Tuesday, February 15, 2011

New 3D mammogram, double the radiation, double the fun

There was an article in the NY Times today about how recalled medical equipment was severely lacking in safety data BUT was still approved by the FDA.  Yay!

So now the FDA has approved a new kind of mammogram with DOUBLE the radiation (they are parsing it as "slightly more but still safe") and no testing on long term effects of that.  Buyer beware:

FDA approves Hologic 3-D breast scan, radiation unclear


Posted 2011/02/11 at 2:14 pm EST
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2011 (Reuters) — U.S. health officials have approved Hologic Inc's 3-D mammogram system in hopes that it may help doctors better detect and diagnose breast cancer, even though women may be exposed to more radiation.


NY Times bonus: "Most Recalled Devices Untested": Most medical devices recalled in recent years by the Food and Drug Administration because they posed a high risk to patients were not rigorously studied before being cleared for sale, according to a study in a medical journal released Monday. 

Read more here using GreenFertility/GreenFertility as your username/pw: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/business/15device.html

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