Latest Epidural Stories

Better monitoring, new techniques have reduced mortality ratesThe number of women who die from complications of anesthesia during childbirth has plummeted 59 percent over the last two decades thanks to improved monitoring and better medical techniques, according to a recent study.The report's lead researcher, Joy Hawkins, MD, professor of anesthesiology and director of Obstetric Anesthesia at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said the risks have been dramatically reduced due to a...

Recent studies show the amount of women dying from difficulties from anesthesia such as epidurals and spinal blocks have risen since the 90s.Regional anesthesia is considered safe but in rare cases, patients can become allergic to the drug, or it can cause heart problems or difficulty breathing.Regional anesthesia deadens the lower portion of the body and allows women to stay awake during childbirth. Most cesarean sections are done under regional anesthesia, but emergency C-sections often...

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Amedica/US Spine, a spine and reconstructive implant and instrument manufacturer focused on unique silicon nitride (SiN) technologies, recently completed a distribution/licensing agreement with Memphis, Tenn.-based BioDlogics that will clearly expand its presence in the growing spine and orthopaedic biotechnology arena. Amedica/US Spine will distribute stem cell products indicated for spinal fusion, adhesion barrier and nerve protection....

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine recently reports a large jump in the number of treatments and tests for back pain. This study recounts "a 629% increase in Medicare expenditures for epidural steroid injections; a 423% increase in expenditures for opioids for back pain; a 307% increase in the number of lumbar magnetic resonance images among Medicare beneficiaries; and a 220% increase in spinal fusion surgery rates." Physical therapists at Texas Physical Therapy...

CINCINNATI, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Havel's Incorporated, the Cincinnati-based market leader in echogenic needles, has announced the release of a new echogenic ultrasound needle which could help reduce radiation exposure. Last month, Havel's Incorporated released four new echogenic needles using their new, innovative Micro Laser Etching (MLE(TM)) technology, which creates multiple angled surfaces to reflect sound waves back to the transducer even at steep insertion angles. (Photo:...

DALLAS, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascendant Neuro is pleased to announce the addition of Robert R. Bulger, M.D., a nationally recognized specialist, who has joined to further the advancement of the group's minimally invasive pain treatment techniques through the innovative use of neurostimulators. Ascendant Neuro's trained physicians, which treat chronic pain of the spine as well as chronic migraine headaches, are the only doctors performing this unique migraine treatment in the Dallas/Fort...

DALLAS, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- North American Spine is pleased to announce that Robert R. Bulger, M.D. has joined our group to help further the advancement of minimally invasive back pain treatment techniques. The AccuraScope(TM) Discectomy and Neural Decompression (D.N.D.) procedure treats a variety of conditions responsible for back pain on multiple lumbar levels using one single, tiny incision. North American Spine's trained physicians are the only doctors performing the procedure in...

54 percent of patients achieve pain relief after 1 month of treatmentA recent study from Australian researchers determined that transforaminal injection of steroids was a viable alternative to surgery for lumbar radicular pain due to disc herniation. Full details of the study appear in the August issue of Pain Medicine, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of...

For patients suffering from small lumbar disc herniations, a new treatment option can provide relief, according to an expert at Baylor College of Medicine.The procedure, called a percutaneous discectomy, enables physicians to go through the skin with a needle, guided by fluoroscopy or X-ray, to get into the disc and remove part of the herniated disc material, explained Dr. Benoy Benny, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation and director of the spine, sports and pain...

SEATTLE, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A new, homeopathic treatment for autism, Respen-A, improves symptoms of autism associated with communication, speech, emotion and bonding, according to the researcher who created Respen-A, Elaine DeLack, RN. DeLack will present her scientific theory at the annual Autism-One Conference on Friday morning, May 28th, at 10:30AM in auditorium "Director A/B." DeLack and other Respen-A representatives will also provide information about the new compound at their...