Despite a recent Institute of Medicine report calling for the FDA to abandon its 510(k) medical device clearance process, many experts think reform, not abandonment, is the best path. That was among the findings in a Northwestern University survey funded by the Institute of Health Technology Studies that drew responses from more than 350 companies engaged in developing medical devices.

Netherlands researchers raised questions about a study published in the June edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that reported an association between the implementation of a tele-ICU and improved mortality, shorter lengths of stay, and stricter adherence to best practices.

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has named Carol Herman, an FDA official, as its new senior vice president of standards and policy programs.

The FDA has approved Synapse Biomedicals NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System (DPS), used for treatment of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)Lou Gehrigs diseasewho have stimulatable diaphragms and are experiencing chronic hypoventilation.

The FDA has cleared Amcom's Messenger for market as a Class II medical device. The middleware technology relays alert notifications from patient monitoring and other clinical and safety systems to staff members mobile devices.

When I was younger, I had no concept of gardening, neither did I like it all that much. A number of houseplants paid the price of my lack of knowledge. But with age comes knowledge and experience, and I now actually enjoy gardening and have learned to nurture a healthy annual crop of backyard tomatoes.

A key component of Oklahoma Heart Hospitals successful digitization strategy is their careful and widespread integration of medical devices and clinical information systems into their robust clinical and IT environment. Sponsored by an educational grant from Drager

Medical device industry executives in Massachusetts expect business to pick up over the next two quarters, according to a survey commissioned by the state industry association MassMedic.