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Medtronic aims to double ventilator manufacturing capacity

, 26 August 2020/in Corona News, E-News /by 3wmedia

Medtronic said 18 March it plans to more than double its capacity to make and supply ventilators to fight the global pandemic.
Medtronic, an industry leader in respiratory care and device innovation, said that they had already increased production by more than 40 percent and were on track to more than double its capacity to manufacture and supply ventilators.
The company said it recognizes the acute need for ventilators as life-saving devices in the management of COVID-19 infections. High-performance ventilators play a critical role in the management of patients with severe respiratory illness, such as COVID-19. Without ventilation support, some patients with severe respiratory disease might not survive.
“Medtronic recognizes the demand for ventilators in this environment has far outstripped supply,” said Bob White, executive vice president and president of the Minimally Invasive Therapies Group at Medtronic. “No single company will be able to fill the current demands of global healthcare systems. However, with all manufacturers increasing their production and through partnerships with governments, hospitals and global health organizations, Medtronic is committed to getting more ventilators into the market and to the right locations in the world to help doctors and patients dealing with COVID-19.”
Medtronic produces high performance ventilators for a variety of care settings, including the acute segment (in-hospital patients in intensive care units, emergency departments or on the general care floors) and the sub-acute segment (out of hospital, long-term care facilities or home-ventilated patients).
Medtronic manufactures the Puritan Bennett 980 (PB 980) and Puritan Bennett 840 (PB 840) high performance ventilators in Galway, Ireland, which are primarily designed for critically ill patients in high acuity setting, such as some Covid-19 patients.
In the company’s Ireland ventilator manufacturing facility, the company currently has over 250 employees dedicated to ventilator manufacturing and plans to more than double that number, including transferring staff from other Medtronic sites to support ramp up activities.
Ventilator manufacturing is a complex process that relies on a skilled workforce, a global supply chain and a rigorous regulatory regime to ensure patient safety.
Medtronic said it is prioritizing high risk/high needs areas for ventilator allocation on a weekly basis for global distribution through its supply chain. Covid-19 is a dynamic global issue, and Medtronic will continue to monitor the situation.

Health leaders from around the world gather in Muscat for the 43rd World Hospital Congress

, 26 August 2020/in E-News /by 3wmedia

The 43^rd IHF World Hospital Congress kicks off today at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre for four days of insightful discussions and knowledge exchange among health leaders from 59 countries, all gathered together to improve the way we deliver healthcare.
Hosted by the Ministry of Health of the Sultanate of Oman, the World Hospital Congress, under the umbrella of the International Hospital Federation (IHF), is a unique global forum that brings health leaders from across the globe together annually to share views and experiences, network and promote excellence in healthcare and hospital leadership.
“The Ministry of Health of the Sultanate of Oman is delighted to host the 43rd World Hospital Congress and welcome delegates from different countries and cultures to Muscat”, said Dr Qasem Ahmed Al Salmi, Chair of the 2019 World Hospital Congress Organizing Committee.
“In the next four days we will hear accounts about resiliency, investments, and innovations; and understand better the interconnected roles of hospitals, patients, and communities in times of peace and crisis”, said IHF President, Dr Francisco Balestrin. “On 8 November, we will recognize hospitals and healthcare organizations from around the world for their outstanding and innovative programs to improve patient experience and outcomes during the 2019 IHF Awards Ceremony.”
Six keynote presentations will feature world-renowned speakers followed by insightful panel discussions. There are 130 speakers to offer fresh perspectives and strategies from their experiences, as well as examples of current innovations and digital transformations in healthcare from different regions in the world.
If you are interested in resilient health services, you can hear about the challenges of refugee crisis in Palestine from Dr. Akihiro Seita, Director of Health Programme of UNRWA. You can attend sessions covering terrorist attack situations, response and mitigation plans, and how to maintain quality in healthcare even in the most challenging of times,” offered Dr Balestrin.
Topics on health investment for prosperity are spread throughout the four days. Keynote presentations by Dr. Melinda Estes, President and CEO of Saint Luke’s Health System in the USA, and Dr. Agnés Soucat, Director of Health Systems Governance and Financing at WHO Switzerland, will tackle the roles of hospitals, health systems and health services in driving prosperity and in support of population well-being. More sessions under this sub-theme will cover how local hospitals are reinventing themselves and rethinking their plans to improve population health.
“If you are keen about innovation for health impact, a keynote session with Sir Andrew Dillon CBE, Chief Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK, will discuss about the innovation pathway being an alignment between ambition and successful adoption of new health technologies. You can also listen to sessions sharing about the digital ecosystem of Catalonia, the Asian perspective of digital transformation pathway, as well as a presentation of Oman’s e-health achievements”, invited Dr Balestrin.
“This is a great opportunity to learn from each other and share ideas over these four days in the conversation on how we can make healthcare more responsive, supportive and prospective in times of peace and crisis,” commented Dr Al Salmi. https://worldhospitalcongress.org mylene.dayola@ihf-fih.org

ICU patients with non-brain-related injuries may suffer undetected cognitive dysfunction

, 26 August 2020/in E-News /by 3wmedia

A new study led by Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute has found that most patients entering hospital intensive care units (ICU) for non-brain-related injuries or ailments also suffer from some level of related cognitive dysfunction that currently goes undetected in most cases.
Many patients spend time in the ICU for reasons that have nothing to do with a known brain injury, and most health care providers and caregivers don’t have any evidence to believe there is an issue with the brain. For example, a patient may have had a traumatic injury that does not involve the brain, yet still requires breathing support to enable surgeons to fix damaged organs, they may have issues with their heart or lungs, they may contract a serious infection, or they may simply be recovering from a surgical procedure like an organ transplant that has nothing directly to do with their brain.
For the study, Western investigators from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the Brain and Mind Institute and researchers from Lawson assessed 20 such patients as they left the ICU and every single patient had detectable cognitive deficits in two or more cognitive areas of investigation, including memory, attention, decision-making and reasoning. Again, this is in spite of the fact that, on the face of it, they had no clear brain injury.
The discovery was made using online tests, developed by renowned Western neuroscientist Adrian Owen and his teams at the Brain and Mind Institute and BrainsCAN, which were originally designed to examine cognitive ability in patients following brain injuries but for this purpose, are being used to detect cognitive deficits in people who have spent time in an intensive care unit without a diagnosed brain injury.
“Many people spend time in an intensive care unit following a brain injury and, of course, they often experience deficits in memory, attention, decision-making and other cognitive functions as a result,” explains Owen, a professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. “In this study, we were interested to see how patients without a specific brain injury fair after leaving the ICU. The results were astonishing.”
Why cognitive ability declines even in non-brain related visits to the ICU likely varies from patient to patient, but Dr. Kimia Honarmand from Schulich Medicine & Dentistry says the lesson to be learned is that many conditions affect brain function, even though they might not directly involve the brain.
“If you are having trouble breathing, your brain may be starved of oxygen. If you have a serious infection, the inflammation that occurs as a result of infection may affect brain function. If you are undergoing major surgery, you might be given drugs and have procedures that may affect your breathing, which in turn may affect the flow of oxygen to the brain,” explains Dr. Honarmand. “What we have shown here is that all or any of these events can lead to deficits in brain function that manifest as impairments in cognition. And healthy cognition is a vital determinant of functional recovery.”

Western University

https://tinyurl.com/yxtwruye

Renewed ESR advocacy for the harmonization of the radiology profession

, 26 August 2020/in E-News /by 3wmedia

The European Society of Radiology (ESR) has renewed its initiatives to harmonize medical training for radiologists across Europe. Following advocacy on the part of the radiology community, in close coordination with the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), after the modernization of the Professional Qualifications Directive in 2013, the current political climate offers new opportunities for adapting the legal framework regulating the free movement of doctors and recognition of professional qualifications.

Considering the ongoing evaluation of the Professional Qualifications Directive, the ESR brings again to the attention of the European Commission its twofold request to change Annex V, Section 5.1.3. in order to safeguard the highest standards of medical training and patient care throughout Europe.

Once again, the ESR has joined forces with the UEMS, the authority on medical education in Europe, demonstrating its continuous commitment to collaborating with partner organizations on the harmonization of medical education.

In an official letter submitted to the European Commission, the ESR strongly urges the European Commission to adopt a delegated act to increase the minimum years of training for radiologists from four to five years, in full compliance with the European Training Curriculum for Radiology that was developed to further harmonize radiology education throughout Europe.

Growing training needs and the introduction of digital solutions in medical imaging require equally high standards of training that can only be met by implementing a full-fledged five-year radiology training.

In addition, the ESR calls on the Member States and the European Commission to change the name of the discipline from “Diagnostic Radiology” to “Radiology”, reflecting the profession’s current practice comprising both diagnostic and interventional procedures.

As Member States hold the competence to unilaterally enter the name of a profession into Annex V, individual Member States are strongly encouraged to unilaterally enter “Radiology” as the name of the discipline as a first step towards harmonization. Nevertheless, the ESR believes that an EU-wide solution is needed and therefore urges the Member States and the European Commission to enter into dialogue in the interest of the free movement of radiologists in Europe.

The ESR supports a multi-layered approach, simultaneously launching initiatives at national and EU levels, to strengthen the voice of radiology in the debate. Therefore, the ESR counts on the national radiological societies to be the messenger of the unified radiology position towards national Ministries of Health and health authorities.

Only a coordinated approach involving the ESR and its institutional members can lead to the highest standards and a true harmonization of radiology training and enhance the mobility of the radiology profession in Europe.

https://tinyurl.com/y2q4m5ht

Medtronic aims to double ventilator manufacturing capacity

Health leaders from around the world gather in Muscat for the 43rd World Hospital Congress

ICU patients with non-brain-related injuries may suffer undetected cognitive dysfunction

Renewed ESR advocacy for the harmonization of the radiology profession

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