Spotlight On... JAMA: Helmet-based treatment better than face mask for respiratory distress; Edwards releases European registry data on Sapien 3; NeuroStar device useful in postpartum depression;

A transparent, airtight helmet is better than intubation to provide breathing support to patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found. In the 83-patient study, all patients required mechanical breathing assistance. They were randomly assigned to either the helmet or a standard mask over the nose, mouth and chin. The helmet was less likely to leak, which enabled the healthcare providers to increase the air pressure in the helmet to help keep the airway and lung open and improve oxygen levels. Patients also found the helmet more comfortable and easier to tolerate. "In this group of critically ill patients, the helmet made a substantial difference," said pulmonologist Dr. John Kress, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and senior author of the study. "The University's data and safety monitoring board recommended that we stop the trial early because the helmet consistently demonstrated multiple advantages, particularly the reduced need to intubate patients and longer-term reduction in mortality." More

> Startup NeuroStar has released data from a 19-patient study on its Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy on major depressive disorder patients with postpartum onset. About three-quarters of them achieved symptom remission during acute treatment for four to 8 weeks. More

> Edwards Lifesciences ($EW) has released 30-day European registry data on its Sapien 3 transcatheter aortic heart valve that shows it lowers reported mortality and stroke rates seen in a family of registry data, the company said. More

> Electronics company LG has kicked the first two companies out of The Nest, its incubator. One of them, Infit & Company, works to diagnose diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis using nonradiation-based imaging. It's a spinout of the LG R&D Center in Seoul. More