RECENT NEWS

A gene that regulates the rhythm of the heart has been revealed in new research published in Nature Genetics.

Patient Safety First – a voluntary campaign aimed at changing practice and culture – has created a “How to” guide for reducing harm from falls.

A wireless digital “plaster”’ that can monitor vital signs continuously and remotely is being tested with patients and healthy volunteers at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, in a new clinical trial run by Imperial College London researchers.

Research by investigators at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI), has reported the first successful treatment of eight patients with “Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency” (LSCD) using the patients’ own stem cells without the need of suppressing their immunity.

Government attempts to widen access to the medical profession are failing, according to a report by the British Medical Association. The BMA claims that “there is no real evidence that attempts by ministers to encourage students from low income families into medicine have had a significant impact”.

Deaths from liver disease are increasing at an alarming rate and, by 2030, will exceed those from cardiac deaths, warned Kevin Moore, professor of hepatology at University College London, and Nick Sheron, consultant hepatologist at Southampton General Hospital.

An increasing number of people are surviving cancer, but many do not receive the services and support they need in the long term, Macmillan Cancer Support has said.

The addition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the initial, pre-operative assessment of women with small breast cancers does not reduce the re-operation rate for incompletely excised tumour, suggests research published by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme.

Children are being forced to wait for months for consultations and treatment because of delays caused by the Home Office’s new “Vetting and Barring Scheme” for those working with children, according to the Royal College of Surgeons.

Research funded by the British Heart Foundation confirms that a type of cholesterol called Lipoprotein(a) plays a role in causing heart disease. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the findings could open new avenues of research for treatments.

The All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group (APPTG) has welcomed the Department of Health’s (DH) decision to mandate venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention in the Operating Framework for the NHS in 2010/11.

All critical care units in the UK are being encouraged to review how they look after patients whose abdomens are left open after surgery or injury.

North Middlesex has becomes the first hospital in the UK to roll out a new inventory management system across all wards. Initial data revealed that some wards were overstocked by 40%.

NHS consultant ophthalmic surgeon, Mr Bobby Qureshi, one of the UK’s leading eye surgeons and medical director of the London Eye Hospital, recently carried out the first ever Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) implant surgery in the UK.

“Nil by mouth” should be the last resort, rather than the first option, is the central message of a report published by the Royal College of Physicians and the British Society of Gastroenterology. Oral feeding difficulties and dilemmas: A guide to practical care, particularly towards the end of life has been prepared in response to continuing unease about the lack of consensus on when artificial nutrition and hydration is appropriate.

The All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group (APPTG) has welcomed the Department of Health’s (DH) decision to mandate venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention in the Operating Framework for the NHS in 2010/11. The All Party Group has been campaigning for its inclusion as a key step in reducing up to 25,000 annual avoidable deaths and saving the NHS over half a billion pounds a year.

An annual conference, “Healthcare-associated Infections” is taking place on 11 March at Church House, Westminster – providing an update on the next steps to further reduce infection, including those related to the use of devices such as catheters, central lines, surgical site infections and pneumonias.

The West Midlands is the beating heart of the country’s vibrant medical technology industry, according to Strength and Opportunity, a recent report funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, UK Trade and Investment, and the Department of Health.

Full Support Healthcare has partnered with Breast Cancer Care to launch a new range of surgical gowns and warm-up jackets branded “Think Pink”. Proceeds from the sale of the products will be donated to Breast Cancer Care and it is hoped that the initiative will raise thousands of pounds for the charity.

As part of its campaign to help Trusts eliminate avoidable death and harm to patients, Patient Safety First is launching a “Human factors” focus week on the 1 February 2010. “Human factors” can include environmental, organisational or job factors, or the individual characteristics that influence behaviour at work.