The Official Medical College of Barcelona, Keiretsu Forum Barcelona and Barcelona Activa organized last November 4, 2009 the 1st Healthcare Investment Forum Barcelona’09, in collaboration with Biocat and other institutions. The objective of this forum was to contact young entrepreneurs in the health sector with projects in biotechnology, medical devices, health services and information technology with venture capital investors interested in this sector.
This first edition of the Forum was a success. Over 35 companies presented their projects, of which 12 were finally selected. Three of the finalists were submitted by Hospital Clinic:
Performing surgical operations without leaving scars has ceased to be a chimera and has become a reality. This is demonstrated by the recent surgical advances made using NOTES (Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopy Surgery), an innovative surgical approach that allows surgical access using the body’s natural orifices. The results are all advantageous for the patient: lack of scars, shorter hospital stay and faster recovery. Currently, this type of minimally-invasive surgery is still in the research and development stage. Surgery through the mouth and vagina has been successfully used, but the transanal route (through the anus) is less utilized.
This technique is easy to use in any ICU. The concerning paper proves it’s beneficial effects if applied immediately after extubation in patients suffering from chronic respiratory disease and high indicators of disease severity. Complications after extubation drop in over 30% of the cases and 90 days survival was increased in 20%. The conclusions of the study will cause the adaptation of the international clinical practice.
The Lancet is expected to publish the paper today, but it only will be available online. The conclusions of this review state that correct application of non-invasive ventilation after extubation increases survival of critical chronic respiratory patients in 20%. The study included 106 patients who were admitted in Hospital Clinic of Barcelona and it was performed by a group of investigators belonging to the Applied Research in Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Critical patients and Lung Cancer team, who were altogether lead by Dr. Miquel Ferrer and Dr. Antoni Torres, as Chief of Pneumology at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona and project leader at the IDIBAPS. The outstanding results have definitely ended the controversy about the beneficial effects of non-invasive ventilation in these types of patients and it is most likely that future clinical practice around the world will be adjusted to the protocol described in this paper.
The new center will be managed by the Eixample Primary Health Care Consortium (CAPSE), a body composed of the Catalan Health Care Institute and Hospital Clínic, Barcelona. The center will house the Primary Care Team (EAP) of Barcelona Area 2-C, currently located in the outpatient building of Hospital Clínic, on C/. Roselló. It will have more space in which to provide quality health care in the catchment area. Special attention will be paid here to disease prevention and health promotion.
Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by a defect in the production of insulin and for which there is no cure. People with the disease must learn to control it and keep their sugar levels as close to normal as possible. This control can help them to prevent complications involving the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves. For this reason, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona has been carrying out therapeutic education programs for 20 years for patients with diabetes. The aim is to teach these patients the measures they need to take in their everyday lives in order to take care of themselves and how to implement them.
Coinciding with this anniversary, Hospital Clínic organized a conference to discuss the status of the education programs on diabetes and explain what is currently being done to improve the quality of life of these patients. The conference took place on Friday, 8 May in the Farreras Valentí room and was attended by Dr. Raimon Belenes, CEO of Hospital Clínic; Dr. Enric Esmatjes, an endocrinologist from the hospital’s diabetes unit; Dr. Ramon Gomis, director of IDIBAPS; Dr. Conxa Castell, head of the health care education and health care programs service of the Catalan Government Department of Health; Ms. Montserrat Soley, chairwoman of the Association of Diabetics of Catalonia; and Dr. José Manuel Boavida, chairman of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
