A study designed to evaluate a new Burst mode in some St. Jude Medical Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.) spinal cord stimulation (SCS) devices compared to traditional tonic stimulation has shown a strong patient preference for the intermittent "burst" pulses for chronic pain. St. Jude said the SUNBURST study, which it launched about two years ago, demonstrated that Burst stimulation is superior to traditional tonic stimulation when used to relieve chronic pain.

Cooling caps designed to reduce hair loss in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer (also known as alopecia) have been available internationally for decades but the FDA has only now, for the first time, cleared a scalp-cooling device for the U.S. market. Concerns about safety, efficacy and reimbursement have limited the availability of the technology for U.S. patients.