Covidien has issued a recall for its Duet TRS single use cartridges after the devices were linked to three deaths among patients undergoing thoracic surgery, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just announced. The Covidien Duet TRS is a product used in surgery in conjunction with a surgerical stapler.

The recall involves all production lots for the Duet TRS Universal Straight and Articulating Single Use Loading Units that involve use of this product family in the thoracic cavity. To date, Covidien has received 13 reports of serious injuries and 3 reports of patient deaths following the application of Duet TRS in the thoracic cavity. Continue »

The shamed Costa Concordia captain who abandoned ship in Friday’s deadly luxury liner crash has been ordered to house arrest.

Captain Francesco Schettino claims his abandoning the doomed Costa Concordia cruise ship was accidental, that he slipped and fell onto a lifeboat while helping passengers exit the ship that went aground late Friday on the rocks of Giglio Island, an island off Italy’s Italian coast. While the liner continued to sink into the Tyrrhenian Sea, off northern Italy’s coast, and rescue crews frantically worked to recover the dozens missing and collect the dead, Schettino maintained he was faultless during a three-hour hearing yesterday, said La Repubblica, wrote The Guardian. Continue »

A new, 10-state study spanning from 1997 links asthma drugs to three serious birth defects. The study appears in the January 16th online issue of the journal, Pediatrics.

The study authors wrote that babies of women who took asthma drugs when pregnant suffered increased risks for isolated esophageal atresia (closed area of the esophagus), isolated anorectal atresia (closed area of the rectum and/or anus), and omphalocele (out-pouching of the intestines), said The Examiner. The risk was specifically seen in pregnant woman who took asthma medications in the month prior to becoming pregnant or in the first three months of being pregnant. Continue »

New fracking regulations will be effective February 1 in Texas, forcing drilling operators in that state to report the chemicals used in the process, also known as hydraulic fracturing.

According to a New York Times report, landowners and environmentalists in Texas are awaiting news on what “acids, hydroxides,” and other chemicals end up in fracking wells, and experts are anxious to hear about the mandatory disclosure concerning how much water is used to frack a well. This information, in particular, said The Times, is data experts say is invaluable when determining how fracking activities impact water supplies in Texas, known to be prone to drought. Chemical and water disclosure information will be available at fracfocus.org. Continue »

Antidepressant use during pregnancy has been linked to lung problems in newborn babies, according to an emerging study.

The study found that expectant mothers taking widely prescribed antidepressants are at a two-fold increased risk for giving birth to babies diagnosed with a rare, but serious, lung disorder, said WebMD. Specifically, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants such as Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft were linked to persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN) in this study. Continue »

The United States has offered Guatemala health aid, while at the same time it sought to have a lawsuit filed on behalf of Guatemalans injured by controversial medical experiments conducted in the late 1940 dismissed. In motions filed Monday, the U.S. rejected the grounds of the lawsuit, which seeks compensation on behalf Guatemalans who were intentionally infected with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) by U.S. government researchers over 60 years ago.

The federal government seeks dismissal of a 2011 lawsuit filed on behalf of the victims of the Guatemalan medical experiments conducted by U.S. government researchers in 1946-1948. One day after the Department of Justices’ filing seeking dismissal, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), one of the defendants, announced it pledged $1.8 million to assist Guatemalan health authorities to fight STDs and improve research with human subjects. Continue »

Dutch health authorities are advising women to have certain French-manufactured silicone breast implants removed following a worldwide health scare involving device rupture and cancer.

Recently health authorities in France advised about 30,000 women who received Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) silicone breast implants to have them removed over rupture risks. The debacle began following the death of a French woman who received PIP implants and developed rare aplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), said Reuters. The devices have not yet been definitively linked to cancer; however, no less than eight other cases of the rare ALCL have been reported among French women who received PIP implants. PIP is now defunct and is the focus of a French criminal investigation. Continue »

Doctors are calling for a moratorium on fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, the method by which the earth’s shale is shattered to release natural gas and oil deposits.

The fracking debate has grown significantly in recent months as gas producers tout the benefits of domestic energy and improved economics. Environmental and health advocates argue that the financial benefits are dwarfed by serious short- and long-term health and environmental effects. Now, doctors in attendance at a conference on fracking are speaking out. Continue »

Since the attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York on September 11, many responders have developed a number of diseases and disorders including various cancers and respiratory illnesses. An emerging study reveals key links between WTC responders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and respiratory problems.

The study appears in the “FirstView” section of Psychological Medicine online. Benjamin J. Luft, M.D., an Edmund D. Pellegrino Professor of Medicine, and Medical Director of Stony Brook’s World Trade Center Health Program led the study in collaboration with Evelyn Bromet, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor at the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, and Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, along with their team, said Medical News Today. Continue »

Advocacy group, Public Citizen, wants the Stryker Wingspan Brain Stent recalled following a recent study that linked the stent system to a significant increase in stroke or death. Ironically, the Wingspan stent system is meant to prevent stroke by clearing blood flow to the brain.

A former official with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has joined Public Citizen and other advocacy groups in seeking the federal government’s withdrawal of the Stryker device, said Bloomberg Businessweek. According to Public Citizen, a recent National Institutes of Health- (NIH) funded study revealed that the Stryker Wingspan stent system was linked to a 2.5-fold increased risk for stroke or death, wrote Businessweek. The advocates filed their petition—co-signed by a former executive from the FDA’s device division—this Wednesday.
Continue »