Health Technology Update : Issue 1, Fall 2005
Scanning the horizon
The Point Prim Lighthouse, PEI.
Photo courtesy of Tourism PEI/John Sylvester
Informing decision makers about emerging medical technologies
The mandate of the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA) has always included the identification and assessment of new and emerging health technologies that may have a significant impact on health care in Canada.
New treatment for sleep apnea
The Pillar™ Palatal Implant System
Photo courtesy of Restore Medical Inc.
A minimally invasive surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is gaining the attention of ear, nose and throat specialists in the US.
Palatal implants are tiny, braided, polyester threads placed in the soft palate (at the back of the roof of the mouth) to reinforce and stiffen tissues that often flutter and obstruct the upper airway.
Ovarian tissue autotransplantation
A mature egg may develop from transplanted ovarian tissue.
Photo courtesy of Dr. RC Chian, McGill Reproductive Centre
A 28-year-old Israeli woman, who was cured of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, gave birth to a healthy baby in June 2005 after her own banked ovarian tissue was re-implanted.
The woman’s tissue was removed and preserved in a freezer before she received high-dose chemotherapy, a treatment that is known to cause ovarian failure.
Gastric stimulation for obesity
The 60X40X10.3 mm device has insulated wires that run to the stomach wall.
Photo courtesy of Medtronic.
The Transcend Implantable Gastric Stimulator (IGS®) is a new health device that may help fight “globesity” — a World Health Organization term describing the escalating global epidemic of obesity. The battery-operated device, made by Medtronic, is implanted under the skin of the abdomen and then attached to two insulated wires that are sutured to the stomach wall.
PET scanner update
Patient undergoing a PET scan of the brain.
Photo courtesy of Dr. E. Tanaka.
The positron emission tomography (PET) scanner is a nuclear medicine imaging technology that allows detailed diagnostic measurement of physiological and biochemical bodily processes. This technology can be used to detect and evaluate different types of cancer; or to examine brain function, blood flow or heart disease.
New and emerging health technology reports
Recent publications from CCOHTA and other HTA agencies
CCOHTA is one of many agencies involved in the assessment of new and emerging health technologies, which can also include “older” technologies that have not yet been used extensively. As part of our “horizon scanning,” we check the web sites of other HTA agencies for recent assessments that may be of interest to Canadian health care decision makers. Unless otherwise stated, these publications are available without cost at the web sites shown
CCOHTA’s Health Technology Inquiry Service (HTIS)
…meeting Canadian health care decision-maker needs for more urgent access to health technology information.
In February 2005, CCOHTA launched a Health Technology Inquiry Service (HTIS). The service gives Canadian decision makers access to health technology assessment information, based on the best evidence that can be located in the time available.