Studying 1,509 patients in 54 centers who were intubated for 24 hours or more, the research group found that 7.5 percent of those with uncoated tubes developed VAP. In comparison, 4.8 percent of those with silver-coated tubes developed VAP, a 36 percent reduction.

Kollef indicates that about 80 percent of patients are intubated for less than 10 days. Looking at just the first 10 days of intubation, the silver-coated tubes were associated with a 48 percent reduction in VAP, and when VAP occurred in patients with silver-coated tubes, it occurred later on average than in those with uncoated tubes.

Silver kills bacteria and yeast by sticking to the organisms' enzymes, genetic material and other molecular components, preventing basic functions and interfering with reproduction. These organisms very rarely develop resistance to silver, and the metal has no known side effects in humans.

The new endotracheal tubes are coated with a silver-containing polymer, created by C.R. Bard Inc., that releases silver ions to the surface of the tubes. There, silver exerts a broad-spectrum antimicrobial effect, reduces adhesion of bacteria to the tube and blocks the formation of biofilms, communities of microorganisms that build up special protective structures on surfaces.

Press release: Silver is the key to reducing pneumonia associated with breathing tubes...

Abstract in JAMA: Silver-Coated Endotracheal Tubes and Incidence of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Product page: Agento® I.C. Endotracheal Tube...

Digital Lightbox replaces the conventional light box used to observe analog x-ray images. Connected to the hospital PACS, the new digital platform can be installed both in meeting rooms and in operating rooms, where clinicians can then access, manipulate, and utilize data for surgery planning. By displaying the human body in 3D, Digital Lightbox helps clinicians to more clearly demonstrate to patients what effects a disease can have and which procedures may be necessary.

Digital Lightbox enables clinicians to select the most valuable images from large amounts of existing medical data. Ergonomic touchscreen technology with zoom functionality makes working with data easy and effective.

Clinicians can intuitively navigate within pictures and between settings. Image scrolling can be performed with one finger; zooming in and out of images with two. Images from different sources can also be fused easily. A measure functionality enables clinicians to set size and other dimensions.

By integrating the communication platform iPlan® Net from BrainLAB, clinicians can perform treatment planning with Digital Lightbox or any PC connected to the hospital network. This eliminates bottlenecks, as busy planning stations are rendered obsolete. iPlan Net helps to simplify the clinical workflow and save costs, as well as strengthen and simplify interdisciplinary collaboration between neurosurgery, nuclear medicine and radiology departments.

Digital Lightbox can be installed in any hospital environment and is compatible with all established image formats, such as DICOM, jpg, bmp, tif, png, avi, wmv. Planning data can be transferred directly from Digital Lightbox to surgical navigation systems designed for precise and minimally invasive procedures.

Video demonstrating the Digital Lightbox:

Press release: World Premiere at University Hospital in Munich: Digital Lightbox...

Product page: Digital Lightbox

In addition to monitoring ECG and SpO2, the device has built-in algorithms to enhance ECG processing and reduce false alarms – such as pacer detection software and ACE® (Arrhythmia Classification Expert), an arrhythmia analysis tool.

Infinity M300 can run on a hospital’s existing 802.11 b/g network – saving the expense of requiring a separate wireless network for the telemetry system.

Infinity M300 addresses the three major challenges of telemetry monitoring. The first is viewing patient information at the patient’s side. Unlike traditional telemetry devices which have no screen, Infinity M300 has a color display that shows the patient’s ECG for all monitored leads, heart rate, SpO2, and electrode status – enabling the clinical staff to access monitored data and react promptly without having to go to the central monitoring station. The display also shows patient demographics to help confirm the patient’s identification before giving medication, taking blood samples, or performing treatments.

The second telemetry challenge is hearing and responding to alarms. InfinityM300 has built-in alarming and alarm controls, which provide alarm alerts both at the patient’s side and the Infinity CentralStation, Dräger’s central monitoring workstation. The built-in display helps the clinician assess alarms and respond accordingly.

The third challenge of telemetry monitoring is the cost and effort associated with disposable batteries. Infinity M300 has a built-in battery, which can be recharged via a bedside charger while the patient is wearing the device, or at a multi-device charger at the central monitoring station.

Press release: Dräger announces first implementation of new wireless Infinity® M300 patient-worn monitor (.pdf)...

Product page: Infinity® M300

Features from the product brochure:

PRECISION FLOW™ is a high flow heat and humidification device for the non-invasive delivery of inspired gas flows from 1 to 40 liters per minute. The technology delivers a perfect synchronization of flow, temperature, humidity and oxygen percentage without discomfort via nasal cannula.

PRECISION FLOW™ moves beyond conventional humidification, giving the clinician the ability to manage the key factors in gas conditioning to achieve desired outcomes.

PRECISION FLOW™ helps clinicians reach their goal to deliver the maximum respiratory assistance safely and comfortably. More invasive techniques can result in iatrogenic effects and increased costs.

• Precise measurement of temperature and flow
• Built-in oxygen blender and oxygen sensor
• Disposable patient circuit
• Battery backup
• Rapid set up and circuit priming
• Single button control for flow, oxygen percentage and temperature values
• Color–coded, uncluttered display for alarms and indicators
• Engineered for reliability and streamlined maintenance

Press release: VAPOTHERM® PRECISION FLOW™ RECEIVES FDA 510(k) CLEARANCE

Product page: Precision Flow

Precision Flow brochure (PDF)...

From the announcement:

The design language of the C2 is a reaction against competitive ventilators which appear to have been designed strictly to provide data, with no consideration of the patient, the operator, or the environment. In contrast, the design language of the C2 is inviting and reassuring. It leans forward, engagingly, offering a confident and smart display. The C2 evokes a friendly personality, while still giving everyone in the room confidence that it’s a ventilator upon which you can trust your life. The C2 features HAMILTON’s unique “Ventilation Cockpit” with an intelligent touch-screen interface that gives operators a quick, at-a-glance, dashboard display of key information. The Ventilation Cockpit provides exactly the information operators need and helps them focus on what’s important. The approachable and intuitive screen of the C2 tilts to accommodate different operator positions. The clear organization of information on the display reduces pressure on operators and helps to minimize errors.

With inbuilt batteries and weighing under 21 pounds the C2 can accompany a patient anywhere within the hospital, independently of central gas and power supplies. Patients don’t have to be disconnected for transport, increasing patient safety and comfort, while at the same time reducing operator workload. The C2 can be used on a countertop, rolling stand, or carried with the built-in handle that nestles into the top of the unit when not in use. The rolling stand was designed so that, when holding the C2, it looks like one integrated design rather than a piece of equipment perched on a stand. Set for launch in the 3rd Quarter of 2008, the resulting HAMILTON C2 is a confident and friendly ventilator that empowers operators to take patient care to new levels of safety, reliability, and comfort.

When you’re on a ventilator, you need more just than oxygen… you need to look up and see the face of hope looking back at you. The C2 is designed to spread calm and reassurance through the ICU as it breathes life into patients.

Press release: HAMILTON C2: WHAT COLOR IS HOPE? (.pdf)

Product page: Hamilton C2

From the CX50 product page:

Previously available only on our premium iE33 system, PureWave on the CX50 system allows you to get the clear images you need for confident diagnoses on a wide variety of patients, including the difficult-to-image.

The CX50 system was designed for your critical study requirements. In addition to PureWave, its premium imaging and Doppler performance are possible because of its digital broadband beamformer and XRES technology. Easily perform advanced echo analysis with integrated QLAB and stress echo capability.

The CX50 is designed to make portable exams easy and efficient. One-button iSCAN automatically optimizes 2D and Doppler data for new levels of clarity for your portable studies. On-board QLAB provides advanced analysis capabilities during and after exams.

Portable exams are a challenge, and getting clear diagnostic data is complicated by many factors. Now you can have the image quality you need for the diagnostic confidence wherever you need it – take the CX50 to your patients.

The CX50 system can be used on a specially designed cart, hand carried to your patients, or packed in its special travel case for easy transport to remote destinations.

Press release: Philips new handheld ultrasound system offers premium image quality in a portable system

Product page: CX50 CompactXtreme Ultrasound System

From the press release:

ImaCor announces that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the ClariTEE™ probe and the ZuraTM imaging system. The ClariTEE probe is a miniaturized transesophageal echocardiography probe which facilitates episodic monitoring of cardiac function. The ClariTEE is a single use device that can remain indwelling for up to 72 hours, allowing intensivists and anesthesiologists to periodically assess cardiac preload and left ventricular systolic function over a prolonged period of time.

“ImaCor believes that the ClariTEE probe will be a major contribution to the care of the critically ill, especially in ICU and perioperative situations” said Scott L. Roth, MD, Chief Executive Officer and a founder of ImaCor. “Current methods of monitoring hemodynamics in this patient population are either invasive, inconclusive, or both. The ClariTEE probe is minimally invasive and allows physicians to directly visualize cardiac size and function, and to assess changes as pharmacologic interventions are made,” adds Roth.

"This is a technology that intensive care physicians have been waiting for,” says Dr. Alexander Levitov, Critical Care section chief at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Virginia. Levitov adds, “The ClariTEE probe has the potential to become the standard of care in managing hemodynamically unstable patients in the ICU.”

We contacted ImaCor to inquire about the pricing of the device, but no one at the firm was available to comment.

Press release: ImaCor receives 510(k) clearance of its ClariTEE probe and Zura Imaging System (.pdf)...

Product page: ClariTEE Probe and Zura Imaging System...

From a press release:

Monitoring "preemies" as a patient group is especially important as certain life-threatening conditions such as infection can be detected up to 24 hours in advance by observing changes in physiological data streams.

The type of information that will come out of the research project is not available today. Currently, physicians monitoring preemies rely on a paper-based process that involves manually looking at the readings from various monitors and getting feedback from the nurses providing care.

"This research has the potential to reatly impact neonatal care through reduced mortality and morbidity rates and overall health-care costs," said Dr. McGregor [Dr. Carolyn McGregor, a University of Ontario Institute of Technology associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Health Informatics --ed.]. "By merging our research and technology, we are able to collect more detailed patient data in a systematic manner, do online health analysis and decision support, and get advanced early warning of emerging patterns that could predict a medical event."

When fully developed, IBM's software will be capable of processing the 512 readings per second generated by some of these medical devices, and UOIT researchers will further test and develop its ability to analyze these vast quantities of data in real time.

Initially researchers will use NICU medical devices in UOIT's state-of-the-art Health Informatics Laboratory to test IBM's software using simulated patient mirroring data. Then the software will be tested using de-identified actual patient data. The de-identified data is recorded in a way that enables researchers to alter some variables, play it back and run simulations for further study.

Press release: First-of-a-Kind Technology to Help Doctors Care for Premature Babies....

Image by keaggy.com

More about this product from company's page:

The new HAMILTON-G5 ICU ventilator was designed to be simpler for the user and safer for the patient. Rather than bringing you even more curves and loops, its Ventilation Cockpit™ integrates complex data into intuitive graphics that answer two essential questions:

* What is my patient's lung condition, and what kind of ventilation do they need?
* When should I take my patient off the ventilator?

* Ventilates virtually all intubated patients - whether active or passive and regardless of their lung disease – based on a ventilation strategy tailored to their individual condition (Arnal JM et al. Int Care Med 2004;30:84)

* Is more responsive than conventional modes in adapting to the patient's breathing activity (Petter AH et al. Anesth Analg 2003;97:1743-50)

* Requires fewer user interactions and gives fewer alarms (Petter AH et al. Anesth Analg 2003;97:1743-50)

* Facilitates shorter ventilation times (Sulzer CF et al. Anesthesiology 2001;95:1339-45, Cassina T et al. J Cartiothorac Vasc Anesth 2003;17:571-75)

* Provides ventilation at least as safely and effectively as international ventilation experts using conventional modes (Iotti GA et al. Int Care Med 2005;31:192)

Online simulator of the ventilator you can play with...

Product page: HAMILTON MEDICAL: g5...

2008 IDEA award details...

Some of the features from the product page:

Adult and pediatric dosing for FDA-approved and off-label indications

Black box warnings, contraindications, and cautions

Serious and common adverse reactions, and drug interactions organized by clinical category

Pill pictures within the drug monograph showing you and your patients exactly what each drug looks like

Safety and monitoring information, such as pregnancy risk categories, lactation safety ratings, monitoring parameters and therapeutic drug levels

Manufacturer information, approximate retail pricing, and FDA/DEA status

Pharmacology information, including metabolism, excretion (i.e., half-life), drug class, and mechanism of action

Notes section for your personal notes

Press release: Epocrates Drug and Formulary Application on Apple App Store

Product page: Epocrates Rx for iPhone