Pancreatic cancer surgery gets 3D imaging
Scientists at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) have developed software that can generate three-dimensional models of the pancreas from scan in order to help surgeons plan operations. The system, which has been tested on patients by surgeons at the University Surgical Hospital in Heidelberg, takes two-dimensional CT and MRT scans and creates an […]
News
Fully automated blood transfusion in Oxford
The John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, has now completed a pilot of its fully automated blood transfusion process in five clinical areas that uses fridges unlocked by barcodes printed out from the patient’s bedside. Mike Murphy, professor of blood transfusion medicine at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said the system was already bringing benefits to patient safety: "We […]
News
Limited public access to cardiac surgery data agreed
The Central Cardiac Audit Database is to have a public portal allowing access to selected cardiac surgery mortality data. The Healthcare Commission, Department of Health and Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons have reached an ‘agreement in principle’ to allow the public limited access to what has up to now been a closed system. The move comes […]
News
Scotland procures cardiac surgery information system
NHS Scotland has awarded the procurement of a tailored national cardiac surgery information system from Belfast firm Tomcat, which will be used for clinical reporting, scheduling and patient communication. As well as replacing the five existing legacy systems with one modern one for recording surgery, Tomcat has also been asked to design and install a […]
News
London NHS trust publishes cardiac death rates online
St George’s Hospital, in Tooting, London, has started publishing mortality data online for its cardiology department, along with details about complications and data for individual surgeons. The data is collected on a monthly basis from patient records, and is audited by a clinically-qualified database manager and in cardiology department meetings. Data adjusted for risk through […]
News
John Radcliffe develops e-prescribing for blood
John Radcliffe Hospital, part of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, is developing a new electronic prescribing system for blood products to support its transfusion processes. The aim is to improve patient safety and cut inappropriate blood prescribing. The initiative is the latest step in the development of its electronic blood transfusion system, which uses […]
News
Regional healthcare innovation agency begins work
The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) has made the final appointments to their new healthcare innovation agency, Health Enterprise East (HEE), which was set up to encourage and spread new ideas throughout the area and the whole NHS. The new director, Alan Barrell (right), said at the launch of HEE at Newmarket racecourse: "Many […]
News
Great Ormond Street selects Tomcat for cardiac system
Belfast-based Tomcat Clinical Systems, the supplier of specialist Cardiac Information Systems has signed a contract with London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children to supply a paediatric Cardiac Information System. The TOMCAT system manages the information relating to all aspects of a patient’s cardiac treatment and is now in use in hospitals across the UK […]
News
Software can read scans and detect heart disease
A computer program being developed in Finland could help to diagnose heart problems by interpreting images of the heart taken over magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The system, which runs on a normal PC, is able to fragment and process a full MRI scan (around 250 images). It does this by measuring particular parts of the […]
News
Leeds Leads on E-Commerce
Examples of e-commerce working in NHS purchasing ands supplies were showcased at a conference hosted by Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust this week. The trust has produced one of the first UK examples of e-commerce in NHS purchasing. Head of supplies, Keith Lilley, showed how the system was working in the trust’s cardiac catheter labs. Bar […]
News