Clinical Edge: Recent Advances in Research and Clinical Trials
Article preview reprinted Medtech Insight - September 2008
Brief summaries of recent advances in device research and clinical trials, including new evidence of the benefits of herniated disc surgery for older patients; the increase in the incidence of knee osteoarthritis; molecular breast imaging to detect breast cancer; the safety of endarterectomy for high-risk patients; and a new NIH grant program for innovative research.
Article preview reprinted Medtech Insight - September 2008
Clinical Edge: Recent Advances in Research and Clinical Trials
Herniated Disc Surgery May Pay Off for Older Patients, Study Suggests
The spine surgery community has taken issue with recent studies suggesting that spine surgery is associated with significant costs and little patient benefit. (See "Is Spine Surgery Under Assault?," IN VIVO, May 2008). However, spine surgeons are unlikely to argue with the results of a new observational analysis from the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), which focused on patients with herniated discs and reached a different conclusion. The study, published in the September 1, 2008 issue of the journal Spine, finds that surgery for a herniated disc is a "reasonably cost-effective" intervention when compared with other common medical procedures. Find out more.
Knee Osteoarthritis on the Rise
Nearly half of the US adult population can expect to contract osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, according to a recent analysis performed by researchers at the University of North Carolina. Find out more.
Endarterectomy Safe for High-Risk Patients, Study Shows
Recent data show that patients with high-risk comorbidities can respond positively to carotid endarterectomy. Patients who suffer from multiple conditions, such as coronary artery disease and high blood pressure, are much safer when undergoing carotid endarterectomy than researchers previously expected. The procedure, which surgically clears blocked carotid arteries in the neck, effectively prevented strokes during clinical trials. Previously, doctors advised patients with multiple conditions to consider alternate treatments to this surgery in order to avoid complications that usually accompany open surgical procedures. However, the data from this most recent study shows that the method is actually safe and successful for these sorts of patients. Find out more.
Innovative Researchers Receive Grants
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established a new program called EUREKA (Exceptional, Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration) to support scientific research. Through the program, the NIH recently granted $42.2 million to support 38 research projects that were deemed creative and innovative. Find out more.
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Companies mentioned in this article:
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Mental Health
Rockefeller University
US Department of Defense
University of Iowa
University of North Carolina
University of Washington
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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