December 3, 2007 - B. Braun Medical Inc. today launched its PINNACLE TPN Manager, complementing the company’s PINNACLE TPN Management System, which offers computer physician order entry (CPOE) and calculating software which streamlines the total parental nutrition (TPN) compounding process from the moment an order is entered by the pharmacist until the time it is infused into the patient.

December 3, 2007 - Outsourced hospital compounded sterile preparations maker PharMEDium Services LLC said today it is offering compounded pre-filled, perioperative anesthesia drugs, an effort devoted to reducing medication errors and improving OR efficiencies.

The service line covers the most commonly used drugs in the OR, including about 75 percent of those typically used in surgical procedures.

December 3, 2007 - A panel of researchers, anesthesia professionals and a patient/advocate assembled last week at a forum for healthcare journalists to tackle the complex issue of anesthesia awareness, the rare but devastating condition that is of heightened public concern due to Nov. 30 release of the movie “Awake.”

December 3, 2007 - The nation’s food supply is at risk, as are the regulatory systems that oversee the nation’s drug and medical device supplies, according to a subcommittee of the FDA’s Science Board in a report to be presented today.

The subcommittee attributes the deficiencies to soaring demands on the FDA and resources that have not increased in proportion to those demands. They conclude “this imbalance is imposing a significant risk to the integrity of the food, drug, cosmetic and device regulatory system, and hence the safety of the public.”

December 3, 2007 - Composiflex, a global supplier of highly-engineered composite products, has expanded its manufacturing and design capabilities to produce patient positioning systems that are reportedly well suited for use with MRI diagnostic technology.

The vast majority of composite patient positioning products in the market today are manufactured using carbon fiber, which is primarily applicable for use with CT scan and X-ray technologies, but not with MRI equipment.