BrainScope Company, Inc. announced the publication of clinical research findings from a study in patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) following a closed head injury. The study published in the peer-reviewed journal Brain Injury, the official journal of the International Brain Injury Association, entitled “Use of brain electrical activity to quantify traumatic brain injury in the emergency department”, suggests BrainScope’s technology, compared with Computed Tomography (CT), may provide clinically useful triage for CT in patients presenting to the ED.

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FDA has lifted a clinical hold on Geron’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application – the Phase I clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury may now go ahead. GRNOPC1 is the first clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell based therapy. The Phase I trials aims to establish the safety of GRNOPC1 in patients with “complete” American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale grade A subacute thoracic spinal cord injuries.

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K2M, Inc. has announced the launch of the TERRA NOVA^® Minimally Invasive Access System and the SERENGETI^® Disposable Kit at the North American Spine Society (NASS) 2009 Annual Conference. TERRA NOVA is a minimally invasive spine-based access system used in conjunction with K2M’s revolutionary SERENGETI percutaneous retractor. TERRA NOVA has the potential to minimize tissue disruption by utilizing a small incision and muscle splitting technique.

Integra LifeSciences has announced that it is featuring the Paramount(R) Pedicle Screw Fixation System for minimally invasive spine surgery at the annual North American Spine Society (NASS) Meeting, in San Francisco, California. Integra acquired the Paramount(R) system in September 2009 as a result of the acquisition of certain assets of Innovative Spinal Technologies, Inc. The Paramount(R) System will be made available to a select group of surgeons, following the introduction at NASS.

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation has announced the launch of the CUSA ShearTip(TM) for its CUSA EXcel(R) Ultrasonic Surgical Tissue Ablation platform that includes the CUSA EXcel(R) and the CUSA EXcel(R)+ systems. The CUSA ShearTip(TM) has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE Mark Certification in the European Union. The new tip design will expand the use of the CUSA EXcel(R) platform in neurosurgical applications and beyond.

A new research showed that surgery is safer and more effective than balloon angioplasty for preventing strokes. The investigations showed worse outcomes in patients who have balloon angioplasty to clear clogged neck arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain. The findings can significantly affect clinical practice, especially in the US where balloon angioplasty is now performed far more often than surgery to open blocked or narrowed carotid arteries.

Covidien plc received the FDA approval for the use of its tissue sealant product DuraSeal for use during spine surgery. Covidien expects to start selling DuraSeal for spinal use within a few weeks. The product has been on the market since 2005 for use during brain surgery. “DuraSeal continues Covidien’s dedication to scientific, evidence-based innovation that improves patient outcomes,” Dr. Michael Tarnoff, chief medical affairs officer for Covidien’s surgical devices unit, said in a statement.

A research conducted by a team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) indicated that bone-morphogenetic protein (BMP), used in 25% of spinal fusion surgeries, lead to a higher rate of complications in certain types of fusions as well as greater hospital charges, as compared to fusions that do not use BMP. The primary increase was seen in wound-related complications and dysphagia or hoarseness.

Researchers at Brigham & Women’s Hospital have found that complications caused by some bone-growth products, used in spinal fusion surgery, increase hospital stays and costs between 11% and 41%. The research conducted by a team of scientists and published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” studied Medtronic Incorporated’s “InFuse” and Stryker Corporation’s “OP-1 Implant” and “OP-1 Putty” products.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued a guidance which recommends the availability of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) to all patients suffering from chronic neurologic pain for a minimum of 6 months after note benefiting from conventional treatment for pain management. Before implantation, the patients would go through a trial of the treatment. The guidance is a ray of hope for patients with Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS). In this therapy, electric pulses are sent to electrodes attached to a fully implanted neurostimulator battery. They interrupt the pain messages sent to the brain.