Researchers at the University of Dundee have developed new technology which could revolutionise the treatment of middle ear problems.

A team led by Professor Eric Abel have created the SMARTFIT system, a radically new approach to the design of ossicular replacement prostheses (the tiny bones in the ear), which aims to be the first commercial product to give a genuine replication of the physiological function of the middle ear.

According to Scotsman.com, the new prosthesis will be a "complex spring mechanism like the human ear" that can accomodate changes in pressure, unlike the rigid devices used today.

The press release...

More at Scotsman.com...

Imagine having a remote control you could use to instantly block out the sound of noisy builders or a screaming child; or a product that allows you to hold a clear conversation in a noisy bar. The display includes stylish and attractive hearing products, some almost like jewellery, that people not only need but will really want to wear.

The Hearwear display shows how revolutionary thinking about hearing could be reflected in exciting new product designs and highlights the massive potential for industry to create innovative, stylish and desirable hearing products which, if they were available on the high street, millions of people would want to purchase and use.

Exhibit website...

More coolness at the BBC: images, article...

RNID website...

(hat tip: OhGizmo! and WMMNA)

The technology used was Novalis® shaped beam surgery from BrainLAB AG.

Company describes its stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy system:

Novalis Body features image-guided radiosurgery for high precision treatment of body targets. Its X-ray-based localization technology allows physicians to localize tumors with sub-millimeter accuracy and to position patients automatically and with a higher degree of precision than previously possible. With Novalis Body dose escalation protocols and SRT treatments for spine, lung, liver and other body lesions can be carried out quickly and efficiently...

At the core of the system is a beam shaping device with fine 3mm central leaves that allows Novalis to accurately mirror the contour of the tumor from any angle. This innovative and effective treatment is called 'Shaped Beam Surgery'...

Complete integration makes Novalis Body the perfect system for performing safe Dynamic Conformal Arc treatments: By rotating around the patient, the system can continuously deliver radiation, constantly adapting the shape of the beam to the contour of the lesion.

The Advanced Dynamic Conformal Arc offers the following treatment features with BrainLAB's Dynamic Shaped Beam Surgery:

-- extremely fast and automatic treatment planning completed within minutes

-- extremely fast dose delivery of only 3-4 arcs within 15-20 minutes
reduced dose to healthy tissue as the delivered dose is distributed to a much larger volume compared to conformal beam treatments.

High resolution Intensity Modulated RadioSurgery® (IMRS) treatment results in improved outcomes and better quality of life for many patients compared to treatments based on conventional planning and dose delivery.

More here...

Some features of the new system, as described by Cochlear, Inc., the manufacturer:

-- SmartSound™ microchip technology components:

SmartSound Beam™ for focused listening in crowds
SmartSound ADRO™ for music and dynamic environments
SmartSound Whisper for soft and distant sounds

-- Sweat and splash resistance:

The Nucleus Freedom speech processor is designed to withstand excessive perspiration and humidity, from a day on the slopes to a run through the sprinkler.

-- Use the telephone with ease:

Unique to Cochlear, a built in telecoil makes talking on the phone easy. No wires. No plugs. No hassles--just a press of a button.

More at Cochlear...

(Washington D.C.) March 31, 2005 - Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc. - the leading manufacturer of hearing instruments in the United States - today announced the introduction of a state-of-the-art "open" ear hearing instrument which is virtually invisible and was specifically designed to eliminate the "plugged-up" feeling that some wearers experience. ACURIS Life is a behind-the-ear (BTE) instrument which uses a newly developed tip and tubing and incorporates the recently introduced, cutting-edge, proprietary ear-to-ear (e2e) wireless technology. The new system represents the most technologically advanced, inconspicuous hearing solution for the 392 million people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

e2e wireless technology, pioneered by Siemens and introduced late last year, enables the left and right hearing instruments to communicate with each other and function as one hearing system, thereby creating a level of synchronization never before possible in hearing instruments. ACURIS Life with e2e wireless technology automatically adjusts itself to the wearer's listening environment, but if desired, synchronized controls allow wearers to adjust the volume or program for both ears with a single adjustment.

ACURIS website...

Company describes its award winning products:

The PK w/SuperPulse Generator is considered the heart of the PlasmaKinetic System. It offers the urologist a versatile electrosurgical solution and is an alternative to current monopolar electro-surgical technologies.

Using a versatile range of devices, the system offers clinical benefits for numerous endoscopic urological procedures.

The features of the PK w/SuperPulse Generator are:

-- Creates a plasma vapor pocket around the active electrode in a safe, saline environment;

-- Can be controlled to remove and modify body tissues using minimal access techniques;

-- Localized return path through saline - separation of active and return electrodes.

Each PlasmaKinetic device has its own built internal identification code. This ID code automatically adjusts the PK generator to the optional output power setting for each device.

Automatic device identification allows the generator to default to the optimum setting for each type to cut, incise, resect or vaporize.

By eliminating the need for sutures and staples, the PK System SEAL™ Open Forceps can reduce surgical procedure time by as much as 20% through more effective hemostasis, reduced procedure steps and fewer instrument exchanges. No assembly is required, and convenient out-of-the-box sterility and disposability further reduce OR prep time.

The PK SEAL Open Forceps are part of the PK Tissue Management System, a "smarter bipolar" technology which combines the safety of bipolar electrosurgery with additional clinical and ease-of-use performance enhancements.

More at Gyrus Group...

Here's a brief description of the product from the company website:

From conventional bronchoscopy and bronchial lavage through to difficult airway conditions and visual monitoring during dilation tracheostomy, MEDI PACK™ offers the optimal solution for monitoring and producing documentation.

KARL STORZ MEDI PACK™ comprises a camera control unit, high-performance cold light source, documentation module, video monitor and keyboard - all integrated in a single system. The enlarged LCD color display provides a convenient overview of all procedures. The data obtained can be saved to the integrated PCMCIA memory card and simply processed on the PC. The user is able to connect all single-chip cameras from KARL STORZ to the unit. Connectability for external devices, such as monitor, video recorder, video printer etc. is also provided.

In combination with an equipment trolley MEDI PACK™ quickly becomes an extremely mobile unit that can be moved rapidly and safely through rooms, corridors and lifts in an emergency, ensuring that all the instruments required are always at hand.

More at Karl Storz...

According to Israel21c, a new Israeli startup called ETView has developed an endotracheal tube with an embedded tiny video camera. The company describes its product:

ETView's proprietary ETView endotracheal tube (ETView ETT) with a built-in video camera enables viewing the upper airways and trachea during intubation via a portable screen or monitor and permits effective ventilation during the entire procedure.

ETView's patent-pending ETT is the only product that offers -

-- Continuous visual control of the intubation procedure

-- Continuous monitoring of the ETT position and central airway

-- Simplicity of use for less highly trained personnel

In addition, ETView's ETT enables simple and successful intubation on the first attempt using the novel introducer, which eliminates the need for laryngoscopy and reduces the risk of trauma to the patient's teeth and airway.

The technology developed by ETView has applications in hospitals, emergency services and first responders, and telemedicine. It offers safe airway management for emergency medicine, anesthesia, and resuscitation.

ETView ETT is built from medical grade silicone tubing and equiped with a miniature CMOS color imager and light source connected through a cable with USB2 connector. It is designed for computers with Windows (Win98 and higher).

More at ETView...

Vivosonic Inc., a Toronto-based medical device developer, is pleased to announce U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Integrity™, the world's first and only wireless objective hearing-assessment system.

With FDA approval, the Integrity™ is now available to the U.S. market.

[...]

"I am very proud of this and think it is a major milestone in diagnostic Audiology equipment", said Dr. Yuri Sokolov, Vivosonic president & CEO. "The Integrity™ incorporates cutting-edge technologies -- from the Amplitrode™, the novel miniature in-situ AEP amplifier, to wireless communications and advanced digital signal-processing techniques."

"Wireless technology represents a major breakthrough in AEP testing," adds Sid Tannenbaum, Product Marketing Manager at Vivosonic. "The freedom of mobility will be especially beneficial for those practitioners who treat infants referred from newborn hearing screening programs, as the infant can now be carried and comforted during the test, as well as to those monitoring hearing in Operating Rooms. We are delighted to offer the Integrity™ to the U.S. market."

To learn more about the vivography press here. Further details can be found at Vivosonic website...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Insertion of small plastic rods into the soft palate with a minimally invasive surgical procedure is a safe and effective treatment for snoring, a small study suggests.

The recently developed Anti-Snoring Device, now called the Pillar Palatal Implant System, uses a device that looks somewhat like soldering gun to insert a thin 3/4-inch-long plastic rod into the soft palate under local anesthesia. Typically, people have three implants inserted.

Dr. Joachim T. Maurer, from the University Hospital Mannheim in Germany, and colleagues assessed the outcomes of 15 people who were treated with the device.

After 90 days, there was a significant improvement in snoring-related symptoms, the authors note in the medical journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Moreover, the average number of snoring sounds per hour fell following treatment.

Restore Medical, Inc. provides additional information about implants that it has developed:

The Pillar Procedure involves the placement of three tiny woven polyester inserts that stiffen the structure of the soft palate to help reduce both the vibration that causes snoring and the ability of the soft palate to obstruct the airway.

Rather than surgically removing tissue, the Pillar Procedure is designed to stiffen the soft palate. Once in place, the inserts add structural support in the muscular layer of the soft palate and induce a natural tissue response that secures them within the palate. Over the next 8-12 weeks, fibrosis creates additional stiffening and structural support of the soft palate.

More at Restore Medical...