All articles by Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Training the surgeons of tomorrow
Virtual reality (VR) is commonly associated with video games, but what about using the technology to enter a virtual operating room and simulate surgery? Traditional training is progressively becoming more difficult; from expensive equipment to the time it takes to set up in-person training for surgeons, VR allows for surgical teams to scrub in from anywhere and learn firsthand the skills they need to perform in an operating room. Monica Karpinski speaks to experts to find out how VR is revolutionising the operating room.
Unrelenting pressure
Pressure ulcers (PUs) are a major concern worldwide as far as hospital-acquired complications go in the ICU and have a significant impact on both patient outcomes and healthcare systems. With such a significant impact on quality of life and increased mortality risk for patients, the prevention and management of pressure ulcers are incredibly important. So why are PUs still a major concern for ICUs? Tal Abdulrazaq finds out what preventative interventions are needed in ICUs to avert PUs in critically ill patients.
Staying on your feet
Diabetic foot ulcers are the biggest cause for hospital admission for people with diabetes, and even when patients receive the optimum standard of care, not all ulcers heal properly. Topical oxygen therapy is emerging as a promising new adjunct to therapy, with scope to heal wounds that standard treatments cannot. So what might it mean for health systems and the patients affected? Abi Millar speaks to podiatrists Dr Paul Chadwick and Dr Windy Cole to find out.
Beckman coulter Announces FDA clearance of DxC 500i clinical Analyzer, an integrated Clinical Chemistry and Immunoassay System
The new DxC 500i Analyzer Offers Flexibility and Scalability with Broad Chemistry and Immunoassay Assay Menu
Taking the pressure off
Recognising its clinical and economic benefi ts, more countries are making negative pressure wound therapy more accessible in community settings, but challenges remain. Jim Banks speaks to Viviana Gonçalves, a complex wound care specialist at Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de São João, Alexandre Rodrigues of the Universidade de Aveiro, and Maria Guedes, a specialist in tissue viability at the Duorum Saúde Clinic, about the opportunities and obstacles that lie ahead in bringing NPWT to more patients.
Breathe easy
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the common and deadly respiratory tract infections. Affecting patients who are already critically ill in hospital settings, it can worsen already grave outcomes. So how can hospitals work to prevent and treat this infection? Abi Millar speaks to Freya Harrison, a microbiologist working in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick, to find out why VAP is so hard to treat and how patients might benefi t from the latest research advances.
Fighting malaria with AI
Malaria diagnostics is a multi-pronged field, with no one method providing a silver bullet, and researchers always trying to add more tools to their arsenal. Elly Earls sat down with Roxanne Rees-Channer, a malaria researcher at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases at UCLH, to find out how one of the newest prongs – AI – could act as a valuable support tool for overwhelmed remote clinics.
A new era of early detection
There is no single test used to diagnose Alzheimer’s – it is usually a result of several tests and assessments. While for some, a diagnosis can be simple and quick, for others it can take far longer. However, when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, early diagnosis is vital for patients to receive the care and treatment they need. Phoebe Galbraith speaks to Niklas Mattsson- Carlgren, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Clinical Memory Unit at Lund University, and neurologist at the Memory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital; and Suzanne E. Schindler, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine and Fluid Biomarker Core Leader, as they discuss new and emerging diagnostics tools for Alzheimer’s disease and the potential it has for early diagnosis and treatment.
Q-linea shares progress on roll-out in the Middle East
Q-linea AB (publ) (OMX: QLINEA) today shared updates on the progress of the introduction of ASTar® System in the GCC region.
QIAGEN receives positive court decision reaffirming an important QuantiFERON-TB patent
QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that the German Federal Patent Court (Bundespatentgericht) has ruled in its favor in a patent dispute against SD Biosensor, reaffirming the validity of an important patent protecting key innovations in its QuantiFERON technology.