Med Tech-related technology assessments and clinical guidelines from NICE in the first half of February 2018

MedTech Innovation Briefing is the NICE's advice program for innovative technologies. It provides an overview of clinical effectiveness, safety and cost. It does not offer a formal guidance, and it, therefore, does not provide any recommendations.

Two new Medtech Innovation Briefings, including Coban 2 for venous leg ulcers (compression bandage for venous leg ulcers) and Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitor (insertable cardiac monitor with CareLink service for detecting suspected asymptomatic atrial fibrillation after cryptogenic stroke) have been published the first half of February.

Interventional Procedure Guidance is developed for most of the novel interventional procedures entering the English market. The program focuses solely on the clinical evidence. Recommendations may vary from ‘for research only’ to ‘for use with standard arrangements for clinical governance, consent, and audit.' Recommendations are not binding, although they are followed by providers and commissioners.

In the first half of February NICE published one new Interventional Procedure Guidance Interventional procedures guidance Aortic valve reconstruction with processed bovine pericardium, which covers evidence-based recommendations on replacing a damaged aortic valve with a new valve made from chemically treated cow pericardium. Current evidence on the safety and efficacy of aortic valve reconstruction with processed bovine pericardium is inadequate in quantity and quality. Therefore, this procedure should only be used in the context of research.

Medical technologies guidance evaluates new, innovative medical devices and diagnostics. In the first half of February NICE published one new Medical Technologies Guidance Memokath-051 stent for ureteric obstruction. The evidence is limited but suggests that in selected cases, Memokath‑051 is effective at relieving ureteric obstruction and improving quality of life. When inserted by trained clinicians and in appropriate patients (malignant ureteric obstruction and anticipated medium- or long-term survival after adjunctive therapy; benign ureteric obstruction who cannot have or do not want reconstructive surgery or ureteric obstruction of any kind who cannot have or do not want a double‑J stent, or for whom repeat procedures are a particularly high risk), Memokath‑051 is associated with equivalent success rates and a better patient experience compared with double‑J stents. Using Memokath‑051 may also reduce the number of stent replacements needed compared with using double‑J stents.

See full details here.

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