Education and Training

In what is claimed to be the largest in the world on surgical simulation for robotic surgery, an Italian team has concluded that aptitude on virtual reality tests can provide a measure of innate ability or as they term it, manipulative and psychomotor skills.

Novation is among a group of mixed expertise which is developing new standards to prevent tubing misconnections. It seems the benefit of the Luer connector’s universality is countered by the risks of attaching the wrong thing.

It seems San Francisco’s Invuity, Inc., has hit on a rich vein of unmet need as its clever illuminated retractor systems featured heavily in the last two weeks at both an anterior hip arthroplasty course and an innovation technology showcase hosted by one of the big healthcare supply chain companies.

September 2013 is Atrial Fibrillation Awareness month and heart device company AtriCure, Inc. has taken the opportunity to announce a significant multi-year strategic investment in clinical trial and educational initiatives aimed at reducing the global Atrial Fibrillation epidemic.

Who’s responsible for ensuring devices get used correctly, according to manufacturers’ instructions? A new survey suggests companies might have to work harder to educate vascular specialists about how to get best results from peripheral drug-eluting balloons.

Building on success of its “Toolbox” series within Pharmaceutical and Chemical industry, EBCG conferences’ Medical Devices PPM (Project and Portfolio Management) Toolbox aims to be Europe’s leading conference for Project and Portfolio experts in the medical devices industry.

The FDA is promising that its two day course will teach you about 5 new risk management tools and 4 emerging new standards to transform your risk management program.

Training simulator company Simbionix USA Corporation, has received FDA clearance for its TEVAR application for PROcedure Rehearsal Studio™ . This application joins the family of PRS cleared for marketing applications for Carotid Intervention and EVAR procedures.

In the title of this week’s piece we ask whether patients will ever be specifiying the devices that will be used on them. We rather hope they won’t, but then again a bit more information wouldn’t go amiss. After all, who’s body is it?

Medical device research organisation NAMSA, is sponsoring a comprehensive symposium based on the definitive new book, “Biocompatibility and Performance of Medical Devices,” in London, England, February 12-14.

UK NICE’s guidance on clinical management of Peripheral Artery Disease patients is comprehensive and says they should not be “offered” major amputation unless all other attempts to revascularise have been considered. Strange language, but we know what you mean.

Conmed and Exactech have announced that they will collaborate to deliver educational programs which cover all aspects of shoulder and knee repair, in a way defining synergy as neither company could deliver the full spectrum single handed.

MIS Sacroiliac joint specialist SI-BONE, Inc. has issued a press release announcing that it has reached a significant milestone for its iFuse Implant System® with over 3,000 patients implanted. The device is used to minimally invasively fuse the sacroiliac joint.

A one day conference entitled Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is being held this Friday in Cardiff, Wales.

Kazakhstan has adopted a new approach to medical training in view of the expansion of medical technologies. Clinicians from the Baltic states are providing core training which is then cascaded down in the hope of improving standards of care in the country.

Systagenix is trumpeting the fact that more than 1,000 clinicians from over 400 sites across Europe, the Middle East and South Africa have now been trained in the four months since the launch of WOUNDCHEK™ Protease Status, the world’s first point of care test for Elevated Protease Activity (EPA) in chronic wounds.