Four experts share what you need to know about the role of endoscopy in recurrent acute and chronic pancreatitis.
Author: Abhay Panchal
During the esophagus session at the AGA Postgraduate Course 2023, significant updates in esophagology were presented. Key highlights include novel care approaches for esophageal diseases, such as GERD, extraesophageal reflux, and Barrett’s esophagus, based on recent AGA best practice updates. Additionally, randomized clinical trial data examined therapeutic approaches for erosive esophagitis and eosinophilic esophagitis. One notable finding was the effectiveness of potassium competitive acid blockers, which demonstrated faster and stronger suppression of gastric acid secretion compared to traditional PPI therapy for healing erosive esophagitis, a critical step in preventing further complications.
Google Cloud and Mayo Clinic have announced a groundbreaking partnership to harness generative AI and Enterprise Search for healthcare improvement. Mayo clinicians and researchers will gain access to Google’s HIPAA-compliant tools, enabling more efficient data navigation and curated search results. This collaboration holds great potential for revolutionizing healthcare by providing quick access to complex data sets, enhancing treatment strategies, and empowering clinicians with advanced search capabilities.
According to the article, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) have invested in Oshi Health to accelerate the adoption of hybrid digestive health care. This collaboration between Oshi Health and both leading gastroenterology specialty medical associations aims to provide dietary and behavioral health interventions as recommended by guidelines, in a high-touch, iterative care delivery model that is proven to improve outcomes and is ideally suited for virtual delivery. The AGA GI Opportunity Fund’s investment in Oshi Health is intended to improve the lives of digestive health patients by improving their access to multidisciplinary care…
According to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, offering a blood test to people who have declined both a colonoscopy and a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) increased colorectal cancer (CRC) screening by 7.5% without decreasing use of the preferred first-line options. The study enrolled 359 veterans at a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center. Participants were 50–75 years old and were eligible for screening but had declined a colonoscopy and a stool test within the previous 6 months. The blood test is easy to perform and requires only a few tubes of blood, no diet restrictions, test prep, or…
The article states that US Digestive Health has announced the addition of four new providers to its gastroenterology practice. The new providers will be located in the Northeast and will provide cutting-edge care and personalized treatment plans to more patients than any other provider in the region. US Digestive Health is the leading gastroenterology practice in the Northeast and one of the largest in the United States. It was formed in 2019 by Amulet Capital Partners, LP, a healthcare private equity investment firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut, in partnership with member practice partner physicians.
A new study by Harvard Medical School investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in Cell Host & Microbe. “Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said co-corresponding author Daniel C. Chung, HMS professor of medicine, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and a faculty member of the gastroenterology division at Mass General.
“The incidence of thrombotic events is three-fold to four-fold higher in patients with IBD compared with patients without IBD,” notes Alfred D. Nelson, MD. However, while some research from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS)—the most extensive publicly available all-payer inpatient database in the United States—has assessed this association, stratification for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in bigger studies is limited, according to the study results.
PLYMOUTH, Minn., June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — GIE Medical, a clinical stage company developing solutions for patients suffering from benign stricture(s) of the esophagus or bowel, was granted designation as a Breakthrough Device from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its ProTractX3™ TTS DCB indicated for dilation of recurrent benign esophageal strictures in adults with obstructive symptoms associated with narrowing of the esophagus. In December 2022, GIE Medical launched two large, multicenter randomized controlled clinical trials in the United States to investigate the company’s first of its kind multi-stage drug-coated balloon (DCB) technology, ProTractX3 TTS DCB.
Oncology is seen as an early adopter of machine learning in healthcare, and as a doctor who has been working in medical oncology for over a decade, I have seen firsthand how technology has advanced the field. Now, I work at a computer vision company that is using artificial intelligence (AI) in gastroenterology and although these areas of medicine differ, I am struck by the similarities in opportunities that technology has to help advance care and improve outcomes for patients afflicted by diseases in both fields.