Latest news with #Beske
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Philips launches 3D imaging catheter in Europe
Philips has launched the VeriSight Pro 3D intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter on the European market. Able to integrate with Philips' EPIQ ultrasound systems, which in turn work with its Azurion image-guided therapy platform, Philips said VeriSight complements its existing structural heart disease ecosystem in Europe. The Dutch healthtech giant added that alongside tools such as EchoNavigator, VeriSight's introduction in Europe means it can now offer an end-to-end solution for clinicians performing procedures such as tricuspid and mitral valve repair and replacement, atrial septal defect closure, and left atrial appendage occlusion. Comprised of a miniaturised ultrasound probe embedded at the tip of a thin, steerable catheter, VeriSight provides physicians with real-time 3D and 2D imaging directly inside the heart, with the catheter intended to help physicians perform procedures with 'greater clarity'. The catheter also features xPlane and iRotate technologies, allowing physicians to visualise two imaging planes simultaneously and digitally adjust views without physically repositioning the catheter tip, thereby enabling more precise imaging assessment with fewer deployment steps, Philips said. According to Philips, with introduction via the femoral vein, VeriSight also reduces the need for general anaesthesia and recovery time in post-anaesthesia care units (PACU), which can shorten hospital stays and reduce costs. VeriSight received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2020 ahead of an initially limited market launch in the country in 2021. The first procedure completed with the catheter in the US occurred in July 2021. Stacy Beske, business leader of image-guided therapy devices at Philips, called VeriSight's Europe launch an 'important milestone' that would help more patients benefit from image-guided, minimally invasive heart procedures, while supporting care teams with integrated solutions that 'adapt to the way they work'. Beske adds: 'VeriSight Pro reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering clinically relevant innovations that enhance precision, reduce procedure complexity, and improve the care experience.' Research by the European Commission (EC) indicates that structural heart disease (SHD) is a significant healthcare burden in Europe and is projected to rise from 14 million people with SHDs in 2020 to exceed 20 million by 2040, mostly due to the ageing population. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures for treating SHD represent a significant growth area in the SHD treatment landscape. According to GlobalData analysis, the global TAVR market is forecast to reach a valuation of around $13.7bn by 2033, up from $6.16bn in 2023. Key player Edwards Lifesciences, which holds more than a 60% share of the US TAVR market, as per GlobalData's US Healthcare Facility Invoicing Database, recently received FDA approval for its Sapien 3 TAVR platform received FDA approval for treating asymptomatic aortic stenosis patients. According to GlobalData analysis, however, Medtronic's Evolut TAVR system could be set to disrupt the US market dynamic following the release of data suggesting that Evolut could prove to be a 'superior product'. "Philips launches 3D imaging catheter in Europe" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
New bill would clarify that used bong water is not actually a drug
Under current Minnesota law, the water in this pipe is considered a controlled substance. (Getty Images) DFL lawmakers in the House and Senate (SF1905/HF1657) ) have introduced legislation that would remove an unusual loophole in state law allowing prosecutors to treat the water in a bong as a controlled substance, no different than the uncut version of whatever illicit drug the bong was used to smoke. Under current law, prosecutors can treat bong water quantities of greater than four ounces as a 'drug mixture' and add it to the weight of any actual drugs found on a suspect, which can turn a misdemeanor possession offense into a first-degree felony with the potential for decades in prison. The issue received widespread attention last year when the Reformer reported on the case of Jessica Beske, a Fargo woman facing up to 30 years in prison over 8 ounces of water allegedly found in a bong in her car during a traffic stop in Polk County. The proposed legislation removes the language allowing authorities to consider certain quantities of bong water a 'drug mixture,' and explicitly states that the legal definition of mixture 'does not include the fluid used in a water pipe,' nor does it include any quantity of drugs that may be dissolved in a pipe's fluid. 'Counting dirty bong water as pure drugs is like counting a beer bottle full of backwash and cigarette butts as 80-proof whiskey,' said Bruce Ringstrom Jr., one of Beske's attorneys. 'Sending helpless addicts to prison for having dirty bong water takes up prison space that should be used for actually dangerous offenders.' Polk County Attorney Greg Widseth, who charged Beske with the bong water offense, is well known among defense lawyers and drug law reform advocates for seeking severe penalties for nonviolent drug offenders. Kurtis Hanna, a drug reform lobbyist with Blunt Strategies, said that the main problem with the current law 'is that it ends up treating end users of drugs as if they are drug wholesale dealers, which goes against the original legislative intent' of the state's drug laws. Hanna pointed out the law's absurd implications: 'If someone dropped $20 worth of cocaine into a swimming pool, should law enforcement be able to weigh all the water in the pool and prosecutors charge the person with possessing that many pounds of cocaine?' Bong water has an unusually rich history in Minnesota. A 2009 state Supreme Court decision explicitly gave prosecutors the ability to treat bong water as a controlled substance. After the decision drew national headlines and widespread ridicule, the Legislature passed a bill to exempt bong water quantities of less than four ounces, but then-governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed the bill and went on 'The Daily Show' to defend his decision. Lawmakers passed the four-ounce exception again the following year, and newly sworn-in DFL governor Mark Dayton signed it. In 2023 the Legislature passed a bill decriminalizing drug paraphernalia, even items containing trace amounts of drug residue. But the bong water provision was overlooked. The new bill awaits consideration by the public safety committees in the House and Senate.
