Endoscopic ablation in patients with Barrett’s esophagus containing confirmed low-grade dysplasia reduces the relative risk for disease progression by 94% as compared to controls.

Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced that results from a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial show that endoscopic ablation therapy using the Barrx™ RF Ablation System is effective at eliminating Barrett’s esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition of the esophagus, and preventing disease progression.

Shady Grove Breast Center has been awarded the status of Breast Center of Excellence by seeking and earning accreditation in all of the ACR’s voluntary breast-imaging accreditation programs.

Larger Arachnoid Cysts and Head Trauma Are Main Risks, Reports Study in Neurosurgery

Arachnoid cysts are a common type of brain lesion that is usually harmless, but with a risk of rupture or bleeding. A new study identifies risk factors for rupture or bleeding in children with "incidentally" detected arachnoid cysts, reports the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Direct Trusted Agent accreditation ensures adherence to data processing standards and compliance with security infrastructure, integrity and trusted identity requirements

ICA, a leading provider of interoperability technology that enables care coordination and health information exchange (HIE), announced it has achieved full accreditation with the Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program (DTAAP) for Registration Authority (RA), Certificate Authority (CA)and Health Information Service Provider (HISP) from DirectTrust.org and the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC). Direct Trusted Agent accreditation recognizes excellence in health data processing and transactions, and ensures compliance with industry-established standards, HIPAA regulations and the Direct Project.

TigerPaw® System II to launch in the United States this month and in Europe in June 2013

MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC, a leading provider of cardiovascular technologies, announced that it has acquired LAAx Inc., a privately held company that has developed a unique mechanical occlusion device called the TigerPaw® System II ("TigerPaw II"). When implanted, TigerPaw II safely and effectively occludes the left atrial appendage (LAA) and conforms to its shape and thickness, minimizing the risk of tissue damage and accidental bleeding associated with other common closing methods used during open chest procedures. The product has been cleared by regulatory bodies in the United States and European Union and will be commercially available in those regions this month and in June 2013, respectively.