat patients more effectively“ to reduce staffing needs.

He added: “For patients that are treated in hospitals, reducing the amount of days that they spend on the ward is both good for them because they recuperate quicker at home but also means that bed, ward and staff numbers can be reduced.“

Additionally, “Introducing digital X-ray facilities, robotic pharmacists or applying lean manufacturing techniques to pathology services all save money and provide a more efficient service to patients.“

Morgan defended the NHS, suggesting that such measures, while productive, are likely to draw unfounded criticism. “The NHS is castigated for not being productive and then castigated again when it takes action to improve productivity,“ he said.

Steve Barnett, director of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said: “Spending on work force makes up the largest part of trust budgets, and employers will be looking critically at staffing as a way of managing deficits and improving productivity.“

The NHS Confederation represents more than 90% of the organizations that make up the NHS. Its members include the majority of NHS acute trusts, ambulance trusts, foundation trusts, mental health trusts, primary care trusts, special health authorities and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.

ONI supporting MRI access in Denmark

ONI Medical Systems (Wilmington, Massachusetts), developer of MSK Extreme and OrthOne high-field, 1.0T extremity MRI systems, reported that it is working with health authorities in Denmark to reduce the time patients need to wait for an MRI. With the increase in the number of patients needing MRI, the waiting time for a scan in Denmark can be as long as six months.

“The decision by the radiology community in Denmark to support the ONI solution validates the need for dedicated extremity MRI units in health systems with strong MRI utilization,“ said Bob Kwolyk, founder of ONI. “MSK Extreme and OrthOne dedicated high-field extremity MRI systems will play an ever-increasing role in helping provide timely imaging services while containing soaring medical costs worldwide.“

At the end of 2004, Danish health authorities made a strong recommendation that no one should have to wait more than six weeks for an MRI exam. If the hospitals in the county where the patient lives cannot guarantee an examination within that time, the county will have to pay for the examination and transport, even to another country.

Aarhus County, which consists of 26 municipalities, has seven whole body MRI systems which range in strength from 0.7 Tesla to 3.0 Tesla. In an effort to cut waiting time and contain costs, Aarhus County ordered two OrthOne 1.0 Tesla systems. By installing a specialized extremity system, the throughput on the whole body systems was maximized without the need for the extra cost of another whole body system.

It is anticipated that a third hospital in Aarhus County will get approval for another OrthOne to be installed in early 2007, ONI said.

ONI bills itself as the only company that offers compact, high-field, open-extremity MRI systems which can be easily sited in hospitals, diagnostic imaging centers and orthopedic practices.

Angiotech posts strong data results for Adhibit

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (Vancouver, British Columbia), at the 19th Annual European Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Torino, Italy, reported positive results from its Adhibit adhesion prevention gel myomectomy study.

The data showed that Adhibit was able to reduce post-operative adhesion formation as measured by the modified American Fertility Society (mAFS) score, a system that factors both the extent and tenacity of adhesions. Patients in the group that were treated with Adhibit experienced a statistically significant reduction in their mAFS score when compared with those in the control group. The controlled, single-blind, clinical study – designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Adhibit in reducing the incidence and severity of post-operative adhesions when applied immediately after the removal of uterine fibroids – was conducted at six sites in Europe, Canada, and the Netherlands Antilles.

The trial randomized 71 patients, with 48 patients receiving the Adhibit treatment and 23 patients receiving no post-operative adhesion treatment. Patients were surgically re-examined eight to 10 weeks, post-procedure, to determine the incidence and severity of adhesions.

Adhibit, a synthetic sprayable hydrogel that is resorbed by the body over 30 days, s approved in Europe to prevent or reduce post-surgical adhesion formation in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery. It is marketed by Baxter Healthcare (Deerfield, Illinois) worldwide, excluding the U.S. Baxter has an option to license Adhibit in the U.S., but it is not approved for sale in the U.S.

Radi reports on FemoStop efficacy

Radi Medical Systems (Uppsala, Sweden) reported the results of an independent study of 1000 patients that confirmed the efficacy of using the FemoStop Plus Femoral Compression System to manage hemostasis as part of an early ambulation protocol for patients undergoing elective coronary angiography with 6 Fr sheaths.

Physicians taking part in the study at the Freeman Hospital (Newcastle, UK) managed patient hemostasis using the FemoStop Plus compression device. Patients were mobilized after only 90 minutes of bed rest. In the absence of complications, they were allowed to leave the hospital after two hours of mobilization.

“The low complication rate reported in this study is remarkable, as the majority of patients were obese,“ according to the physicians who authored the study, “Rapid Ambulation After Coronary Angiography via Femoral Artery Access: A Prospective Study of 1000 Patients.“ “Our study's results show early ambulation after 90 minutes to be safe for patients undergoing elective 6 Fr coronary angiography.“

The results also appeared in the March issue of the Journal of Invasive Cardiology. Radi manufactures devices used in interventional cardiology, specializing in intravascular sensors and hemostasis management.