IMDA eNews 091323
The latest news affecting you and your customers…
from the Independent Medical Specialty Dealers Association
Registration open for 2024 conference in March
Registration is open for the 2024 IMDA/HIRA Conference, March 4-6, 2024, at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida. Golfers will tee off Monday morning, March 4, and the conference will begin that afternoon. We’ll finish at noon on Wednesday, March 6. And in between? Networking, business and market information, Manufacturers Forum, great food. Make plans to attend the IMDA/HIRA Conference in March 2024.
Mechanical ventilation after sepsis diagnosis
Risk factors for needing mechanical ventilation grow for patients with newly diagnosed sepsis as more time passes after onset, according to a study from the University of Michigan Medical Center, reports the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. In the study, 13.5% of patients with a new diagnosis of sepsis required initiation of mechanical ventilation. More than half of them required mechanical ventilation within the first 24 hours after sepsis onset, while initiation of mechanical ventilation occurred after 24 hours in 47.4% of patients. Further analysis revealed that of the patients who received mechanical ventilation before but not after sepsis onset, only 4% died prior to hospital discharge.
Respiratory patients most vulnerable to climate change
Respiratory patients are among the most vulnerable to climate change, said Professor Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, chair of the Environment and Health Committee of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). According to a new ERS report, climate change leads to higher temperatures and a subsequent increase in airborne allergens, such as pollen. In addition, extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and wildfires lead to episodes of extreme air pollution and dust storms, as well as heavy rainfall and flooding, which in turn can lead to higher humidity and mold in homes. The report highlights the risk to babies and children, whose lungs are still developing.
Implantable shock absorber for the knee
Fremont, California-based Moximed announced that doctors completed the first commercial cases for its Misha Knee System, an implantable shock absorber for the knee. The FDA-cleared system is indicated for people with medial knee osteoarthritis who have failed to find relief from non-surgical or surgical treatment, continue to experience pain that interferes with daily activities, and are ineligible for, or unwilling to undergo, joint replacement due to age or absence of advanced OA. Knee OA develops when the joint’s natural shock absorbers — cartilage and meniscus — no longer cushion the joint from daily activities, leading to chronic pain and activity limitation. The implant is placed on the medial knee and moves with the natural joint, reducing about 30% of the peak force on the knee with every walking step.
Private equity firms chasing cardiology
In 2020, Medicare started paying physicians to place stents, balloons, and perform other procedures to open clogged coronary arteries in outpatient settings. Financial firms have been racing to buy up cardiology practices ever since, reports STAT. Experts fear that these investors will usher in more patients, ramp up surgeries and jack up prices, like what happened in orthopedics and gastroenterology.
Esophageal deviation device mitigates thermal injury potential
S4 Medical Corporation, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, received de novo approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its esolution® esophageal deviation device. The approval of the esolution device represents the first FDA-approved strategy to mitigate thermal injury to the esophagus, a known and serious complication associated with atrial fibrillation ablation procedures