Virtual biopsies could be standard treatment for brain cancer
A new optical tool by researchers at Johns Hopkins University could enable brain surgeons to perform virtual cancer biopsies. The device, expected to undergo human trials within five years, would provide instant high-resolution images of a patient's brain without the surgeon ever having to actually cut into the brain to access the tissue, according to Jin U. Kang, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Johns Hopkins' Whiting School of Engineering. Neurosurgeons are already praising the prototype, which uses ultra-thin optical fiber to direct low-powered laser light onto an area of the brain that a surgeon wants to examine. The instrument will lead to easily performed, safer biopsies and tumor removals, according to George Jallo, pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Children's Center. The device is also expected to be much less expensive than existing imaging systems, Kang said. http://releases.jhu.edu/2009/11/...

GE, TeleHealth Services to market patient monitoring system
Patient education and communication services provider TeleHealth Services is partnering with GE Healthcare in the marketing of GE's patient monitoring, nurse call and communication systems. Under the agreement, TeleHealth will become an authorized reseller of GE's Telligence platform, which combines comprehensive consultation, design, and implementation services, according to Steve Sholtis, TeleHealth Services' vice president of hospital communications. The system simplifies nurse call abilities, as well as automatically and wirelessly delivers patient calls to an appropriate caregiver. The relationship will also improve clinical workflows, enhance patient safety, and increase patient, staff, and physician satisfaction, Sholtis said. http://www.swampfox.ws/2009/11/...

Upgraded Bluetooth could be next step in faster patient data transmission
Researchers at PSG College of Technology Peelamedu in Coimbatore, India have developed a system that uses the Bluetooth's wireless network to make patient data available to healthcare providers. The modified wireless Bluetooth protocol can transfer data four times faster than a conventional Bluetooth, and does not have the usual intermittent connectivity problems, according to Subha Rani, co-author of a forthcoming white paper on the project. In tests, researchers have successfully transferred patient medical image scans to a healthcare provider's personal digital assistant to demonstrate how the Bluetooth might work for telemedicine, Rani adds. The white paper will appear in a future issue of the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics. http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_articles/...

Telemedicine device for diabetes, hypertension tracking goes to market
Jupiter, FL-based PDS Health Inc. has launched wireless hardware designed to help monitor diabetes, congestive heart failure, and hypertension in afflicted patients. According to Ginger Kanzer-Lewis, director of diabetes and patient education at PDS Health, the new Celemonitor can transmit patient healthcare data from anywhere and does not require a computer for use. Collected readings are sent to a patient database at MDMonitor.com for review by patients and caregivers. The initial application links to a glucose meter, blood pressure monitor, and scale, with other meters to be added later, Kanzer-Lewis said. A distress alert may also be added, and the system may also be used to remind patients to take their medications. The unit is HIPAA compliant and data secure, Kanzer-Lewis added. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/...   https://www.mdmonitor.com/...

Clinical trial underway for wireless, battery-powered digital bandage
Abingdon, United Kingdom-based Toumaz Technology Ltd. has begun clinical trials for its battery-powered "digital plaster" body monitor, a type of wireless electronic bandage that continuously reviews patient vital signs as they heal. According to Toumaz Technology co-founder Keith Errey, the Sensium digital plaster, worn by a recovering patient, delivers medical data directly to his or her electronic health record and may be accessed by a physician through a Smartphone or PDA. The product's miniature battery lasts several days and the item may be easily disposed thereafter. The three-phase trial, underway at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust's St. Mary's Hospital in London, consists of a non-patient volunteer phase, followed by patient study groups for those recovering from surgery and others with specific medical conditions in general wards, Errey said. http://www.toumaz.com/public/news.php?id=91

Doctors use joint telehealth effort to diagnose infant's heart condition
In a first-of-its-kind effort, technology from telemedicine systems providers American Educational Telecommunications (AET), Librestream and Philips was used in remote diagnosis of a newborn baby's heart murmur. Physicians at Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk, NE used advanced wireless videoconferencing technology from Librestream, through a mobile camera device connected to a Philips ultrasound machine, to set up an AET-secured teleconsultation with a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, NE. The process, which took 30 minutes, prevented costly transport of the newborn to Children's Hospital, 115 miles away, according to Dr. Keith Vrbicky, attending physician at Faith Regional. Ultimately, the remote diagnosis revealed the heart condition was not life-threatening, but the effort "alleviated the fears of everyone involved," Vrbicky notes. http://www.aetmedical.net/files/AETChildrens8.pdf   http://www.aetmedical.net/Video.html

Tomorrow's micro medical devices could be battery-free
As implantable medical devices continue to shrink in size, researchers at the University of Washington are tackling the problem of supplying power to those units. Their answer: a battery-free implantable neural sensor that draws its power from a radio source up to three feet away. Current wireless medical devices rely on inductive coupling, which requires the power source to be only a few centimeters away at most, according to Brian Otis, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington. The new platform, NeuralWISP, contains a microprocessor powered by a radio commercial-frequency reader that doubles as a data collection system, similar to that which powers and reads data from radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. The current NeuralWISP is about two centimeters long; Otis hopes future versions will one day be down to a millimeter or two in size. http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/23878/?a=f

Hip fractures in elderly decline with use of EHRs
Electronic health records could help cut the rate of hip fractures among osteoporosis-afflicted Americans by up to 25 percent, according to a study by Kaiser Permanente. The five-year study, the largest to look at osteoporosis management in men and women over 50 years old, followed 650,000 men and women in Kaiser's osteoporosis management program and found hip fractures dropped by 38 percent by 2007, lead author Richard M. Dell M.D. said. Dell suggests that the collection of data on its HealthConnect records database - reportedly the world's largest - kept physicians aware of changes in patient bone density rates and subsequent injury prevention actions. The study appears in the November issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/pressreleases/...

Computer alerts lead to greater use of generic drugs
Computerized alerts can prevent unnecessary prescriptions and persuade clinicians to switch from costly brand name drugs to generic brands, according to a recent study. The computerized alerts, which compared use of medication brands, resulted in switches to generics for nearly 1 of every 4 heavily marketed sleep aid drugs, the report notes. According to Robert J. Fortuna, M.D., a senior instructor of pediatrics and internal medicine at URMC, prescription drugs are a key component of healthcare expenses - totaling more than $216 billion per year. Therefore, reducing unnecessary prescriptions for high-priced, heavily marketed drugs can directly lower some of the high costs associated with healthcare, he said. The study appears in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/...

New physician data registries target stroke, heart attack care
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) have launched data registry programs to help improve the quality and efficiency of outpatient cardiovascular care. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal , the two groups are focusing on outpatient care for heart attack, stroke, and congestive heart failure patients after each experiencing success with similar programs aimed at hospital heart care. AHA's expanded "Get With the Guidelines" program for hospitals and physician offices, and ACC's new Pinnacle registry will use clinical data from participating physicians about what kind of advice they offer to cardiovascular patients and how effectively that advice helps patients reach recommended goals. The groups hope the data will encourage doctors to prescribe proven strategies and medications that reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. http://online.wsj.com/article/...

Web search engines can result in 'cyberchondria' among public
Despite their heavy use by the public as a medical information resource, Internet search engines are not designed to provide people with accurate medical diagnoses, according to a report in The Washington Post. The problem, the Post notes, is a growing trend toward "cyberchondria," where persons search the Web for information about an ailment and discover several possible causes - all of which are probably wrong, not due to inaccurate information, but incorrect self-diagnosis by the surfer. The article notes that a 2008 study by Microsoft found that nearly one-third of 250,000 Internet users with a medical question ended up escalating their Web surfing to focus on more serious - and far less common - conditions. But a follow-up study noted that although 2 in 5 people who surfed the Internet for medical information became much more nervous about a perceived medical condition, another 50 percent said it helped reduce their anxiety. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...   ftp://ftp.research.microsoft.com/pub/tr/TR-2008-178.pdf

Telemedicine's potential hampered by 'outdated' policies
Telemedicine is a highly innovative field that will not achieve its full potential until various outdated policies are changed or eliminated, according to an opinion piece by Advisory Board Company IT Insights Manager Protima Advani. In her opinion, published in the California HealthCare Foundation's November newsletter, Advani notes that changes in reimbursement and legal policies will "greatly determine whether telemedicine programs flourish." For example, hospitals should be reimbursed by all payers for healthcare services and compensated for revenues lost due to reduced admissions and emergency department visits. Furthermore, emerging telemedicine solutions should be eligible for the same Coverage with Evidence Development program that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) offers to hospitals for using cutting-edge devices or technologies. Such a policy "would not only accelerate adoption of new telemedicine applications but would also spur innovations in care delivery," Advani notes. http://www.ihealthbeat.org/perspectives/2009/...