etc. Archive

Monday, February 22, 2010

Cool, Low Pressure Plasma Disinfects Hands Perfectly, Safely

The New York Times recently ran an article discussing the latest research and development in room temperature plasma devices for hand and instrument sterilization. Because the technology essentially kills any living microorganism the plasma gets to, we may be seeing completely new devices appearing soon near hospital sinks, in nurses stations, and, maybe, even in your favorite restaurant.

A snippet from NYT:

Gregor Morfill, who created several prototypes using the technology at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, says the plasma quickly inactivates not only bacteria but also viruses and fungi.
Dr. Morfill and his colleagues have tested their devices on hands and feet. “It works on athlete’s foot,” he said. “And the nice thing is, you don’t have to take your socks off. They are disinfected, too.” (The cleaning takes a bit longer when socks are added to the job, he said — about 25 seconds. “And it doesn’t yet work through shoes,” he added.)

Plasmas engineered to zap microorganisms aren’t new. During the last decade, they have come into use to sterilize some medical instruments. But using them on human tissue is another matter, said Mark Kushner, director of the Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering and a professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “Many thousands of volts drive the generation of plasma,” he said, “and normally one doesn’t want to touch thousands of volts.” But the design of the new hand sanitizers, he said, protects people from doing so. Reassured by that design, about five years ago he put his naked thumb into a jet of microbe-destroying plasma at the lab of another plasma researcher.

Read on at New York Times: Hospital-Clean Hands, Without All the Scrubbing...

Flashback: A Review of The Latest in Plasma Medicine

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Tiny Antennas to Help Miniaturize Implantable Devices

The development of future wireless in vivo devices demands the ability to actually beam a signal from a small radio transmitter at frequencies compatible with the body's tissues. A limitation of that is the size that traditional antennas have to be in order to be effective. Scientists at the University of Arizona, with help from National Institute of Standards and Technology and Boeing, have created a tiny antenna that can broadcast at frequencies previously thought to be next to impossible.

From the National Institute of Standards and Technology:

The new antennas radiate as much as 95 percent of an input radio signal and yet defy normal design parameters. Standard antennas need to be at least half the size of the signal wavelength to operate efficiently; at 300 MHz, for instance, an antenna would need to be half a meter long. The experimental antennas are as small as one-fiftieth of a wavelength and could shrink further.
In their latest prototype device, the research team used a metal wire antenna printed on a small square of copper measuring less than 65 millimeters on a side. The antenna is wired to a signal source. Mounted on the back of the square is a “Z element” that acts as a metamaterial—a Z-shaped strip of copper with an inductor (a device that stores energy magnetically) in the center (see photo).

“The purpose of an antenna is to launch energy into free space,” explains NIST engineer Christopher Holloway, “But the problem with antennas that are very small compared to the wavelength is that most of the signal just gets reflected back to the source. The metamaterial makes the antenna behave as if it were much larger than it really is, because the antenna structure stores energy and re-radiates it.” Conventional antenna designs, Holloway says, achieve a similar effect by adding bulky “matching network” components to boost efficiency, but the metamaterial system can be made much smaller. Even more intriguing, Holloway says, “these metamaterials are much more ‘frequency agile.’ It’s possible we could tune them to work at any frequency we want, on the fly,” to a degree not possible with conventional designs.

Press release: Engineered Metamaterials Enable Remarkably Small Antennas...

Abstract in Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, IEEE: Experimental Verification of Z Antennas at UHF Frequencies

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Friday, January 15, 2010

SQUIGGLE RV Micromotor Creates New Possibilities in Medical Technology

We typically don't profile individual components that make up the insides of medical devices, but when we see a tiny novel motor come to market, we get excited of its potential to miniaturize all kinds of gadgets. New Scale Technologies out of Victor, NY has released the ultrasonic SQUIGGLE RV motor system that is only 2.8mm wide and can drive a shaft at 10 mm /sec. And it does this at .5μm resolution (that's half a millionth of a meter). It seems that where small size and precision are key, such as in invasive medical devices, a motor so small could open new possibilities in angio interventions, laparoscopy, drug delivery, and therapeutic systems.

From the product announcement:

The NSD-2101 accepts direct 2.3 VDC to 5.5 VDC battery power and uses patented full-bridge switching technology to create the ultrasonic motor drive frequency. The IC also has patent-pending smart drive features built in that optimize motor performance while minimizing power consumption over a broad range of operating and environmental conditions. The NSD-2101 requires only DC battery power and digital I2C control commands to achieve unrivaled miniature motion control performance.
The SQL-RV-1.8 motor achieves forces in excess of 50 grams and high resolution to 0.5 micrometer. It can run at speeds greater than 7 mm/sec with power consumption of less than 350 mW when moving under typical loading conditions. This corresponds to a DC current of only 120 mA for a typical 3 VDC battery. Its unique self-locking design means that zero power is needed to hold the motor position, providing additional power savings.

New Scale's TRACKER™ NSE-5310 linear encoder, the world's smallest linear position sensor, can be integrated with the SQUIGGLE RV system for high system repeatability with submicron resolution.

Some ideas for medical applications of the device:

Robotic surgical devices. SQUIGGLE motors and TRACKER position sensors can be used for everything from robotic grippers and retractors to miniature mobile robots for minimally invasive surgery.

Endoscopes. Small enough to fit inside the head of a standard endoscope, SQUIGGLE motors and TRACKER position sensors can add more capabilities: focus a lens, manipulate a scraper, collect a sample, dispense a liquid.

Implantable devices. The SQUIGGLE motor would allow adjustment of implanted devices in situ, preserving optimal performance.

Microfluidics. SQUIGGLE motors and TRACKER position sensors can be used to create tiny microfluidic pumps in handheld devices for POC testing, which promises faster results, improved time to treatment and cost containment.

Drug delivery. SQUIGGLE motors enable the development of smaller, more efficient pumps such as next-generation insulin pumps (wearable or implantable) - offering longer battery life, better accuracy and simplified pump operation (no gear box). They are also used in research for precise drug delivery in MRI systems.

Product page: SQUIGGLE Motor for medical applications...

Press release: New SQUIGGLE® RV micro motion system operates directly from a 3 VDC battery for industry's lowest power consumption and smallest system size...

(hat tip: Eureka Magazine)

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Monday, January 11, 2010

Video Scout Mini Camera for Endoscopic Applications

BC Tech out of Santa Cruz, CA has released a tiny video camera targeted at integration into small, and even disposable, endoscopic devices for high quality image transmission.

At only 3 millimeters in diameter and featuring four LED's for lighting the scene, the camera has a 400 x 400 resolution CCD streaming at 30 frames a second. Perhaps this camera can be embedded into a cable that plugs into a device like an iPhone to make an endoscope straight out of Star Trek.

Product page: Video Scout...

Press release: BC Tech's Tiny New Camera Gives Vision to Disposable Medical Devices...

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Camera Captures Same Colors as Human Eyes

PaPaLaB Co Ltd, a Japanese firm, has announced their development of the "YC-3300," a camera they claim can capture the exact same colors as seen by the human eye. The camera is designed for archiving and medical applications. While cameras with similar technology currently exist, they are too large and expensive to be practical. The YC-3300 is currently priced at $140,477, with more affordable models in the pipeline.

Technology like this will be crucial with cameras in medicine taking an ever larger role in research, education, and diagnosis.

(Hat Tip: Engadget)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Clinical Faucet Wins Prestigious Design Award

Keeping hands clean in the hospital is a bit more complicated and much more important thing to do than doing it at home. Nosocomial organisms can easily jump from clinician to clinician to patient via faucet handles and soap dispensers. Miscea B.V., out of Augsburg, Germany, won this year's red dot best of the best design award for its MISCEA touch-free faucet.

The touch-free operation concept of this innovative, clear and aesthetically designed hygiene system allows users to choose between water, soap and disinfectant with just one hand, thus preventing causative organisms from being accidentally transmitted and causing new infections. Operation of this faucet is self-explanatory and comfortable; choosing soap or disinfectant is interactively guided: a softly pulsating LED indicates whether the system is ready for use and each dispensing mode is accompanied by a light impulse. The design of this hygiene system thus merges a high degree of comfort with a maximum reduction of cross-contamination risk. With its elegant appearance the Miscea 3.1 Medical is designed for sensitive environments where strict hygiene is needed. It is suitable for use in medical and care facilities, as well as in the food processing industry where, with its elegant and sophisticated design, it signifies a valuable contribution to professional daily work – it sets new standards in realising hygiene with ease and style.

Press release: Miscea 3.1 Medical Touch-Free Hand Hygiene System...

Product page: MISCEA...

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Friday, December 4, 2009

Intelligent Monitors, aka Radio Nodes, to Track Medical Supplies, Biologics

Intelligent tracking of hospital stuff can be crucially important. External environment and duration of storage can affect usability of supplies such as blood bags that have to stay within a certain temperature range. RFID technology is often insufficient because the tags used are not self powered and require relatively strong external receiver radios to read them. German scientists have been working on special "radio nodes" that would keep track of things they are attached to and signal if certain parameters are met. In the case of blood bags, clinicians would be notified if a bag came out of its safe temperature range, for how long and whether it should be disposed.

From the press announcement by Fraunhofer-Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen:

The intelligent radio nodes were developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and the Fraunhofer Working Group SCS in collaboration with their partners T-Systems, Vierling, delta T and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. The project is funded by the German federal ministry of economics and technology (BMWi). “In contrast to tags that use RFID – radio frequency identification – we do not expect intelligent radio nodes to interfere with hospital medical devices,” explains Jürgen Hupp, head of communication networks department at IIS. “While the transmit power required for RFID tag reading can be as much as two watts, radio nodes only transmit in the milliwatt range.” This is because RFID tags only consist of a memory chip and antenna. To read an RFID tag, it must first be activated by the reader. In contrast, an intelligent radio node is an active radio system that is battery-powered and has its own processing unit. Radio nodes can continuously gather information and trigger actions.
The system is built upon a basic platform which the researchers can tailor to different applications. One example involves using radio nodes to optimize the management of medical devices in hospitals. Devices such as syringe pumps and cardiac monitors often move between departments and can be hard to track down when they are needed. This problem could soon be a thing of the past, since attaching radio nodes to the devices enables them to report their position automatically.

Press release: Intelligent blood bags

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

SteriShoe, The UV Shoe Sanitizer

Thanks to a letter from a reader, we learned of a shoe disinfecting device that's been on the market for about a year. The SteriShoe, developed by Shoe Care Innovations, a Redwood City, California company, uses UVC light (280 nm-100 nm) to kill off microbes. The device, which is inserted into the shoe just like a supporting shoe tree, operates for 45 minutes and then shuts off automatically. Thought to be useful for people with nail fungus, athlete's foot, and foot complications of diabetes, the device might also help prevent embarrassing moments for people with stinky feet.

More info from the product page:

The compression sensor requires that the SteriShoe® ultraviolet shoe sanitizer be in a shoe and slightly compressed. If the SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer is treating a shoe and it is removed from the shoe, the compression sensor will be triggered and the power to the lamp will be stopped. (The heel of the shoe sanitizer is spring-loaded.)

The ambient light sensor allows the SteriShoe® ultraviolet shoe sanitizer to safely be used in open-toed shoes or sandals. The ambient light sensor pre-scans the environment before allowing the SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer to turn on. If the ambient light sensor detects a dark environment, the SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer will turn on; however, if enough light is detected it will not turn on -- this is designed to prevent UV light from escaping the shoe. Two shoe bags are provided in every box so a user can cover their open-toed shoes and sandals to provide a dark environment for the SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer.

Product page: SteriShoe...

SteriShoe brochure... (.pdf)

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Technology Safely Embeds RFID in Metal Components

RFID (radio frequency identification) technology has been gaining rapid adoption in gadget rich environments, such as hospitals, full of equipment that needs continuous tracking. Yet some tools, like metallic hemostats for example, are currently are not embedded with RFID chips because the production process would destroy them. Now researchers from Fraunhofer-Institute for Manufacturing and Advanced Materials IFAM in Bremen have developed a method to safely incorporate RFID chips into metal devices. To us it's not really clear whether functionality of RFID is affected when what seems like a Faraday's Cage encapsulates the radio device.

A machine produces a component based on a three-dimensional CAD model, building it layer-by-layer directly from the computer. The laser melts off the areas of each metal powder layer that are intended to be solid. Next, the building platform is lowered and the process restarts until the component is completed. Fraunhofer scientists can control this process in a manner that allows the RFID to be installed and completely encased by the material.
"This new process finally puts the intelligence into the metal component. You can store critical information in the radio tags, like the serial number or the manufacture date. So, for example, companies now can make their top-grade replacement parts tamper-proof and resistant to fraud," explains project manager Claus Aumund-Kopp. If someone tries to remove the chip, they will wind up destroying it in the attempt. And soon, it will be possible to do more than just reading the identification code. Conceivably, it might even be possible to store information during the period of usage. Experts also envision the potential of this process as it relates to sensors or actuators: With the aid of temperature or expansion sensors, it may be possible to record data on thermal or mechanical stresses on the components.

Press statement from Fraunhofer-Institut für Fertigungstechnik und Angewandte Materialforschung: Intelligence inside metal components

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With Its New Lighting, Siemens Wants to Improve Clinical Environments

At the 2009 congress of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago next week, Siemens will be presenting new lighting offerings for clinical settings that aim at improving patient experience. The company believes that by creating an attractive atmosphere, in contrast to the common ultra-utilitarian look of modern facilities, patient clinical courses will be improved and clinicians will have a better work environment.

Light tubes - operated via computer to emit different light colors - can be mounted on walls. Walls and ceilings can be attractively decorated with different motifs such as a mountain landscape and a blue sky with clouds. With a special software program, the operator can choose from the full color spectrum at will and combine different tints. A special system for the MRI room works with a large number of small LEDs (light-emitting diodes) mounted on the ceiling that light up the entire room in color.

The Center for Diagnostic Radiology at Butzbach near Frankfurt has achieved very positive experiences with Healthcare Lighting: "Distracting patients is especially important to us in CT scans," says Dr. Farschad Tabesch, radiologist at the Butzbach Center for Diagnostic Radiology. "This is where we perform pain treatments using periradicular therapy [PRT] or facet blocks [FAB].

Patients come to us with a long history of pain. And then, many of them are afraid to undergo the treatment. The light installation makes a huge contribution to helping these patients relax.“

Economic figures in Butzbach clearly show that the investment and comprehensive patient-oriented approach are well worth-while. Now, only about one percent of patients have to be sedated before undergoing an MRI scan. "I used to work at a "normal" practice, where I always had two or three sedations each day. Here, almost all of our claustrophobic patients can make it through the procedure without sedation. Before, I often experienced cases where these kinds of patients just jumped right out of the unit – something that hasn’t happened here," Dr. Tabesch reports.

Press release: Light and color: Healthcare Lighting presented by Siemens...

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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Brainwave Sofa Is Exactly What You Were Thinking

Ever wondered what a piece of furniture formed from raw data extracted from your brain would look like? But of course you have, and so did Lucas Maassen and Dries Verbruggen, the designers of the Brainwave Sofa.

Mr. Verbruggen had his brain activity measured while he closed his eyes for 3 seconds. The extracted EEG data was used to create a 3D landscape with the x-axis representing the frequency of brainwave activity in hertz, the y-axis is the percentage of activity, and the z- axis is time. The sofa was then created in its physical form by a five axis computer numerical controlled machine, which creates a three dimensional object out of foam.

The sofa will be showcased as part of the Bits n' Pieces design exhibition.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Robotic Nurse Assistant to Ferry Patients Around Hospital Wards

The Japanese are gearing up for a time when there are more elderly folks needing assistance than there are young whippersnappers available to do the choirs. The RIBA, or Robot for Interactive Body Assistance, is a 400 pound (180 kilos) device designed by engineers at the RIKEN institute and Tokai Rubber Industries to carry people up to 135 pounds (61 kilos) between hospital beds, wheelchairs, and even toilets. The device is full of tactile sensors to make carrying safe and comfortable for patients, and it can even recognize faces and be commanded via voice to perform basic tasks. The only problems, from our point of view, is the inadequacy of this robot of serving the hefty average American and the menacing demeanor of what looks like a space bear without the personality of Chewbacca.

Here's a demo video of the RIBA...

Link: Google translation of Japanese info page about the RIBA...

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Shoe Inn Automatic Shoe Cover Dispenser

Here's a simple device that needs to be a standard piece of equipment in OR locker rooms. MassDevice is reporting that staff at Boston Scientific's neurmodulation business, which manufactures spinal cord stimulation devices in ISO Class 7 clean rooms, has been using the Shoe Inn Stay automatic shoe cover dispenser and heavy-duty, non-slip, waterproof shoe covers called Super Reboots. We say: if it's good for ISO 7, it must be good for stinking Crocks.

Press release: Boston Scientific Completes Clean Room Trial of Shoe Inn Products...

Product page: Automatic shoe cover dispensers and shoe covers from Shoe Inn...

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Monday, August 3, 2009

SUDS Machine Auto Sanitizes Hospital Equipment For Less Wiping

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed and are testing a closet sized device for decontamination of common hospital equipment. The SUDS, which stands for "self-cleaning unit for the decontamination of small instruments", can work on anything from EKG cables to IV stands, providing an automatic one stop shop to sanitize hospital equipment. The investigators just released a study that assessed the effectiveness of the SUDS machine over manual wiping.

About the SUDS device from the article in Annals of Surgical Innovation and Research:

The self-cleaning unit for the decontamination of small instruments (SUDS) is a multimodal portable decontamination unit. This unit allows for primary, secondary, and tertiary decontamination mechanisms with aerosolized biocide, ultraviolet light, and dry heat, respectively. Surface and base rotation via a clockwise and counterclockwise mechanism serves to increase the exposure of equipment to the biocide by optimizing air flow directionality.
Turbulence generated at the base allows for air flow patterns that increase exposure to the undersurface of the equipment. Image distance-based techniques allow for maximum intervention in specific areas. S-shaped curvatures at the edges of the surface rotatory mechanism allow for the attachment of multiple devices to the surface rotatory mechanism. Air cleaning and filtration modes allow for the expulsion of clean air into the environment; this may be connected to the facility filtration system. Only the primary mode of decontamination (aerosolized biocide) was used in this study.

More about the study results from the Johns Hopkins press reelase:

In the study, the Johns Hopkins team showed that SUDS was able to disinfect some 90 pieces of used emergency-room equipment, placing as many as 15 items in the device and “fogging” the equipment with an aerosolized, commercially available disinfectant chemical, or biocide, called Sporicidin. None of the electronic circuitry appeared to be damaged by the decontamination process. Instruments tested were of the type that comes in direct contact with a patient’s skin, the body’s key barrier to infection.
Repeated swabbing and lab culture testing of each decontaminated instrument showed that all items remained free of so-called gram-positive bacteria for two full days after cleaning, even after the equipment was returned to the emergency department and re-used. On the bacteria-free list were such potentially dangerous superbugs as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).

By contrast, testing of an equal number of similar items that were manually scrubbed down with a disinfectant solution, called Airex, showed that 25 percent of the devices had bacterial growth after two days, including growth of potentially dangerous gram-positive bacteria, such as MRSA and VRE, as well as gram-negative type bacteria, most notably, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii, plus some types of fungi.

Study: Contamination of equipment in emergency settings: An exploratory study with a targeted automated intervention Annals of Surgical Innovation and Research 2009, 3:8

Press release: BRING ON THE "SUDS": PROTOTYPE, 7-FOOT-TALL SANITIZER AUTOMATES DISINFECTION OF HARD-TO-CLEAN HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT...

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Friday, July 24, 2009

RIVA Automatic IV Preparation Robot

Intelligent Hospital Systems, a company out of Winnipeg, Canada, has developed a robotic system for precise preparation of syringes and IV bags for busy hospital pharmacies. We discovered the Robotic IV Automation (RIVA) device when we read the announcement of the firm receiving the 21st Century Achievement Award from the Computerworld Honors Program.

Product page: Robotic IV Automation...

Press release: Intelligent Hospital Systems Receives International Award for Innovative Technology Benefiting Society...

2009 Computerworld Honors...

Here's a video demonstrating the RIVA:

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

TruTags Drug and Food Authentication System to Help Ensure You Get What You Pay For

Pharmaceutical counterfeiting has been growing into a serious problem over the years, and RFID (radio frequency identification) based techniques have been implemented into pill bottle caps to guarantee authenticity. The problem, of course, is that this approach doesn't identify the genuine nature of the pills themselves. Now Cellular Bioengineering, a company out of Honolulu, Hawaii, has developed a method to manufacture tiny silicon dioxide (SiO2) particles, called TruTags™, each of which can have a unique light signature when observed with a special device. Being cheaper to manufacture and safe for consumption, the company believes that TruTags may become regular practice to tag not only drugs, but also foods, and maybe even things like toothpaste and diaper creams.

From the product page:

TruTags™ are manufactured starting with high-purity silicon and completely oxidized by a high-temperature bake to form silica, also known as silicon dioxide (SiO2). Silica is generally regarded as safe (GRAS) by the FDA, and has been in wide use for many years in a range of food products and pharmaceuticals. For example, it is added in small amounts to aid with the thickening of coatings or the free-flow of powders and granulations.
The TruTag™ difference is that a unique optical signature is manufactured into the tags without the use of additional additives or markers. This allows the tags to be added to coatings and applied to the exterior of edible goods, or added to ingredients such as powders and used as a forensic marker, to be read and verified as part of an investigation or inspection process by authorized security or quality assurance personnel.

Video of the TruTag particles swimming in water:

Info page: TruTags™...

Press release: BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY ENABLES EDIBLE TRUTAG™ TO PREVENT COUNTERFEIT MEDICINE

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Friday, June 12, 2009

Enovate Unveils New Medical Cart Series

EnovateIT out of Ferndale, Michigan is releasing a new line of medical laptop carts featuring a few nifty features like a keyboard light, an antibacterial coating, and a low overall weight. You can even get a Lithium-Ion powered version for a substantial battery life to run the laptop, scanner, and perhaps a couple other devices.

From the company press release, and the complete list of features of the carts:

Enovate focused on four key areas for its new cart series: ergonomics, infection control, weight and power. Cart handles are designed to be comfortable, soft to the touch and ergonomically correct. whether you are pushing, pulling, sitting, or standing. All contact surfaces, including handles, are finished or made with antimicrobial materials that deliver smooth and comfortable surfaces while complying with infection control polices. Standard powered carts on the market are large and bulky, with a starting weight around 120 lbs. and more. Enovate's powered carts have a smaller base with a contour of 12"h and a wheel base of 17"h x 16.5"h which enables it to maneuver within tight areas easily. The starting weight of the standard powered Enovate Medical cart is at 110 lbs. Contrary to standard carts on the market which typically deliver one type of power option, Enovate's Medical Carts offer multiple power options such as hot swappable Lithium-Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), or the standard Seal Lead Acid (SLA).

Antimicrobial Contact Surfaces

Smart Dashboard
* Battery Alert * Power On/Off * LED Fuel Gauge * Remote PC Reboot Button
Keyboard Light with Auto Shut-off

Scanner Bracket

Mouse Bracket

Left/Right Mouse Tray

Comfort Wrist Rest

Comfort Grip Front Handle

Comfort Grip Height Adjustment Lever

Storage Bin

Work Surface: 17" x 17"

Cable Storage

3 port USB Hub

Internal Cable Management

Ethernet Ready

4 casters (2 locking)

Hospital Grade Spiral Cord

Keyed Lock Security

Power Management

Integrated Power Conditioning System

Internal CPU Storage: 16" w x 16" d x 2.5" h (Customization Available)

Negative-tilt Keyboard

Ethernet Ready

Weight
* Standard SLA Powered: 110lbs * Non-Powered: 65 lbs

Press release: EnovateIT Announces New Enovate Medical Cart Series

Product page: Enovate Medical Carts...

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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Evacuate Babies Efficiently with BabyScatt

~~Kidnapping~~ Evacuating babies doesn't seem hard in theory, but imagine you are a lone nurse working in the newborn nursery when that code red goes off. Now, most likely you wouldn't do much considering code reds go off if you so much as wink in a fire alarm's direction. But, if you really need to get Costco amount of babies out of the building, then BabyScatt seems like a reasonable option.

From the website:

The BabyScatt is designed to Evacuate 6 babies at one time.
This cocoon like evacuation device has bumper bars on all sides to protect in case of falling debris or possible obstructions in the pathway. After reaching a place of refuge the BabyScatt continues to protect and provide a safe place for the babies to rest in the individual pockets.

Check out the product page here...

(Hat Tip: Gizmodo)

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Redesigning The Lowly IV Pole

Goo Sung over at Core77 describes how he and a team of designers took on the challenge to improve the common IV pole that both patients and clinicians aren't particularly fond of. Working for Modo, a Beaverton, Oregon developer of clinical carts and trolleys that was contracted by Cardinal Health to come up with a fresh design, the team came up with a few interesting improvements.

To reduce the risk of cross-ward infection, we created an ID bracelet for each pole so poles from one area of the hospital could not be poached.
When we asked nurses what they wanted most in an IV pole, the answer was always the same: "I want it to be stable." At John Radcliffe Hospital, the record for the most pumps on a single pole is thirteen. We added weight to the base for greater stability and safety.

We designed a distinctive ring handle to make transport easy and comfortable and an asymmetrical base to create a larger toe envelope and to give every pump system a logical front and back. Finally, nurses could have what they wanted: an IV pole that "wouldn't trip them up." We transformed drooping hangers for IV bags into a distinctive, easy-to-reach Y-leaf, and added a white board so family and friends could exchange greetings and messages. This helped break down the social isolation created by conventional IV poles. We even added a bud vase and a shelf for small objects and belongings. We wanted to support patients as well as technology.

Read more about the project at Core77...

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