New Products & Services

Small-diameter extractor removes small stones, pieces

Spencer, IN-Cook Urological's 1.7F NCompass Nitinol Stone Extractor features a tipless 16-wire dual basket design that securely traps and extracts kidney stones and stone fragments as small as 1.5 mm without impeding irrigation or visibility during the procedure. Made from the shape-memory alloy of titanium and nickel, nitinol, the extractor's design minimizes tissue trauma and provides stability and ease of movement during procedures, according to Cook.

For more information, visit http://www.cookmedical.com/.

For more information, visit http://www.olympussurgical.com/.

Drag-and-drop tumor imaging enhances treatment plan

Andover, MA-Royal Philips Electronics has released its Model Based Segmentation (MBS) software for image-guided radiation therapy workflow enhancement. An enhancement of Philips' Pinnacle3 system, the MBS program streamlines the process of contouring tumors and anatomic structures, from which 4-D datasets can be propagated, allowing tumor movement to be tracked and treatment plans to be adapted quickly. An anatomic library of 3-D patient organ structure models can be dragged and dropped onto patient image data so the software can contour the model to the patient's anatomy.

For more information, visit http://www.philips.com/.

Drug approved to quell post-surgical emesis

Whitehouse Station, NJ-The FDA has granted approval to Merck & Co.'s aprepitant (Emend), an oral drug for use in preventing post-surgical and, with other anti-emetic agents, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. The recommended dose is a single, 40-mg dose administered 1 to 3 hours before anesthesia. The drug has been shown in two multicenter, double-blind, randomized clinical trials to be more effective in preventing post-surgical emesis than was intravenous ondansetron hydrochloride (Zofran), 4 mg, given immediately before anesthesia (p<.001), according to the manufacturer.

For more information, go to http://www.merck.com/.

Secure voicemail lets patients get test results 24/7

Medina, OH-SecuReach Systems, Inc. has developed a private voicemail and test tracking system that allows medical offices to convey test results, appointment reminders, and referrals to patients in a convenient, HIPAA-compliant manner. Patients are given a plastic card with a toll-free number and a personal voicebox number. The physician dictates the test result, referral, appointment, or other information though a voice-over-Internet protocol to the application web site. The system alerts the patient, who calls the number on the card, enters the voicemail box number and a security code, and obtains the message.

For more information, visit http://www.secureachsystems.com/.