News Briefs
News Briefs
New line of electrotherapy products to treat ulcers
A line of products containing neuromuscular stimulators is now available for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.
The Electro-Mesh stocking electrode and a complete line of soft braces and socks are manufactured by Prizm Medical of Duluth, GA.
The products contain electrodes that cover the extremity and, with electrical energy provided by a pulsed galvanic neuromuscular stimulator, deliver the charge deep into the tissue, increasing blood circulation to the injured area.
Clinical studies showed a gradual reduction in diabetic neuropathic pain and a marked rise in tissue oxygenation during stimulation with the products used over a four-week period.
One Health announces self-management program
The affiliated One Health plans have initiated a new program to help people with chronic disease better manage their conditions. The program, CareResults, became available to One Health Plan PPO, POS, and HMO members with diabetes, heart conditions, and diabetes beginning Feb. 1.
The 3.5 million patient insurer developed the chronic disease program in conjunction with ProMedex,which currently offers health management programs for patients with chronic diseases that cover 20 million Americans.
Potential CareResults patients are asked to complete a detailed confidential health profile by using the One Health Plan Web site or the company’s automated phone system.
Based on the profile, the patient’s risk level and ability to manage his condition is determined by the medical team; a personalized health improvement plan is created for each individual.
Internet retinopathy service available
The first Inoveon Advanced Diabetic Evalua-tion Retinopathy Service has been installed at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Oklahoma City, making it possible for diabetic patients to get retinal exams at the same time they get other checkups, avoiding an additional trip to specialty clinics.
The system places a digital retinal camera in a doctor’s office, where technicians take a series of retinal images of every diabetic patient they see. The images are sent over the Internet to the Inoveon reading center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, where diagnosticians analyze the images. Retinal scores for each eye are returned to the doctor’s office within 48 hours, along with recommendations for follow-up.
In about 5% of the cases, retinal disease is sufficiently advanced to warrant a referral for possible laser surgical treatment. Current statistics show that fewer than 40% of all diabetics go to an ophthalmologist for an annual retinal exam, a failure that progresses into unnecessary blindness for 40,000 diabetic patients every year.
FDA approval sought for ulcer healing treatment
A bilayered viable treatment for diabetic leg ulcers has been submitted to the FDA for supplemental product marketing approval. Apligraf, manufactured by Organogen esis, Inc. of Canton, MA, and marketed by Novartis, is currently approved to treat venous leg ulcers.
Clinical studies showed 57% of venous leg ulcers treated with Apligraf and compression were completely closed by week 24, compared to 40% of those treated with compression therapy alone.
Apligraf has an upper epidermal layer containing living human dermal cells but does not contain blood vessels, hair follicles, or sweat glands.
Apligraf is contraindicated for use on clinically infected wounds and in patients with known allergies to bovine collagen or hypersensitivity to the components of the shipping medium.
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