Medicexchange.com News

Archive for February, 2010

The latest market research report by Global Industry Analysts (GIA) on Electronic Medical Records (EMR) states that there is an excellent potential for EMR systems in the healthcare industry worldwide. This is due to widespread adoption of electonic systems for effective management of data, less costs, minimum staff and improving the quality of care.

The report titled ‘Electronic Medical Record Systems: A North American and European Market Report,’ provides a comprehensive analysis of European and North American markets for EMRs, including company profiles, product reviews/introductions/innovations, key players and present industry analysis.  According to the report, the European and North American markets are exceed US$5.4 billion and US$1.4 billion, respectively by 2015.

The GIA profiles companies like Agfa-Gevaert Ltd, Ascribe plc, Cambio Healthcare Systems, Cerner Corporation, CompuGROUP HOLDING AG, Computer Programs and Systems, Inc, EBIT AET S.p.A., Eclipsys Corporation, Egton Medical Information Systems Limited, Epic Systems Corporation, GE Healthcare, Hewlett Packard Company, IBA Health (Europe) Ltd, IMS MAXIMS plc, Indra Sistemas SA, iSoft Group plc, McKesson Corporation, MDS Medical Software, MedPlus, Inc, Medical Information Technology, Inc, Medasys SA, Nexus AG, Noemalife SpA, Profdoc AB, QuadraMed Corporation, SAP (UK) Limited, Siemens Medical Solutions GSD GmbH, System C Healthcare plc etc as key players in the electronic medical records industry.

Researchers at the Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have found another useful application of ultrasound in healthcare. They have found out that high-frequency ultrasounic waves can treat tumor in animals in through innovative mechanism.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is already in use or trial for their function of  killing tumor cells by heating them. But the researchers at Duke have found that if the high frequency sound waves could shake the cancerous cells, their cell membranes break and leak the cytoplasmic contents which trigger an immune response against these cells. The researchers say that the immume system can also detect and destroy the cancer cells dispersed in different parts of the body.

This could be a very useful technique if found useful in humans as both the primary and metastates can be treated. The existing thermal HIFU is for treatment of primary tumors.

“In most cancers, what actually ends up killing the patient is the spread of the cancer from its original site to other parts of the body. If the patient has a tumor in the kidney or liver, several treatment options – including surgery, radiation or HIFU – can be used to get rid of the cancerous tissues. However, if the cancer cells spread to other vital organs such as the lung or brain, the outcomes are often much worse,” said Pei Zhong, an associate professor in Duke’s mechanical engineering and materials science department.

The results of a survey conducted by the the National Council on Aging (NCOA) says that many old age patients having an electronic implanted device  in them might be getting MRI because of lack of communication with the doctor and lack of knowledge about the effects of MRI ( Magnetis Resonance Imaging) on the device.

The survey focused on older adults and healthcare providers. Older people have higher number of implanted devices in them as well as they have greater need for imaging tests like MRI due to old age ailments.

The survey, results of which are discussed in the New England Journal Of Medicine’,  finds that

• about one third of patients and half of professionals does not recall informing the patient about medical imaging risks after implantation.
• about one third of patients with implantable devices underwent MRI examination despite the risks
• around one fourth of these patients who had MRI agree that they had developed problems with the functioning of the device later.
• Both patients as well as doctors agree that confusion exists regarding medical imaging protocols in patients with implants and education is necessary.

Education and awareness regarding medical imaging safety is necessary, especially regarding MRI because it can cause malfunction of devices like defibrilators, cardiac pacemakers etc. The doctors should weigh the need for the test with the risk of malfunction before deciding on the test and the patient should also be aware before giving consent.

The wait is over for Pakistan’s patients…no more visas, or long train travels to India to get  a PET scan done.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan is considered to be a valuable tool for diagnosis, staging, treatment planning as well as follow-up of patients with cancer (not to forget the other diseases in which PET/CT scaning is valuable).  Till now, the patients from Pakistan had to go to India, Europe or Singapore for a PET scan.

Pakistan has taken a leap forward in developing its healthcare system with the installation of the nation’s first PET/CT scanner in the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre (SKMCH&RC), with donations from local as well as foreign nationals.

It looks more like an iPod than a medical tool.

Thats how the media describes the new ultrasound device developed by the biomedical grad. student, George K. Lewis, from the Cornell University.

The device device easily fits into the pocket and it can send ultrasound waves deep into the required part of the muscle through a polystyrene pad, which is the transducer that converts electrical energy to sound waves. Lewis has partnered with physicians to start a clinical trial to demonstrate the pain relieving function of the device. The current trial will include patients with painful osteoarthritis.

Even though ultrasound is already an accepted tool to relieve mucle pain, the patient has to take treatment at the doctor’s or therapists office and quite frequently as osteoarthritis is often a chronic ailment. Using this new technique, the patient can take treatment at home or even at work, he just need to have the device in the pocket.

Lewis hopes that the device can be used for pain relief in all types of arthritis and eventually be developed for mucle healing and even drug devivery, but requires further cinical studies and FDA approval.

The new mammography screening reccomendations by the  United States Preventive Services Task Force ( http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf09/breastcancer/brcanrs.htm) has lead to a lot of controversy and debates among the healthcare providers as well as the public from late last year. In contradiction to the existing guidelines to start annual mammographic screening after 40years of age, the USPSTF reccommends biennian screening starting only after the age of 50.

The latest on the issue is the editorial in the ‘Annals of Internal Medicine‘, published online on 16 feb 2009, which says that there is a divide in opinions over the latest reccomendations. This is based on an online poll including doctors as well as general public. Some doctors (67percent) now reccomed their patients to start screening after 50 while some are not even doing clinical breast examination (41 percent) and discouraging self breast examination. The women are confused and also worried whether the insurence coverage for screening. Seventy one percent women opined thnat they are not going to forgo their annual screening even if their doctors reccomend.

The American College of Radiology, (who already reccommends screening mammograms from age 40; with Society of Breast Imaging http://www.acr.org/SecondaryMainMenuCategories/NewsPublications/FeaturedCategories/CurrentACRNews/NewSBIACRRecommendations.aspx ), in their statement issued on the poll,  states that ‘since the onset of regular mammography screening in 1990, the mortality rate from breast cancer, which had been unchanged for the preceding 50 years, has decreased by 30 percent’.

“It is becoming apparent that the USPSTF recommendations could influence enough providers, who often see very few breast cancer patients, to make decisions that could place women at greater risk of dying from breast cancer than they otherwise would have been. The Task Force should work with the experts in breast cancer diagnosis and care to repair the damage and alleviate the confusion caused by these mistaken recommendations. Women should not have to pay with their lives for mistakes, already clearly identified by experts, that can and must be corrected,” said W. Phil Evans, MD, FACR, president of the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI).