Friday, May 9, 2008
No Spillage VantageCath Gets FDA Approval
VantageCath is a new peripheral IV catheter designed to not only prevent unexpected needlestick injuries, but also to eliminate the spillage of blood during the IV placement. The device is a product of a firm called Advantage Medical Devices from Solana Beach, CA.
From the product page:
The VantageCath is an innovative peripheral Intravenous (IV) Catheter Safety System designed to significantly reduce blood borne pathogen exposure without compromising the "pop and glide" that users want and need. Utilizing a patented "closed hub" design, blood is contained during the entire cannulation and needle retraction process. This eliminates the need to tamponade above the site of the IV catheter and allows the provider to have both hands free to secure the IV and attach tubing using sterile technique.In addition to the protection from blood borne pathogen exposure delivered by the VantageCath, there are many features that providers and patients will appreciate:
Built-in saline lock
Improved flash for confident cannulation
Safe and easy blood draws
Rapid delivery of life saving drugs -- 20% reduction in tubing distance
Eliminates need to loop tubing
Built-in needle-free access
Flawless needle retraction mechanism
Rotating L-Tube allows for easy access to luer-lock port Frontline providers have had to make do with the safety engineered IV catheters made available to them in the clinical setting; compromising their relationships with patients who must endure multiple sticks, a bloody mess and the risk of an infection. The VantageCath offers a significant improvement in protection and utility. More importantly, the opportunity to gain back the confidence that the patient's IV start will be safe and effective.
The video:
Product page: VantageCath...
Press release: Advantage Medical Devices Receives FDA Clearance for VantageCath...
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Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Study: Kids Love Zingo No Needles Local Anesthesia
William T. Zempsky, MD, from the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, and colleagues from five other hospitals just published a randomized, double-blind study in the latest issue of Pediatrics, that has shown that a "needle-free powder lidocaine delivery system was well tolerated and produced significant analgesia within 1 to 3 minutes," in pediatric patients scheduled to undergo venipuncture or cannulation. 
The system used in the study was Zingo™ lidocaine powder intradermal injector from Anesiva, Inc., a South San Francisco, CA company. The system, that uses compressed gas to accelerate the lidocaine particles under the skin, was approved by the FDA in August 2007, " to reduce the pain associated with peripheral IV insertions or blood draws in children three to 18 years of age."
To learn more about Zingo™, head on to this product page @ Anesiva...
Abstract: Needle-Free Powder Lidocaine Delivery System Provides Rapid Effective Analgesia for Venipuncture or Cannulation Pain in Children: Randomized, Double-Blind Comparison of Venipuncture and Venous Cannulation Pain After Fast-Onset Needle-Free Powder Lidocaine or Placebo Treatment Trial PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 5 May 2008, pp. 979-987
Zingo™ prescribing info (.pdf)...
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
World's First Bluetooth Pulse Oximeter
Via Turner Medical, we learned that Plymouth, Minnesota based manufacturer Nonin Medical just released the world's first wireless pulse oximeter that should easily interact with other devices through the emerging Bluetooth Medical Device Profile (MDP) protocol.
Store & Forward MemoryEnsures ultimate versatility by allowing patients to take readings outside of the home and transmit the time-stamped data once they return. The Onyx II 9560's memory storage provides up to a minimum of 20 single point measurements.
SmartPoint™ Technology
SmartPoint Technology eliminates the guesswork of determining which oximetry values to use for analysis. Using a sophisticated algorithm, it provides a fast and accurate snapshot of the patient's SpO2 and pulse rate. The Onyx II 9560 sends the SmartPoint spot-check measurement typically 30 seconds from turn-on.
Extended Range
The Onyx II 9560 provides an extended range of up to 100 meters (Class I).
Patient Proof
Unmatched durability for the home care environment, we've made the Onyx II 9560 rugged to take a beating day after day. The most widely used fingertip oximeter comes with no wires or cables to hassle with, an automatic turn on/turn off, and as convenient and easy-to-use as possible.
Power Saver
Unlike traditional Bluetooth devices, the Onyx II 9560 has a new power saving feature that automatically adjusts transmitted power based on distance from the main unit. This unique feature allows for approximately 600 spot checks on 2 AAA batteries.
Press release: Nonin® Medical unveils world's first Bluetooth®-enabled, wireless fingertip pulse oximeter ...
Product page: Onyx II 9560
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Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Philips HD7
Philips is introducing in the United States its new general purpose, modestly priced ultrasound system, the Philips HD7:
The system provides grayscale and color Doppler imaging with simple one button optimization, as well as Tissue Harmonic Imaging. In addition, the HD7 features a wide array of transducers, an adjustable flat panel LCD monitor, proven system architecture, and advanced imaging, measurement and quantification technologies.The Philips HD7 system addresses basic scanning needs while adding new technology and design advances that help improve image quality. Developed with clinicians in mind, the ergonomic, easy-to-use system can meet the demands for high-volume use in cardiovascular, OB/GYN, anesthesiology, oncology, electrophysiology, stress echo, pediatric, orthopedic, urologic, emergency and other applications.
Like all Philips ultrasound systems, the HD7 has a broadband digital beamformer to capture and preserve more tissue information than conventional narrowband systems and its wide dynamic range and digital focal tuning provide exceptional sensitivity and detail resolution. Features such as iSCAN one button image optimization, multiple transducer ports, DICOM connectivity, and easy data recording to CD or USB, position the HD7 well against other modestly priced ultrasound systems. In addition, optional off-line QLAB quantification software capability allows clinicians to perform post-examination image review and analysis on a PC. Further enhancing the system’s usability is a Study Guide on disk that quickly equips clinicians to use the advanced features of the HD7.
The system can accommodate a range of Philips' transducers for all kinds of clinical applications.
Product page: HD7 Ultrasound System...
Press release: Philips HD7 ultrasound system now commercially available in the United States...
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Monday, April 7, 2008
DRE Medical Introduces World's Smallest ECG System
DRE Inc, a Louisville, KY company, is now distributing its tiny 12 lead ECG system equipped with an interpretation software and other goodies:
The FDA-approved Universal ECG portable PC-based ECG is the most compact and precise PC-based ECG on the market. It connects directly to most desktop PCs, laptops and Pocket PCs running Microsoft® Windows® XP or 2000 and performs resting ECG anytime, anywhere. EKG results are displayed on the computer screen for rapid assessment.DRE distributes the Universal ECG at a price that is less expensive than most standalone EKG machines. The Universal ECG provides additional cost savings upon use: It allows physicians to print EKG reports on standard computer paper, reducing thermal paper costs by as much as $700 per year. The Universal ECG also requires no calibration or annual maintenance and it draws all power from the PC, eliminating battery costs.
The Universal ECG provides automatic measurement analysis and narrative interpretation using the sophisticated Louvaine Algorithm. According to a clinical study, the Louvaine Algorithm has the best total accuracy when compared with algorithms used by leading competitors. The study also found that the Louvaine Algorithm diagnoses Myocardial Infarction more accurately than competing algorithms.
DRE sells the Universal ECG with all components necessary for measuring 12-lead EKG data. It includes:
Intuitive software for collecting, storing and analyzing data on a laptop, desktop PC or Pocket PC Free networking software that lets physicians collect data in more than one location and store results on a single database Software used to move data from one database to another The Universal ECG is available from DRE in a 12-lead interpretive version and a six-lead non-interpretive version.
Press release: DRE Medical Equipment Distributes Compact, Cost-Effective PC-Based ECG
Product page: Universal ECG™ Portable PC-Based 12-Lead ECG
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Friday, March 28, 2008
Portable Vents from Versamed, Now Part of GE Healthcare
Globes is reporting that the Israeli company Versamed Medical Systems Inc., a maker of portable ventilators, was just acquired by GE Healthcare for an undisclosed amount. The firm's main product is the iVent201 blower, which comes in four models each designed for different environments such as intensive care unit or at-home respiratory support.
iVent201 IC +AB Intensive Care and Non-invasive Ventilation with Adaptive Bi-Level ModeA fully featured ventilator with Pressure Control mode (A/C or SIMV), Volume Control mode (A/C or SIMV), CPAP/PSV and Adaptive Bi-Level (non-invasive or invasive ventilation).
Software packages included are Pressure, Flow and Volume Waveforms, Trending and Respiratory Diagnostics.
Internal Oxygen Mixer with Sensor, High and Low Pressure OxygeniVent201 IC Intensive Care
A ventilator featuring a variety of mode capabilities including Pressure Control (A/C or SIMV), Volume Control (A/C or SIMV) and CPAP/PSV.
Software packages included are Pressure, Flow and Volume Waveforms, Trending and Respiratory Diagnostics.
Internal Oxygen Mixer with Sensor, High and Low Pressure OxygeniVent201 AB Non-invasive Ventilation with Adaptive Bi-Level Mode
A ventilator featuring Adaptive Bi-Level (both non-invasive or invasive ventilation) and CPAP/PSV.
Software packages included are Pressure, Flow and Volume Waveforms, Trending, Respiratory Diagnostics.
Internal Oxygen Mixer with Sensor, High and Low Pressure Oxygen
iVent201 HC Home CareA ventilator designed specifically for care in the home with Volume Control mode (A/C or SIMV) and CPAP/PSV.
This vent uses Low Pressure Oxygen.
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Pulse!! BreakAway's Educational Game
Via Medical Education Blog at the University of Saskatchewan, we learned about BreakAway Ltd., a Hunt Valley MD company, specializing in a variety of educational games, all based on a proprietary technology platform that creates a variety of medical, military, first-responder, and other environments.
Here's how the company describes its Pulse!! game, that creates an immersive environment for the health care training:
Pulse!! is the first ever, immersive virtual learning space for training health care professionals in clinical skills. Cutting-edge graphics recreate a lifelike, interactive, virtual environment in which civilian and military heath care professionals practice clinical skills in order to better respond to injuries sustained during catastrophic incidents, such as combat or bioterrorism.Pulse!! is being developed in partnership with Texas A & M University - Corpus Christi and is funded from a federal grant from the Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research.
In terms of other medical sims, BreakAway has also developed pediatric pain management game to distract children from pain of medical procedures. And as far as the first responder simulators go, the company has couple of products designed for training of emergency staff for management of casualties of terrorist attacks and other disasters.
Check out this promo of company's medical training platform:
Products page with videos: Serious Games for Healthcare - BreakAway...
Products page with videos: Serious Games for Homeland Security - BreakAway...
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Fabric-based Electrodes for a More Comfortable ECG Experience
The FDA just gave approval to Textronics, Inc to market their new textile-based ECG electrodes, which were awarded with a US patent only two weeks ago. Unlike typical ECG electrodes, these don't use adhesives to stick to the skin, and are purported to be more comfortable than the "old" variety. The hairy members of Medgadget editorial team are particularly relieved, as we occasionally end up removing red dots from ourselves, while trying to apply these electrodes to diaphoretic patients.
“Our textile electrodes can be worn comfortably against the skin, as part of a seamless garment, fabric chest strap or elastic wrist band,” explains Textronics CEO Stacey Burr. “We’re offering the medical community a more comfortable and less cumbersome solution that can improve patient compliance by eliminating skin irritation and other discomforts that are commonly experienced during ECG monitoring, especially in extended wear applications.”Textronics uses its patented technology to knit conductive sensing fibers directly into stretchy fabrics that can monitor physiological conditions comfortably and accurately. The company’s textile electrode garments, straps and wristbands are also machine washable and reusable. They can be used for a wide range of ECG monitoring and recording applications, including cardiac event recorders, stress testing, Holter monitoring, trans-telephonic pacemaker monitors, and respiration sensing devices.
Press release: TEXTRONICS, INC. RECEIVES FDA CLEARANCE ON TEXTILE ELECTRODE ...
Press release: TEXTRONICS, INC. AWARDED PATENT FOR TEXTILE-BASED ELECTRODES ...
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
ShakerScope for Jungle Laryngoscopy
The ShakerScope is a project that was conceived by a Welsh doctor working his craft in remote parts of Africa. One of the constant problems Dr. David Williams had to overcome was the necessity of batteries to power certain medical devices, including the light on a laryngoscope. Realizing that a small LED light can be powered by something other than batteries, the idea for a kinetic powered laryngoscope was conceived.
TCT News Magazine, a publication for the product development industry, has an article on how the Shakerscope came to be. A snippet:
With funding granted by the Welsh Assembly Government, David approached PDR (The National Centre for Product Design and Development Research) to redesign the device. PDR, an accredited Centre of Excellence for Technology and Industry Collaboration based at the UWIC campus in Cardiff, took the device back to first principles and developed it from initial concept design through to functional product utilising its own extensive in-house technologies, equipment and expertise.It was clear to the design team that the product had applications in the developed as well as developing world, greatly expanding its potential market and increasing its attractiveness to investors. As a reliable self powered light source the device could be used for other essential examinations and procedures in clinics and surgeries across the world.
A brief was developed that demanded the rapid development of a self powered device, suitable for multiple procedures without recharging. Charge time should be minimised and the light generated must be as powerful as that already available through battery powered devices.
Initial design work was undertaken to greatly improve the efficiency of the device and to create a range of initial concepts that hinted at a sophisticated design and package that could be equally at home in a snowfield or desert through to modern GP’s office or paramedics backpack.
With a final concept agreed, the first stages of the design and engineering process highlighted a requirement for a compact, light, robust, waterproof and shock resistant instrument that was strong enough to endure all types of potential damage whilst being small enough to transport manually with ease. It also became apparent that the utility of the product could be greatly extended by the addition of interchangeable medical device attachments to inspect body cavities such as ears, eyes and throat. A range of detachable device heads, including laryngascopes, ophthalmoscopes and ostoscopes, were conceptualised and developed. These offered the potential of providing significant advantages to users in cost, space and weight compared to conventional devices, which require a separate power and light source for each application.
More from TCT News...
Device home page: ShakerScope
NOTE: This is Medgadget's 5,000th post. Thanks to all our readers for support, patronage, and inspiration. It was and is a blast!!!
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
DRE Envoy PDM (Patient Data Management) Wireless Monitor System
DRE Inc. just released a new wireless patient telemetry system that lets the doctor or nurse carry this flat screen around, while monitoring the vitals on up to six patients.
Unlike traditional telemetry systems, which typically resemble desktop PCs, all central station components of the Envoy PDM are housed in an all-inclusive device that is similar to the size and appearance of a 15-inch computer monitor. The Envoy PDM also features an easy-to-use touchscreen that eliminates the need for a keyboard and further decreases the size of its footprint.In addition to being a telemetry system, the Envoy PDM is a patient data management system that surgeons can use to compile patient information such as medical history, medications and treatment. The patient database helps telemetry operators compare onscreen vital signs with demographics of a patient.
The Envoy PDM seamlessly integrates with the DRE Waveline Plus, a seven-parameter patient monitor. Vital signs from up to six DRE Waveline Plus monitors can be tracked and stored on the Envoy PDM in real time. Vital sign data is sent to the Envoy PDM via a wireless transmitter that attaches to the back of the Waveline Plus. The transmitter allows surgeons to transport the Waveline Plus from pre-operation to surgery and through recovery while maintaining the wireless link between the monitor and the Envoy PDM.
Press release: DRE Introduces Wireless Telemetry/Patient Data Management System
Product page: DRE Envoy PDM (Patient Data Management) Wireless Monitor System
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Scientists Developing Robotic Rats for Rescue Missions
The interdisciplinary international project called BIOTACT (BIOmimetic Technology for vibrissal ACtive Touch), that spans Europe, Middle East and the US, aims to develop a novel robotic technology based on active sensing borrowed from nature. The inspiration? Rodent whiskers.
A statement from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel explains:
Based on principles of active sensing adopted widely in the animal kingdom, the multinational team is developing innovative touch technologies, including a 'whiskered' robotic rat. The whiskered robot will be able to quickly locate, identify and capture moving objects. 'The use of touch in the design of artificial intelligence systems has been largely overlooked, until now,' says Prof. Ehud Ahissar of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Neurobiology Department, whose research team is one of the groups participating in the multinational project.'In nocturnal creatures, or those that inhabit poorly-lit places, the use of touch is widely preferred to vision as a primary means of learning and receiving physical information about their surrounding environment.' One such animal that employs this method is the rat. Several groups of the international consortium are investigating the ways in which rats use their bristly whiskers to explore their environment, and how the brain processes such information. 'If we succeed in understanding what makes an animal’s sense of touch so efficient, we will be able to develop robots imitating this feature, and put them to effective use.'
What is the whisker’s 'secret'" Why is the sense of touch through a rat’s whiskers much more efficient than that of the average person’s finger tips" The consortium’s teams have provided some insights into these questions. One explanation concerns the way in which the sensory system works: Whiskers actively sweep back and forth repetitively, accumulating information about its surrounding environment. The sensing begins in the neurons at the whiskers’ bases, which then fire signals off to the brain. Moreover, experiments have shown that the way in which a rat uses its whiskers is context-dependent. The seemingly simple act of feeling out a 3-D object, for example, requires three different types of code, each encoding a different dimension – the horizontal, the vertical, and the radial (distance from the whisker base). The horizontal plane, for instance, is encoded in the precise timing of neural signals relative to the whisking motion. The vertical, i.e., the object height, is encoded by the vertical spacing of the whiskers, which are arranged grid-like on either side of the snout. The radial plane, on the other hand, is encoded in the number of times the neurons fire: The closer an object is to the rat's snout, the higher the number of neuron-signaling spikes.The consortium’s research also suggest that the signals travel from the whiskers through parallel pathways that function within parallel closed feedback loops, constantly monitoring the signals they receive and changing their responses accordingly. The researchers believe that it is the complex interactions between the feedback loops that are responsible for the rich and accurate control of movement, but at the same time, it poses an engineering challenge when trying to build artificial systems based on this concept.
'In order to investigate the role of feedback loops further,' says Prof. David Golomb of Ben Gurion University, Israel, whose research team is one of the groups participating in the multinational project, 'consortium members will implement theoretical methods and calculations from theoretical physics and applied mathematics in order to develop and research models that describe the complicated neural processes that control active sensing'. The models are based on experimental observations, and are expected to be tested by experimental consortium teams.
Ahissar: 'The aim of this research is to help gain a better understanding of the brain on the one hand, and advance technology on the other. That is to say, researchers can use robots as an experimental tool, by building a brain-like system, step-by-step, gaining insights into the workings of the brain’s inside components. With regard to technological applications, we suggest that it is the multiple closed feedback loops that are the key features giving biological systems an advantage over robotic systems. Therefore, implementing this biological knowledge will hopefully allow robotics researchers to build machines that are more efficient, which can be used in rescue missions, as well as search missions under conditions of restricted visibility'. In this way, basic research conducted on animals can contribute to the well-being of humans, other than for medicinal purposes.
Our wild imagination already sees this technology being used for other things as well: robot-assisted physical exams or surgeries.
Press releases: Scientists from Europe, Israel and the US develop robotic rats to aid in rescue missions ...; Robot rat to lead the way in touch technology ...
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Impact Guardian: Smart Helment Calls 911
If a motorcyclist falls and bumps his head in the woods, does it make a sound? If you're wearing your new smart helmet invented by engineering student Brycen Spence at UMass Amherst, it does. Plus, it will call emergency services and alert them to your location.
“The WIG will be activated when it is buckled on,” says Spencer. “If you fall and hit your head, the helmet will detect that and beep for a minute or so. If you don’t turn it off, WIG sends for help, either directly to 911 or to a third-party service that relays the emergency call to 911. Included with the message will be a GPS location giving your geographical coordinates so the emergency team knows precisely where you are.”Nicknamed “The OnStar of Helmets,” Spencer’s WIG would be a boon for motorcyclists, bicyclists, ATV enthusiasts and others, especially those venturing into remote areas. There were 113,900 ATV injuries requiring emergency room treatment in 2002 and 76,000 motorcycle-related injuries in 2004. In many instances, victims had to wait a long time for emergency response crews to find them.
At this time, the WIG has no competition. A similar invention on the market is a personal locator beacon that skiers and others use in case of accidents, but this device must be manually activated. There is also a football helmet that detects if the wearer suffers a concussion, but nothing on the market phones for help automatically like the WIG.
Spencer has started a seed-stage business with a business plan that recently won a $1,250 prize from the Executive Summary Competition in the campus’ Technology Innovation Challenge. Last spring he also won $1,250 from the Grinspoon Foundation for Entrepreneurship, whose scholarship provides monetary awards to students who demonstrate the “entrepreneurial spirit” and who have a strong desire to own their own businesses. Spencer has also invested $2,500 of his own money, no small amount for a student, in a one-year Provisional Patent that will lead, patent pending, to a 20-year Utility Patent.
Spencer has used all the prize money to buy the inner workings for his helmet, including an accelerometer to detect any impact that exceeds a predetermined safety level and a communications device to provide the user’s location for rescue crews. All the electronics are small and relatively inexpensive, allowing them to fit in the current helmet configuration with little physical modification or increase in overall helmet price.
Press Release: Engineering student creates safety helmet that signals for help...
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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Board Game: Fright Night At The ER
The fine people at Breakthrough Learning have developed the world's most stressful board game to help foster systems thinking, collaboration, and innovation in the health care setting.
Played out over a simulated 24-hour day at a hospital, "Friday Night at the ER" graphically shows the downside of short-term thinking, faulty assumptions and an every-manager-for-himself philosophy.Four-player teams try to juggle a limited number of hospital beds, a relentless influx of patients and a gradual attrition of nurses to care for them, all while racing against a clock that forced faster and faster decisions. Every so often, game cards announce another mini-crisis to ramp up the pressure.
The patient count in the ER waiting room soars as the day goes on, especially if the players running the operating room, critical care unit and medical-surgical floor don't cooperate to free up bed space, share nursing staff and think ahead to the next challenge.
"It's about collaboration and teamwork, about seeing your department as one piece of an enormous mosaic," game leader William Ward [Johns Hopkins University professor of health finance and management -ed] told the players. "Whether it's lab, registration, records, we tend to manage just in our own little departments. I swear at the bottom of the Atlantic there's still a hospital department manager in dry room on the Titanic who went down thinking 'It's OK. My department is dry.'"
More from the Hartford Courant...
Product Page...
(hat tip: Own Our System)
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Nanovector Trojan Horses (NTH): Drug That May Prevent Radiation Injury
The DoD's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is commissioning a nine-month study by Rice University chemists and investigators at the Texas Medical Center to "determine whether a new drug based on carbon nanotubes can help prevent people from dying of acute radiation injury following radiation exposure."
The drug, based on carbon nanotubes and two common food preservatives, has already shown huge promise in reducing the effects of radiation exposure:
The new study was commissioned after preliminary tests found the drug was greater than 5,000 times more effective at reducing the effects of acute radiation injury than the most effective drugs currently available...NTH is made at Rice's Chemistry Department and Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory in the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. The drug is based on single-walled carbon nanotubes, hollow cylinders of pure carbon that are about as wide as a strand of DNA. To form NTH, Rice scientists coat nanotubes with two common food preservatives -- the antioxidant compounds butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) -- and derivatives of those compounds.
"The same properties that make BHA and BHT good food preservatives, namely their ability to scavenge free radicals, also make them good candidates for mitigating the biological affects that are induced through the initial ionizing radiation event," Tour said.
In preliminary tests at M.D. Anderson in July 2007, mice showed enhanced protection when exposed to lethal doses of ionizing radiation when they were given first-generation NTH drugs prior to exposure.
"Our preliminary results are remarkable, and that's why DARPA awarded us this grant with a very compressed timeline for delivery: nine months, which is almost unheard of for an academic study of this type," Tour said. "They are very interested in finding out whether this will work in a post-exposure delivery, and they don't want to waste any time."
Feds fund study of drug that may prevent radiation injury ...
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Friday, January 25, 2008
z.one ultra System
KLAS, a technology consultancy, has released its 2007 Best in KLAS report that features a ranking of what they believe are the top 20 overall medical technology companies (plus a ranking within specific fields). ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.) is one of the companies chosen, as the top hand carried ultrasound (HCU) vendor for its z.one ultra System.
Zone Sonography technology has enabled ZONARE Medical Systems to bring its unique, patented Convertible Ultrasound platform to the industry providing premium image quality and performance together with greater portability at an attractive price to value ratio compared to conventional ultrasound systems. Clinicians are able to convert the z.one system, at the touch of a button, from a full-featured, cart-based system into a premium compact ultrasound system, optimizing its versatility in a variety of clinical settings, without sacrificing image quality or performance.Unlike most other HCU systems, the z.one system's Zone Sonography software-based architecture allows its performance to continue to improve as greater processing power becomes available. System upgrades can be downloaded via the internet, allowing for fast, convenient advances in clinical capabilities, enabling clinicians to cost-effectively maintain a state of the art premium ultrasound system.
Press release: ZONARE RANKED BEST IN KLAS AS HAND CARRIED ULTRASOUND VENDOR IN 2007 TOP 20: YEAR-END REPORT
Product page: z.one
Top 20: 2007 Best in KLAS report can be conveniently purchased for $2,500 from KLAS...
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Monday, January 7, 2008
Right This Way, Mr. Johnson, You're Having a Heart Attack
Reminiscent of those little brick-sized pagers restaurants provide to let you know your wait is over, ERs may soon start offering wireless monitoring of patients' vitals to help triage unstable patients.
One of the hazards of hospital emergency rooms is that patients can deteriorate without staff noticing. Now they can be given a device to monitor their vital signs.The Scalable Medical Alert Response Technology (SMART), developed by Dorothy Curtis and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, consists of an infrared blood oxygen sensor that clips onto a finger, and chest electrodes that monitor heartbeat. Both are attached to a PDA that sits in a belt pack and runs software that monitors their readings, and sounds the alarm if they change to a worrying extent. It also beams the data to a PC monitored by a paramedic.
In tests on 145 volunteers in the ER at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, SMART flagged three patients who were stable when admitted but later developed dangerously irregular heartbeats.
More at NewScientist...
SMART: Scalable Medical Alert and Response Technology
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
VeinViewer Off to Europe
Memphis Business Journal is reporting that VeinViewer from Luminetx Corp., that happens to be a Memphis firm, has received the CE Mark of approval from the European Union. We've been following the device since its prototype stage.
Update: Check out the official product features brochure:
Product page: Luminetx Features ...
VeinViewer brochure (PDF)...
Flashbacks: VeinViewer Shipped! ; First Hospital To Use The VeinViewer ...; VeinViewer @ NextFest ...; Vein Contrast Enhancer ...
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Thursday, December 6, 2007
Somatom Definition AS: The World's First Adaptive Computed Tomograph
This new CT scanner from Siemens AG is touted to adapt to "virtually any patient and clinical need." The world's first Somatom Definition AS system has just been installed at the University Hospital Erlangen in Germany:
The system is suitable for routine diagnostic work as well as for more complex examinations in, for example, oncology, neurology and cardiology. It is also ideally suited for emergency situations where speedy diagnosis for accident, stroke or heart attack patients are concerned. Even difficult patients - obese, claustrophobic and children - are quickly scanned with high diagnostic confidence. The first system has recently been installed at the University Hospital Trauma Center at Erlangen, Germany. Not only will all clinical situations be accelerated but also examinations of seriously wounded patients will permit faster application of life-saving treatments.The Somatom Definition AS is the first scanner to combine such dynamic components as the Adaptive Dose Shield with a scan field of up to 200 cm and the 78-cm gantry opening. This allows fast and problem-free head-to-foot scanning, even for poly trauma patients. The unequaled high temporal resolution of up to 150 ms -- combined with extremely fast coverage with up to 128 slices per rotation -- makes crystal-clear images possible, free of movement artifacts, of even the finest anatomical details. This permits for example highly accurate measurement of stenosis and/or precise planning for stent implantation.
Another outstanding feature is the new Adaptive 4D-Spiral. The continuous movement of the patient table permits a larger area to be imaged so that entire organs and their functions can be examined with a single scan. In a stroke situation, for example, the entire brain perfusion can be displayed. With previous systems, only a portion of the affected organ could be imaged. "We hope we can diagnose stroke earlier than before. Time is brain. The earlier we get the patient to therapy, the better", said Werner Bautz, M.D., Director of the Institute for Radiology and Medical Director of the University Hospital Erlangen.
Minimal invasive procedures will also become faster and more certain. Biopsies of suspicious tumor tissues can, for the first time, be performed with the help of 3D image guidance. Accurate needle positioning will thereby become clinical routine.
Product page: SOMATOM Definition AS ...
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Monday, December 3, 2007
New Manual for Emergency Ultrasound
Since we've profiled so many neat new portable ultrasound devices lately, it might be of benefit for new ultrasound users to, you know, actually figure out how to use these doohickeys.
It turns out one of our mentors has just published a book on this topic: the Manual for Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Ultrasound.
This book is the best guide to ultrasound we've seen -- and we're not just saying that. It's ideal for beginners, but has much to offer more advanced users as well. The book covers all the accepted and emerging uses of ultrasound -- not just FAST, echocardiography, and line placement, but optic nerve sheath diameter, foreign body localization, DVT identification, and much more.
Each color-coded topic features high-quality images of normal and abnormal views, and anatomical illustrations to demonstrate proper probe positioning. The writing is straightforward, and equally suitable for referencing "on the job" or reviewing at leisure. The chapters include troubleshooting and pitfalls sections loaded with helpful imaging tips, and evidentiary tables to guide researchers, over and above the extensive bibliography. The authors helpfully included sample clinical protocols, to help guide physicians' decision-making for starting therapy, calling consults, or considering other imaging methods.
Altogether, this rich, concise manual is packed with information to guide physicians at all levels of training through t