The copper T 380A (ParaGard - GynoPharma), a new intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) soon to be marketed in the USA, will be one of only two IUDs available in this country. Progestasert (Alza), which gradually releases progesterone (Medical Letter, 18:65, 1976), is the other.

The FDA has approved the marketing of a new device for delivering lidocaine to the skin of children undergoing a venipuncture or intravenous (IV) line placement. Zingo (Anesiva) is a powder intradermal injection system.

Since 2007, antimicrobial prophylaxis for dental procedures has been recommended to prevent viridans group streptococcal infective endocarditis only for patients at highest risk of an adverse outcome. Limiting use to such patients does not appear to have led to an increased incidence of infective endocarditis or increased mortality due to infective endocarditis.

Breathe Right, an adhesive bandage device that pulls open the nostrils, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and is being heavily promoted to the general public as a treatment for snoring and night-time nasal congestion. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $4.99 for a box of 10 strips.

The FDA has authorized use of the Visby Medical Women's Sexual Health Test (Visby), an at-home test available without a prescription, for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis infections in women with and without symptoms. It is the first test to become available in the US for these sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that can be performed entirely at home. Other at-home tests are available in the US for diagnosis of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniaisis, but they require mailing a urine or blood sample to a...

Our recent article on Drugs for Hypertension (Med Lett Drugs Ther 2024; 66:81) described both the Paradise and Symplicity Spyral renal denervation devices as ultrasound devices. That is true for the Paradise device, but Symplicity Spyral uses radiofrequency ablation.

The FDA recently approved Skyla (Bayer), the first new intrauterine device (IUD) in the US in 12 years. It releases levonorgestrel, a synthetic progestin, over a period of 3 years. A table summarizing contraceptive methods available in the US appears on page 22.

A variety of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices have been used in an effort to reduce the hypoglycemia and wide glucose excursions that complicate insulin treatment of diabetes. Since the last Medical Letter issue reviewing such devices, some new devices and some new data on old devices have become available. The devices currently marketed in the US for personal use are listed in Table 1.

A variety of glucose monitoring devices have been used in an effort to reduce the hypoglycemia and wide glucose excursions that complicate insulin treatment of diabetes. Since the last Medical Letter issue reviewing such devices, more continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems have become available. Five devices available now, and two expected to be marketed soon, are listed in the table on page 14. The FDA has approved continuous glucose devices only for the observation of glucose trends.

A device that stimulates the vagus nerve was approved by the FDA in July 1997 for treatment of refractory epilepsy and is now considered "approvable" for treatment-resistant depression.