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In patients with acute lung injury or ARDS, the addition of higher PEEP levels to the strategy of a low tidal volume does not improve clinical outcomes.
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There currently exists much evidence to direct the application of Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NPPV). NPPV for the treatment of patients with acute respiratory failure has generated several meta-analyses and systematic reviews,1-4 including a recent one by Dean R. Hess PhD, RRT.
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While only two drug-eluting coronary stents are currently cleared for sale in the U.S., numerous others are peeking over the horizon, awaiting their turn in the sun. The existing products and those that are on the way reflect a variety of different approaches in terms of both the drugs and the polymer coatings chosen by the companies vying for a spot in the marketplace.
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This year's small but highly regarded Summer in Seattle (SIS) conference, whose stated goal is to provide a state-of-the-art perspective on the field of interventional cardiology and vascular therapies, was held here in the latter part of July amidst glorious summertime weather.
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Attendance at the 12th annual Medical Device Conference sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (Palo Alto, California), with events held here and up the road in Palo Alto, was up 6% from the previous year, totaling 465.
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Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts) last month reported a historic quarter, saying its profit in the second quarter ended June 30 nearly tripled to $313 million, boosted by strong sales of its recently approved drug-eluting stents (DES) and favorable currency exchange rates.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS; Baltimore) announcement last month that it plans to create the Council on Technology and Innovation (CTI), replacing its Medicare Technology Council (MTC), is an attempt to move new technologies through the coverage process, if not more quickly, at least more openly.
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The UK Department of Health late last month named Cardiac Science (Irvine, California) as its sole provider of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). It plans to purchase about $3 million AEDs in a contract the company said represents the largest government purchase of such devices in history.
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Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (Vancouver, British Columbia), the provider of drug coatings for stents and other medical devices, closed its acquisition of NeuColl (Los Gatos, California) in an all-cash transaction of nearly $13 million. Previously, Angiotech had obtained an equity interest in NeuColl through the acquisition of Cohesion Technologies in January 2003.
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Alere Medical (Reno, Nevada) said it would provide its comprehensive heart failure management program to Humanas (Louisville, Kentucky) Medicare Advantage members who suffer from advanced congestive heart failure.
