Are Robotic Surgeries Really Better?
Robot-assisted surgeries have only modest advantages over other approaches, a large analysis found. More
FDA: Make medical apps reliable, not risky
Better regulations and reviews are needed so the FDA can ensure that consumer-facing health and medical apps are safe and effective. More
Medical Device Firm Payments To Physicians Exceed What Drug Companies Pay Physicians, Target Surgical Specialists
Many physicians receive payments from medical device companies that make products physicians can use or recommend. More
‘Painless’ Glucose Monitors Pushed Despite Little Evidence They Help Most Diabetes Patients
The numbers of people wearing these monitors are soaring as prices have fallen and device-makers promote them to doctors and patients. More
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Management at the End of Life
This Teachable Moment advocates for considering a patient’s implantable cardioverter defibrillator in discussions regarding a do-not-resuscitate order. More
Business Is Booming for Dialysis Giant Fresenius. It Took a $137M Bailout Anyway.
Half of the money the Trump administration gave dialysis companies was collected by Fresenius, an international juggernaut with a robust balance sheet, a KHN analysis has found. More
Evidence and Orthodontics: Does Your Child Really Need Braces?
Orthodontia is supposed to prevent a host of ills, from cavities to jaw pain. But some experts have found the evidence to be lacking. More
‘They killed her’: Why are breast implants still putting millions of women at risk?
Allergan’s “medical aesthetics” products helped persuade AbbVie to buy the company. But what if the devices driving profit are also endangering women’s health? More
Do Some Surgical Implants Do More Harm Than Good?
Many are clearly lifesaving, but others have proved to be life-threatening, and dangerous implants are marketed with scant oversight. More
A Popular Anti-Clotting Device May Do More Harm than Good
Some doctors are calling for the boycott of inferior vena cava, or IVC filters — and patients are suing manufacturers. More
Women Burned by Quick Fix for Heavy Periods
For many, 5-minute fix is anything but More
Reports Of Patients’ Deaths Linked To Heart Devices Lurk Below Radar
The Food and Drug Administration continues to file thousands of reports of patients’ deaths related to medical devices through a reporting system that keeps the safety data out of the public eye. More
Robotic Surgical Tool, Not Medical Evidence, Drives Free Hernia Screenings
Hospitals say such screenings provide valuable education about treatment options for the common medical condition, in which part of the intestine protrudes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall. But no research has been done on hernia screenings, and some experts worry that these outreach efforts — some of which showcase da Vinci robotic surgery devices made by Intuitive Surgical based in Sunnyvale, Calif. — could lead people to get potentially harmful operations they don’t need. More