Pioneering Varicose Vein Treatment Gets Patients Back On Their Feet In No Time

Varicose veins can be painful and unsightly, with treatment often meaning surgery under general anaesthetic and a long recovery period.

While the traditional surgical approach has meant painful vein stripping, many UK hospitals now offer minimally invasive catheter technology that enables even severe varicose veins to be successfully treated in an outpatient setting, under a local anaesthetic.

Taking just a few minutes, a device is inserted into the diseased vein, where a catheter or fibre delivers either radio frequency or laser energy to heat and seal the vessel. The technique is extremely successful and far less painful and traumatic to the patient than vein stripping.

Endovenous laser (EVL) devices utilise an optical fibre to deliver extremely high levels of heat – over 700 degrees centigrade – that boils the blood in the vein to create a clotting effect that seals the vein as the device is withdrawn.

Radiofrequency devices operate at far lower temperatures to heat and shrink the vein walls, limiting the impact on surrounding tissues and, according to a clinical study, causing significantly less pain and bruising than laser.

Vascular surgeons using the VNUS® ClosureFAST™ catheter, the only radiofrequency device on the market today for the treatment of venous reflux, report that most patients return to normal activity almost immediately following the procedure, with little or no post-operative pain.

Radiofrequency endovenous ablation is a minimally invasive procedure for treating venous reflux disease, using Radiofrequency to heat and seal diseased veins, thereby reducing or eliminating existing varicose veins.

With the VNUS® ClosureFAST™ catheter, radiofrequency energy is delivered through a heating element seven centimetres long, to heat the collagen within the vein walls and cause the shrinkage and collapse of the vessel.

The closure procedure is generally performed using local anaesthesia, typically in a hospital theatre or an outpatient facility.

A ClosureFAST™ catheter is inserted into the vein through a tiny incision below the knee. Guided by ultrasound imaging, the vascular surgeon treats each 7cm segment of vein with a 20-second burst of radiofrequency energy, causing the vessel to shrink around the catheter.

The vascular surgeon withdraws the catheter, treating each segment until the entire vessel has been sealed. On average, 45cm of vein can be treated in three to five minutes.

In a clinical trial comparing Closure to laser, patients treated with Closure experienced less pain, less bruising and fewer complications, while a
one-year clinical data has shown the ClosureFAST™ catheter to be more than 97.4% effective in preventing reflux recurrence.

Via EPR Network
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E HealthPoint is One of 15 Innovators From Around the World Recognized for Applying Technology to Benefit Humanity

E-HealthPoint, was today named as a laureate of The Tech Awards 2011, amongst one of 15 global innovators ecognized each year for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum, and presented by Applied Materials, Inc., selected E HealthPoint from among more than one thousand nominations representing 54 countries.

“The Tech Awards is an incredible honor, recognizing individuals and organizations whose ideas and execution of those ideas are changing the world, hence this award for E-HealthPoint’s pioneering and futuristic social business model catering to the low-income communities is very gratifying for the community of social entrepreneurs like us ” said Amit Jain, Co- Founder & President, E-HealthPoint. “We are proud to be among those recognized for their contributions, and will continue to develop solutions in healthcare and safe drinking water sectors that improve the overall well being of people worldwide.” added Dr. Allen Hammond Co Founder and Executive Chairman, E HealthPoint

“The global challenges of the day have become increasingly strident, more deeply rooted,” said David Whitman, Vice President of Signature Programs at The Tech Museum. “Still, there is hope. These incredibly impressive Laureates have all proven to be equal to, or better than, the challenge to make the world a better place. By celebrating their accomplishments today, we are encouraging future innovators to work toward solutions to make the world healthier, safer and more sustainable.” This year, the laureates represent the truly global vision of the program, spanning countries such as India, Honduras and Ethiopia. Their work impacts people in many more countries worldwide.

About E-HealthPoint
E HealthPoint, cofounded in 2009 by Al Hammond, Amit Jain & Chris Dickey, is a pioneering and futuristic social enterprise that operates rural clinics that provide safe drinking water, affordable telemedical video consultations by qualified doctors, a wide range of diagnostic tests, and a licensed pharmacy on site in a highly affordable manner for low income communities. During past 18 months in India, E HealthPoint has successfully conducted more than 15,000 diagnostic investigations, 28,000 medical consultations, 33,000 filled-in-prescriptions, and serves more than 4,00,000 people daily with safe drinking water. E HealthPoint has helped such communities (mostly rural) cut down on treatment costs towards water-related diseases and travel costs to urban centres for seeking healthcare as also created hundreds of job opportunities across such villages. E HealthPoint is planning to expand this pioneering healthcare model to other few other countries in near future. Ashoka Innovators for the Public helped in incubating E HealthPoint in 2009.

Via EPR Network
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