Medicine Archive

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Toshiba's Viamo Ultrasound Now Available in US

Toshiba won FDA approval to market the Viamo portable ultrasound, a convertible touchscreen device that the company promises provides the same image quality as premium cart systems. The package comes with a wheeled pole that can carry the Viamo and additional transducers for easy exchange.

From the product page:

Sharing its core imaging engine and transducer technology with Aplio XG, Viamo offers high-end image quality also in situations where unlimited portability is required.

Its full range of high-performance imaging functions lets you visualize minute tissue details and vascular structures with precision for a faster, more accurate diagnosis. Advanced imaging functions such as Pulse Subtraction THI come standard with Viamo.

Viamo’s built-in touch screen allows for seamless workflow and an outstandingly comfortable and intuitive operation of the system. Viamo’s monitor can be rotated to enable free positioning of the screen. When fully turned and folded flat, Viamo can be operated in tablet mode solely via its touch screen. Individual key functions on Viamo’s console and touch screen are user programmable to suit your specific diagnostic requirements or personal preferences.

A whole range of workflow automation functions is available on Viamo. One-touch QuickScan for instance helps you achieve better imaging results in less time by automatically optimizing your imaging parameters. And Viamo’s innovative SonoSet™ function alows you to carry out examinations conveniently by simply executing freely programmable protocols step by step.

The battery-powered system is operational within just a few seconds when opened, making it instantaneously available also in critical situations.

Press release: TOSHIBA RECEIVES FDA CLEARANCE FOR VIAMO ULTRASOUND SYSTEM...

Product page: Viamo...

Product brochure...

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

InJentle Staked Glass Syringe from SCHOTT

Cambridge Consultants, based in both Cambridges across the Atlantic, is profiling the InJentle syringe it designed along with SCHOTT of Mainz, Germany. The glass syringe has some interesting safety and storage features that may be quite useful for dealing with certain drugs.

InJentle's unique design, employing a ‘pinch seal’ closure, ensures that the drug is not in contact with the metal needle or the adhesive of the syringe during storage, preventing sensitive drugs from interacting with these potential contaminants. This also has the advantage of creating similar stability test requirements as vials. The needle shield has also been designed with robust tamper-evident closure. This enables physicians or patients to determine easily if the syringe is still unused. InJentle™ also includes the flexibility to include further anti-counterfeiting features in the future, such as RFID tags.
SCHOTT InJentle™ incorporates a needle shield that protects the needle and minimizes the risk from the occurrence of ‘hooks’. Sharper ‘virgin’ needles make the injection less painful for patients. In addition, InJentle™ can be combined with particularly thin needles - potentially up to 32 gauge - which are also siliconised, contributing to improved patient application.

InJentle™ has been designed with a range of additional benefits. For example, the special geometry of the glass barrel does not require the use of any tungsten during the glass forming process, making the syringe completely tungsten-free. Although the syringe has been designed with these special features, it is delivered with standard nests and tubs so that it can be filled on standard filling lines.

Press release from Cambridge Consultants: Introducing the SCHOTT InJentle™ syringe - improved stability for sensitive drugs...

SCHOTT product announcement: New Innovative Staked Needle Syringe SCHOTT InJentle™ - Drug Friendly, Patient Friendly...

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Therapeutic Lung Flute Cleared as Cough Assistance Device

Coughing up sputum is a popular activity among patients living with lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic bronchitis. To effectively dislodge the gunk patients tend to put in a lot of energy and volume into their coughs, a process too difficult or uncomfortable for many already living with compromised lungs. The Lung Flute, which essentially plays deep bass music to the respiratory tree, has just received FDA clearance to be used as a therapeutic at-home sputum dislodging assistance device. All you do is blow into it and the Mylar reed inside vibrates with a frequency that supposedly induces resonance of the sputum, shaking it apart and making it easier to cough it all up. Medical Acoustics, the Buffalo, New York company that developed the Lung Flute, is ready for sales and is making the device available early next month.

The application follows the successful completion of a clinical trial at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) and the Western New York VA Medical Center during 2009. The clinical trial, led by principal investigator, Sanjay Sethi MD, was designed to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the Therapeutic Lung Flute®. The trial was completed successfully with the Lung Flute® meeting all primary and secondary endpoints among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with chronic bronchitis. This simple, hand-held, reusable therapeutic device supplements the patient’s natural mucus clearing system by introducing low frequency sound waves into the lungs.

Product page: Lung Flute...

Press release: Medical Acoustics Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance of Therapeutic Lung Flute...

Flashbacks: Lung Flute Helps to Get The Sputum Out; The Lung Flute Cleared by FDA for Sputum Induction

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Corventis Gets US OK for Wireless Cardiac Arrhythmia Monitoring System

Corventis out of San Jose, CA won FDA 510(k) approval to market the NUVANT Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) System. The company's wireless technology revolves around the chest worn PiiX electrocardiograph, a high precision single lead ECG, which sends readings to a mobile phone based device for further transmission of the data to a hosted application for clinician's access.

The NUVANT Mobile Cardiac Telemetry System is the second product launched from the Corventis portfolio of wireless cardiovascular solutions. Designed with a specific focus on ambulatory arrhythmia monitoring, the NUVANT MCT System leverages the low profile form factor, advanced algorithms and multi-sensor capabilities of the PiiX wearable platform to enable continuous monitoring for a broad set of arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, as well as patient falls that may be associated with arrhythmias. Patients can also trigger the collection of an electrocardiogram (ECG), on-demand, upon experiencing symptoms, further aiding in the correlation of symptoms with the ECG.

All ECGs are promptly transmitted to the Corventis Monitoring Center via the wireless-enabled zLink, for review and response by trained cardiographic technicians. Physicians receive prompt notification of urgent events as well as actionable information in the form of Episode Reports, Daily Reports and End of Use Reports via fax, email and/or the secure www.corventis.com website. Using this information, a physician can diagnose symptomatic and asymptomatic cardiac arrhythmias and proactively manage patients remotely from anywhere across the globe.

Press release: CORVENTIS ANNOUNCES FDA CLEARANCE AND US LAUNCH OF THE NUVANT™ MOBILE CARDIAC TELEMETRY SYSTEM...

Product page: NUVANT™ Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) System

Flashbacks: Piix Wireless Home Cardiac Monitoring to Undergo Randomized Trial; PiiX Monitors for Signs of Decompensated Heart Failure

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SUMAVEL DosePro Migraine Treatment Injection System Going on Sale in US

Having received FDA approval last July, Zogenix out of San Diego, California is bringing to market its SUMAVEL DosePro sumatriptan delivery system for the treatment of oncoming migraines and cluster headaches. The needle-free device delivers the drug subcutaneously, bringing both speed and efficacy when oral pills are a poor option.

From the press release:

SUMAVEL DosePro delivers subcutaneous sumatriptan, a treatment that provides migraine relief starting within 10 minutes for some patients*, in a first-of-its-kind needle-free delivery system. SUMAVEL DosePro is expected to be available at most retail pharmacy outlets this month.
SUMAVEL DosePro offers other practical benefits. Approximately 30 percent of patients report vomiting as a symptom of migraine attacks, and the vast majority of attacks are also accompanied by nausea. During these episodes, oral therapies may be an impractical treatment option. Further, while most forms of triptans can be effective when taken early in a migraine attack, patients who experience rapid onset of migraines, or those that occur upon waking may not always achieve the fast relief they would like from tablet and nasal forms. Quickly absorbed subcutaneous sumatriptan may offer an alternative for these patients, although until now, it was only available in a needle-based system. New SUMAVEL DosePro delivers sumatriptan subcutaneously (under the skin) without a needle, which can offer fast relief in a patient-friendly delivery system.

*In two well-controlled clinical trials (N=1104) with patients experiencing moderate or severe pain and one or more migraine symptoms, the efficacy of subcutaneous sumatriptan versus placebo was evaluated. In these clinical trials, 16 percent of patients achieved relief within 10 minutes versus 4 percent for placebo; 70 percent of patients achieved relief at one hour versus 22 percent for placebo (P<.001); and 82 percent of patients achieved relief at two hours versus 39 percent for placebo (P<.05)

Product page: SUMAVEL DosePro...

Press release: SUMAVEL DosePro Available in the United States to Treat Acute Migraine and Cluster Headaches...

Flashback: Migraines Be Gone: Sumatriptan Needle Free DosePro Injector Gets OK In US

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Wireless Sensor Detects pH, Glucose Levels in Exhaled Breath Within Seconds

University of Florida scientists have been working on a sensor that can assess the pH level and glucose content of exhaled breath. The device uses tiny aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN)/gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistors to be able to perform detection at the low concentration levels of the breath. In its latest iteration, the sensor was coupled with a wireless system to create a remote monitoring device that, according to the researchers, can do its detecting within five seconds.

[Fan Ren, professor of chemical engineering] said the sensors work by mating different reactive substances with the semiconductor gallium nitride commonly used in amplifiers in cell phones, power grid transmission equipment and other applications.
If targeting cancer, the substance is an antibody that is sensitive to certain proteins identified as indicative of cancer. If the target is glucose, the reactive molecules are composed of zinc oxide nanorods that bind with glucose enzymes.

Once the reaction happens, “the charge on the semiconductor devices changes, and we can detect that change,” Ren said.

While the sensor is not as acutely sensitive as those that rely on nanotechnology, the manufacturing techniques are already widely available, Ren said. The cost is as little as 20 cents per chip, but goes up considerably when combined with applications to transmit the information wirelessly to computers or cell phones. The entire wireless-chip package might cost around $40, he said, although that cost could be cut in half with mass production.

University of Florida press release: Engineers: New sensor could help treat, combat diabetes, other diseases...

Abstract in IEEE Sensors Journal: Wireless Detection System for Glucose and pH Sensing in Exhaled Breath Condensate Using AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors

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Intuitive 3D Interface May Be Perfect for Clinical Use

Last month Apple received a patent for a new 3D interface for manipulating objects on computer screens. Houston Neal at the Medical Software Advice blog suggests the new technology should be particularly useful for working with clinical images. Essentially, the 3D technology uses a computer camera to look at the movement of hands or head of the user to transform objects on the screen. Here's a short demo of the basic functionality:

Because of the intuitive nature of this interface and that it does not require touching any physical controls, this may turn out to be popular with radiologists and physicians using intraoperative imaging modalities while scrubbed up.

Medical Software Advice: Apple 3D Head-Tracking for Doctors...

More from Patently Apple: Apple Preparing OS X for New High End 3D Interface...

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Wireless Wearable ECG, Vital Monitoring System Released in Japan

Nikkei's Tech-On! is reporting that WIN Human Recorder, a Japanese firm, has released a new body sensor and wireless reporting platform for continuous monitoring of patient vitals. The 7 gram HRS-I device seems to be a two lead electrocardiograph with a thermometer and an accelerometer as an activity sensor. All this is linked to a 2.4GHz wireless transmitter that communicates with a mobile phone or a computer, and it all can be continuously powered for three days by a watch battery. Unfortunately, Tech-On!'s report seems to be the only source of information about the device and no more details are available. We'll be on the lookout for anything else we can discover about the HRS-I.

Tech-On!: Wearable Health Monitoring Sensor Debuts in Japanese Market

(hat tip: mobihealthnews)

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

EasyLife PAP Mask from Respironics, a Review

Philips Respironics is releasing today the EasyLife, its new positive airway pressure (PAP) mask for use with the company's sleep systems. As with all CPAP masks, comfort is a critical component to achieving high compliance for patients, and the EasyLife is an attempt at improving that. Respironics sent us a demo copy of the mask to try out, and this editor is happy to report that this post is being written with the mask on.

Initial impressions are that the mask is very light and quite small. The straps actually look considerably bigger than the device itself. The clear plastic and the blue tinge give you as much style as you can hope for while wearing a CPAP mask. Putting on the mask is simple enough and the wide and soft straps have very nice micro Velcro fasteners the hooks of which you can barely feel. Overall the device is quite comfortable because of the softness of the cushions. There's a multilayer cushion around the nose that seals and supports the mask on the bottom of the face and a cushion for the forehead, and there are no adjustment options on the mask itself. The trick is that the cushions on the inside move autonomously to adjust to your face, and they seem to do it pretty well. We actually spent a minute making faces to see how the mask responds, and it does a good job staying put and keeping a good seal.

This editor is not an obstructive sleep apnea patient, and has no personal experience wearing these masks overnight plugged into a functional machine, so take these words for what they're worth. But the softness of the plastic and the interesting design of the seals give the EasyLife a comfortable fit.

From the product page:

Thanks to the unique dual-cushion design and Auto Seal technology, fitting a wide variety of patients is a snap. The soft inner cushion readily adapts to facial contours to create an instant and self-adjusting seal, nearly eliminating the need for nose bridge and forehead pad adjustments. The outer cushion provides support, allowing the mask to rest lightly on the patient’s face, eliminating the need to over-tighten the headgear to achieve a suitable seal. The headgear features headgear stops for easier fitting and adjustment, which may result in a true first-time fit and fewer callbacks due to sealing issues.
In addition to providing a premium seal, this revolutionary mask design is comfortable, quiet, and light weight. And with a grand total of just four parts (mask frame, headgear, outer support cushion, and inner seal cushion), it couldn’t be simpler for patients to care for.

Product page: EasyLife...

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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Hemolung, a Respiratory Dialysis Device, to Start Clinical Trials

Ventilators, though staples of modern critical care, have serious drawbacks for both patient safety and comfort, and flexibility issues for clinicians. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that a considerably less intrusive system from a local company called ALung Technologies is about to begin clinical trials in India and Europe. The Hemolung is designed to perform respiratory gas exchange via a catheter inserted into the femoral or jugular vein. The process is essentially similar to traditional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, but thanks to new technology, the device is touted to be safer and easier on the patient.

Here's what an article in Pulmonary Reviews in Feb 2009 detailed about the system:

The Hemolung is a small, cylindrical, veno-venous extracorporeal CO₂ removal device, said Dr. Batchinsky, a research scientist at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. “It provides roughly 30% to 40% CO₂ removal at blood flows in the range of 400 to 500 mL/min,” which, in this ovine study, translated into a CO₂ removal of 66 mL/min. The Hemolung requires a prime volume of 300 mL and minimal heparinization.
The military is investigating the artificial lung with the goal of delivering new critical care technology to the battlefield, Dr. Batchinsky indicated. “The Hemolung may be beneficial during the transport of combat casualties with acute lung injury back from the front lines to the Continental US. It is a ‘set it and forget it’–type device that is easy to use and operate.” Additional potential applications include use as a bridge prior to lung transplantation and as an intermittent therapy for ARDS and COPD.

ALung's expectations of benefits for patients:

Elimination of sedation allows the patient to stay alert, eat and communicate.

Elimination of ventilator associated pneumonia eliminates dangerous complications, and should reduce cost of care and length of stay in the ICU.

Avoidance of intubation allows the patient to eat, speak and prevents tracheal injury and sinus infection.

Reduction in weaning failure should reduce length of stay in the ICU and potential mortality.

Reduction in tracheostomies will reduce an invasive surgical procedure to the larynx.

Reduced lung injury may reduce the incidence of death.

More at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette...

More from Pulmonary Reviews: Respiratory Dialysis Device Safely Removed CO2 in Ovine Study...

Product page: Hemolung...

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BiPAP System from Respironics Tackles Complicated Breathing Cycles

Philips Respironics has released a new positive airway pressure (PAP) device for patients with Complex Sleep Apnea and Cheyne-Stokes respiration, a condition in which patients experience episodes of apnea and episodes of tachypnea with a crescendo-decrescendo pattern, usually due to CNS damage of sleep centers. The BiPAP autoSV Advanced continually monitors breathing resistance to the pumped air volume, and adjusts the applied pressure for every breath taken.

From a Respironics press release:

A major advancement in BiPAP autoSV Advanced is an auto adjusting EPAP, utilizing at its core the clinically proven REMstar Auto titration algorithm. With this addition, BiPAP autoSV Advanced enhances treatment by automatically distinguishing between obstructed and clear airway apneas and adapting pressure to patients’ needs as their conditions change due to weight, alcohol use, or lifestyle. The automatic adjustment of EPAP simplifies titration and achieves efficacy at the minimum pressure levels. In addition, BiPAP autoSV Advanced adds the proven Bi-Flex technology which assures patient comfort by providing pressure relief during exhalation and at critical transition points.
Respironics advanced technologies, such as Digital Auto-Trak, match flow to the patient’s own breathing. The clinically proven SV algorithm monitors peak flow and can rapidly normalize breathing patterns of patients with complex sleep apnea conditions with breath-to-breath adjustments of pressure support. In the presence of central apneas, when care must be taken not to over- or under-ventilate a patient, the delivery of automatically calculated back-up breaths encourages spontaneous breathing at the patient’s own natural rate.

Product page: BiPAP autoSV Advanced...

Press release after the jump:

Friday, December 18, 2009

Bayer's New Blood Glucose Meter With USB Connectivity

Bayer has recently released the CONTOUR USB blood glucose meter that plugs directly into a Windows or Mac computer for uploading of readings for later analysis and for sharing them with your doctor. The device shows readings on the screen and you can mark whether they were taken before or after a meal. Conveniently, there's also about 500 megabytes of empty storage space on the unit, so it can be used as a traditional USB thumbdrive as well.

A bright color display screen visible in any light that shows average, high and low readings with

Customizable features such as intuitive pre- and post-meal marking

500MB extra memory for storage of personal diabetes information

Rechargeable battery that can charge from any USB port or via the CONTOUR USB wall charger provided

Glucofacts™ DELUXE diabetes management software

Here's Grandfather Walter Mossberg's review of the CONTOUR USB at the Wall Street Journal:

Friday, December 11, 2009

Separating Blood Cells with Magnetic Nanoparticles

Yale researchers are using magnetic nanoparticles and an external B field to create waves in a liquid full of cells of various shapes and sizes. By regulating this process, the technology is able to sort the cells by their basic characteristics.

The Technology Review Blog explains:

In experiments described this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Yale researchers made microfluidic channels lined with magnetic-field-generating electrodes. Cells were then added to a ferrofluid in the channel. When magnetic fields were applied along the device, the particles in the fluid pushed the cells along the channel, separating them by size and shape. Something similar can be accomplished using electrical fields, says Koser, but this can damage the cells. His group used the device to separate live blood cells from sickle cells and bacteria.

Koser believes the device could be especially helpful when trying to detect very rare types of blood cell, such as cancerous ones. Rapidly sorting cells using magnetic fields could improve the sensitivity of tests for these rare cells without adding any costly chemical labels. Tumor cells are squishier than healthy ones--possibly because they grow quickly and so don't form a proper internal cell skeleton--and Koser hopes that magnetic fields will also be able to separate cells based on their elasticity and other mechanical properties.

More from Technology Review Blog: Magnetic Liquid Separates Blood Cells

Abstract in PNAS: Label-free cellular manipulation and sorting via biocompatible ferrofluids

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

BreathQuant Moves Closer to CT-Free Diagnosis of PE

Dr. Jeffrey Kline, research director at Carolinas, has long been known in Emergency Medicine circles for his groundbreaking research in diagnosing pulmonary embolism. Throughout this decade, however, he's also been advancing his medical device company, BreathQuant Medical Systems (and, judging by the picture, he's also been hitting the gym).

There's a new profile of Dr. Kline and his company in the Charlotte Business Journal. The reporter is a little off on her facts (there are plenty of devices that measure CO2 and O2 simultaneously, we've covered some) but, nonetheless, she does well to detail the progress of the company:

The device, known as BreathScreen PE, is the first to measure levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen simultaneously. Kline says such measurement will enable doctors to better diagnose a pulmonary embolism, which develops when a blood clot blocks an artery leading to the lungs...
He co-founded device-development business BreathQuant Medical Systems in 2001 with the goal turning the BreathScreen into a viable product.

"I just thought it was the longest of long shots," Kline says.

He now hopes to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the BreathScreen within a year and to start selling the device to emergency departments within two years....

Initial results show the BreathScreen can reduce the need for CT scans by about 10%, Kline says. The device detects blood clots by measuring a decrease in carbon dioxide levels and increased oxygen levels in exhaled breath, he adds.

He estimates the medical device -- a little larger than a handheld video camera -- will cost between $5,000 and $10,000. It will contain a reusable insert costing roughly $25.

More on the physiology behind the BreathScreen device, from Dr. Kline's Carolinas faculty page:

I have investigated the role of using the alveolar deadspace (estimated using capnometry and arterial PaCO2) plus a whole-blood D-dimer to screen for PE. At Carolinas Medical Center (CMC), we use a combination of a decision rule that I derived and the deadspace/D-dimer in what we term the "PE rule out" procedure. We use this procedure approximately three times each day in the ED as part of real practice. To advance my ideas, together with my business partner, Mr. Michael Sinsheimer, I co-founded BreathQuant Medical Systems, a company dedicated to noninvasive diagnosis (see www.breathquant.com). Our company has patented and tested a breath-based device and signal processing algorithm that uses expired CO2 and O2 to estimate alveolar deadspace from PE (US patent issued).

We should note that even a 10% of reduction in CT scans would save a lot of time in the ED and a lot of radiation for the patient. We'll be following this device's progress with great interest.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Welch Allyn's Latest Offerings for a Smaller, More Efficient World

Welch Allyn has recently unveiled its new CP 50 Resting Electrocardiograph and the single LED powered Green Series 300 General Exam Light. The CP 50 is a full featured ECG that is small and portable, and is able to interact with Welch Allyn CardioPerfect Workstation Software for patient data entry into EHR's.

The GS 300 light is part of a wider offering of Welch Allyn's new low energy medical lights that are efficient, cool, and require little maintenance.

Some features of the CP50:

Reliable color touchscreen display

On-screen instructions that guide you through a test

Programmable reports: Prints reports in the format that works best for you

Optional MEANS interpretation

External printer integration

Optional mobile stand and carrying case

Flexible connectivity options: EHR, HIS, email, web, telemedicine

Connects to the CardioPerfect Workstation

Published features of the GS300:

Perfect combination of intense light output and cool operation in a compact design.

Affordable price and rugged performance

Touchless On/Off

Multiple mounting options for floor space maximization

Low cost of ownership due to elimination of bulb replacement and lower energy consumption

Easy Assembly

Press release: Welch Allyn Showcases Latest in Electronic Connectivity Technology at Medica 2009...

Product pages: CP 50(TM) Resting Electrocardiograph; Green Series™ 300 General Exam Light

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Monday, November 30, 2009

GlucoTrack Ear Lobe Non Invasive Glucometer

Amy Tenderich of DiabetesMine recently met a representative of Integrity Applications, an Ashkelon, Israel firm that has developed the GlucoTrack non-invasive blood glucose monitor. The device, which we profiled about four years ago when it was still in prototype stage, uses ultrasound, conductivity and heat capacity in an ear clip sensor to take glucose readings in a matter of seconds. Integrity recently received European approval for the GlucoTrack and is now waiting for FDA's blessings to market in the US.

From DiabetesMine:

But even on the existing non-continuous model, the key question of course is how accurate is it? That’s the deal-breaker, because who’s going to switch to something less accurate than what we already have? The bottom line is that right now, Integrity’s data show that GlucoTrack is more accurate than other non-invasive technologies, but not as consistently accurate as current fingerstick meters.

“We’re working to improve that. Our technology uses three different measurements simultaneously, and then correlates and averages the results for more precise readings,” Avner tells me.

“Fine,” I reply, “But the big advantage of a device like this is doing away with the need for test strips. That only works if you’re accurate enough so people (who take insulin!) don’t need to do fingersticks alongside the ear measurements.”

Naturally they’re feverishly gathering data. Even with improved numbers, they cannot predict whether the FDA would move GlucoTrack out of the “adjunctive therapy” category (a device to be used for extra information only).

Read on at DiabetesMine...

Product page: GlucoTrack...

Flashback: The GlucoTrack

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

DiabCareOnline Digital Pen Helps Track Glucose Levels in Diabetic Patients

Keeping track of blood glucose levels over time without a computer can be a challenge for your diabetic patients. Furthermore, most clinicians would rather not get a paper stack of scribbles to sift through to understand the glucose trends. On the other hand, many, especially the elderly, are hesitant to learn to use software which they find complicated and confusing. To overcome the problem comes our favorite new solution for bridging paper with electronic databases.

The DiabCareOnline from German company Ontaris uses technology, seen by us at TEDMED in Shareable Ink, to wirelessly transfer written text from paper to a remote database with the help of a smart, camera equipped pen. Currently being rolled out at Bethesda Hospital in Stuttgart, diabetic patients with the device simply fill out paper forms and clinicians have the numbers autopopulated in a computer application for review.

Here's our video from TEDMED of Dr Vernon Huang demonstrating Shareable Ink, a very similar system designed for anesthesiologists to enter case numbers:

Link: DiabCareOnline

Flashback: Shareable Ink Turns Paper Forms Into Digital Entry System

(hat tip: MTB Europe)

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Monday, November 23, 2009

IR Micro-Endoscope to See Underneath Epithelium

University of Florida Researcher Huikai Xie is working on an endoscopic imaging technique using a tiny infrared scanning technology that, when placed near the surface of a tissue, moves rapidly back and forth to not only provide high resolution images of epithelial tissue, but also peer immediately underneath it.

Xie and his team have already published forty papers on the research and recently founded WiOptix, Inc. to try and commercialize the technology. His vision is not only to augment and/or supplement a traditional endoscope, but to merge the technology with cutting tools for surgical use, so that "when surgeons begin cutting, they know exactly what's in front of them."

From the University of Florida press release:

Xie's endoscopes replace the cameras with infrared scanners smaller than pencil erasers. The heart of his scanner is a microelectromechanical system, or MEMS, device: A tiny motorized MEMS mirror that pivots back and forth to reflect a highly focused infrared beam.
By itself, the beam only strikes a period-sized dot of tissue. But the MEMS mirror allows it to move methodically back and forth, scanning a fingernail-sized piece of tissue row by row, like a lawnmower moving across a yard. The resulting image is high resolution: Xie said his scanners have achieved resolution of 10 microns, or 10 millionths of a meter, in laboratory tests. That's more than 10 times higher resolution than the only other non-camera-based endoscopes on the market, which use ultrasound technology, he said. The high-resolution image also includes depth information, so the risky biopsy can be more specific to avoid randomness, or even completely avoided.

Computers process the return signal from the endoscopes, transforming it into a three-dimensional image of the surface tissue and the tissue beneath. One scanner even produces a 360-degree-image of all the tissue surrounding the endoscope. Doctors or other trained observers can then search the image for abnormalities or suspicious growth patterns.

Press release: Engineer designs micro-endoscope to seek out early signs of cancer...

WiOptix technology page...

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

My Lab One Portable Ultrasound from Esaote Makes Debut

At the ongoing Medica 2009 in Düsseldorf, Esaote out of Genoa, Italy is releasing a new portable ultrasound system that features a 12 inch touch screen for manipulating settings without having to use buttons. The My Lab One can be worn on a shoulder strap and is designed for mobile applications such as ambulatory anesthesia, EMT, military and sports medicine.