A Medical Device Daily

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) plans to introduce next year a new medical discipline — Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) — that it said would bring “a new breed of doctors [who] . . . will be helping to keep the nation on target to be fit, healthy and active.“

Physicians wishing to become a specialist in Sports and Exercise Medicine will have to undertake a competency based training program to prove their ability to treat sporting injuries. Qualified doctors with interests in the SEM area could be assessed and awarded their qualification as soon as next year.

Three-year training placements in Sports and Exercise Medicine will begin to be offered to doctors in training later this year. The Department of Health said the numbers will be built up gradually according to the demand from the NHS as it designs new services.

The Department of Health said that money for training Sports and Exercise Medicine doctors will be available from the existing budget for post-graduate training.

The NHS said doctors in the new discipline not only would treat sports-related injuries, but also help prevent injuries. It said that meant the “can't work“ excuse of having a pulled muscle “could prove [to be] an 'own goal' in the believability stakes.“ Translation: Using a pulled-muscle excuse in calling in sick would be the equivalent of a soccer player scoring into his own net.

According to the Department of Health, everyone from those who are reluctant to work out to members of the nation's Olympic teams will have access to the SEM doctors, who will work not only in hospitals but also with schools, community groups and professional sports clubs.

In 2002, the most recent year for which detailed statistics are available, about 700,000 persons came to Accident & Emergency departments in the UK following what could be described as sporting injuries, according to the Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System.

Health Secretary John Reid said, “We are committed to making sure that the public is not only fit, active and healthy but has access to the right healthcare provision to support their lifestyle. We want to make the NHS not just a sickness service but a keep well service for patients and public.“

He said that by establishing the specialty of Sports and Exercise Medicine, the NHS “[is] proving our dedication not only to supporting an active lifestyle but to raising the profile of the benefits of healthy living.“

Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson said, “These NHS doctors will not only treat sports injuries but also look to improve the general health of the nation — setting exercise regimes and tackling the growing problem of obesity in children.“

Sports Minister Richard Caborn said that until now, “many young British doctors who have wanted to concentrate on sport and exercise have moved abroad and often stayed abroad, leading to a 'brain drain' of experts in this important field.“ He added that with this new medical speciality now available in the UK, “the effect will be wide-ranging. From treating injuries to our top line sports stars to improving the health of the general public, SEM doctors will be a part of the daily lives of many different people.“

Caborn noted that research shows that if the UK can increase adult physical activity by as little as 10%, “we could prevent 6,000 premature deaths a year. SEM doctors will play a big part helping us hit this target.“

This new emphasis on Sport and Exercise Medicine reflects the aims of Department of Health's Public Health White Paper, published last November, to promote physical activity as a means of reducing the risk of major chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. In addition, the disabled and those suffering from long-term conditions such as arthritis who traditionally find it difficult to exercise will be able to use the expertise of SEM doctors to allow them to increase their activity levels.

The new speciality also is seen as reinforcing the UK government's commitment to backing the London bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. “If London hosts the Olympics in 2012, then I have no doubt that the SEM doctors of the NHS would be on hand to offer treatment, advice and support to thousands of elite athletes and also spectators,“ Donaldson said.

French clinics operator adds Ablatherm

EDAP TMS (Valux-En-Velin, France) reported the purchase of the first Ablatherm device by La Mutualite Fran-caise, which is responsible for the operation of more than 2,000 public clinics in France.

Starting with six sites throughout the country, the Ablatherm devices will be shared on a mobile basis, making the high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment available to a broader population of patients suffering from localized prostate cancer.

Jean-Pierre Davant, president of La Mutualite Francaise, called the acquisition of the device “the first step in setting up cooperative networks between our hospitals in order to bring this high-technology therapeutic solution to the largest number of patients throughout France.“

Guy Vallancien, MD, head of the urology department at Institut Mutualiste Monsouris (Paris), which is part of La Mutualite Francaise, said, “I have been using HIFU with Ablatherm for nine years, and I am convinced that this minimally invasive procedure is a solution for patients who are not candidates for surgery or who failed radiotherapy treatment.“

EDAP TMS chief executive Hugues de Bantel said the partnership being implemented by La Mutualite Francaise “definitely consolidates our position in the French market. Our mobile activity on a pay-per-procedure basis . . . lowers the hospital's initial investment to use HIFU with Ablatherm until the increase in the number of procedures justifies an Ablatherm equipment purchase to accommodate patient demand.“

He said that to date, the company's French installed base accounts for seven fixed Ablatherm units and 18 clinical sites using the device on a mobile basis, with 1,000 Ablatherm treatments performed last year.