UK

In September, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new interventional procedure guidance for transurethral water jet ablation for lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia and intravesical microwave hyperthermia and chemotherapy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, one medical technologies guidance for neuropad for detecting preclinical diabetic peripheral neuropathy and two new medtech innovation.

In August, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published four new interventional procedure guidance for leadless cardiac pacemaker implantation for bradyarrhythmias, superior rectal artery embolisation for haemorrhoids, sutureless aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis and transurethral water vapour ablation for benign prostatic hyperplasia, and four new medtech innovation briefings.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. In July/August new codes for genetic tests, including 18S rRNA gene and sequencing and ELA2 Cyclic Neutropenia Genetic Screen were added to the CCSD Schedule.

In the second half of July, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published five new Interventional Procedure Guidance for low-intensity pulsed ultrasound to promote healing of fresh fractures at low risk of non-healing, fresh fractures at high risk of non-healing, superior capsular augmentation for massive rotator cuff tears, transaxial interbody lumbosacral fusion for severe chronic low back pain and two new Medtech Innovation Briefings for remote ECG interpretation consultancy services for cardiovascular disease and mechanical thrombectomy devices for acute ischaemic stroke.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. In July new codes for aminoglycoside induced deafness testing, Intra-Operative PTH profile, cytokine panels and lymphocyte immunophenotyping, streptococcus pneumoniae by PCR, OCT for cardiology, contract-enhanced ultrasound and faecal immunochemistry test were added to the CCSD Schedule.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. In July new codes for percutaneous paravalvular leak closure, endoscopic vacuum therapy for colorectal anastomotic leakage and phonomicrosurgery for vocal cord lesions, nodules, polyps, or cysts were added to the CCSD Schedule.

A national ‘pause’ has been announced in the use of surgical mesh/tape to treat stress urinary incontinence and for urogynaecological prolapse where the mesh is inserted through the vaginal wall. A Mesh Pause Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) was established. Further recommendations and CAG guidance on implementation of the pause has been published.

In the first half of July, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new Diagnostics Guidance for biomarker tests to help diagnose preterm labour in women with intact membranesand one new medtech innovation briefing for airglove air warming system for venous access.

This guide offers useful guidance on emergency patient flow to identify a large cohort of patients who can safely be treated on the same day, reducing admissions and improving the patient experience.

In the second half of June, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new interventional procedure guidance for laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy for internal rectal prolapse and MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for treatment-resistant essential tremor, and two new medtech innovation briefings for negative pressure wound therapy for closed surgical incision wounds and ocular response analyzer to measure corneal hysteresis.

A national ‘pause’ has been announced in the use of surgical mesh/tape to treat stress urinary incontinence and for urogynaecological prolapse where the mesh is inserted through the vaginal wall. This pause takes the form of a high vigilance restriction, and all cases should be postponed immediately if it is clinically safe to do so.

Hundreds of patients each year will benefit from fourteen new innovative treatments that will now be routinely available. These treatments include several devices and procedures: keraprosthesis for corneal blindness, left atrial appendage occlusion, selective dorsal rhizotomy and total pancreatectomy with islet transplantation for chronic pancreatitis.