Friday, July 18, 2008
CombiCarrier II Wins Silver for Good Design
The CombiCarrier II is a new version of Hartwell Medical's innovative emergency stretcher, and a Silver winner of the 2008 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in the Medical & Scientific category. (IDEA 2008 awards were announced today.) The device is designed to minimize spinal movement of patients after a potential back or neck injury by sliding the two sections of the stretcher under the person without rolling or shifting. Additionally, being made of plastic, the stretcher allows for X-rays to pass right through, allowing hospital staff to take the patient directly to radiology.
Some of the features from the CombiCarrier product page:
Approved as a full backboard and orthopedic stretcher
Patient can be rotated and slid out onto the CombiCarrier during auto extrication situations. Works like a traditional backboard.Separates in Half for Application
Can be separated at either end. Eliminates unnecessary movement making it ideal for patients with suspected hip and pelvic injuries.Continuous Head Support Surface
Improves neutral alignment and minimizes head movement during application and removal. Accommodates most durable and disposable head immobilizers, i.e., #445, HeadHugger™ and HeadBed II™.Auto-Lock Latch System
Recessed side latch is positioned away from patient. Locks instantly during application, manual release required during removal from patient.Seamless Plastic Construction
No rivets, drive screws or roll pins. High density polyethylene is easily cleaned and disinfected. Helps comply with OSHA regulations. Foam filling makes it ideal for water rescue situations.X-ray Compatible
Clear center section provides unobstructed A/P view of patient's spine. Split-design allows for simple, easy removal and reapplication for detailed X-ray examination if necessary.
Product page: CombiCarrier...
More from Morphix Design...
2008 IDEA award details for CombiCarrier II...
(0)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
In the Works: Tablets With Innovative Handwriting Recognition for EMS
Ritescript, maker of the ritePen® 3.0 handwriting recognition software out Sunnyvale, California, and ESO Solutions, a developer of EMR portable computer systems out of Austin, Texas, have agreed to team up on fully pen-based tablets for paramedics and firefighters.
A bit from the companies:
ESO Solutions provides medic-friendly, cost-effective electronic patient care reporting (ePCR) software and billing services for EMS and Fire organizations nationwide. The ESO Pro ePCR Suite is an intuitive, NEMSIS Gold application that helps emergency medical responders capture necessary patient data during emergency visits via pen-based notebook computers. The application also includes a robust quality management module, extensive ad hoc reporting functionality, interface capabilities, validation and tracking tools, and more.Using ESO Pro Mobile on rugged pen-based notebooks in the field allows emergency responders to quickly capture patient vitals, medications, cardiac arrest treatments, electronic signatures, and other critical call data. ritePen 3.0 further enhances their ability to perform mission critical work, delivering easy text entry and medical terminology recognition as well as workflow control via handwritten shortcuts.
Check out this video overview of the handwritten character recognition capabilities and features of ritePen:
Press release: ESO Solutions Chooses ritePen for ESO PRO™ ePCR Suite...
ritePen 3.0 software overview...
More at emrupdate.com...
(0)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Noninvasive Continuous Glucometer for the Battlefield
At Georgetown University scientists have been working on a DARPA sponsored project to develop a miniature glucose monitoring device that is essentially non-invasive and can be worn on the body for continuous testing. There is no question that if developed, this technology would be quite useful at the home front as well.
The biosensor device works to painlessly remove this outer-dermis, or dead-skin layer, by using a “micro-hotplate” (or micro-heater), which measures about 50 microns square and is carefully controlled to apply a small amount of power. (To imagine how small this area is, note that the period at the end of this sentence is about 10 times larger than the hotplate). For 30 milliseconds (that’s 30 one-thousandths of a second) the “hotplate” is turned on to a temperature of 130 C. Sounds hot, but in such a small spot, and for such a short time, a person cannot even detect the heat, or feel any pain, as it is applied to the outer layers of skin.This hotplate causes a tiny micro-pore to form through which a little bubble of fluid passively emerges. The bio-sensor then reads the glucose levels in the sample fluid through tiny electrodes coated with a substance that reacts specifically to the glucose.
The bio-sensor project initially began through funding from the military, with the intention of developing a miniature device to remotely monitor the health status of soldiers in a battlefield. This tiny prototype chip, which acts as a patch on the skin and is called the B-FIT (Bio-Flips Integrable Transdermal MicroSystem), can obtain samples of fluid from under the skin one time every hour for a 24-hour period.
To support the design and development of the device, Currie and Paranjape received a Department of Defense contract for $3 million over 3 years from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).
Full story at Georgetown: Monitoring Diabetes Without Pain and Blood: Biosensors Offer New Alternatives ...
(0)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
DARPA Wants Silly Putty for Serious Situations
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is soliciting proposals to develop a "fracture putty" material that would be used for quickly repairing broken bones while providing cast-like support for the fracture.
From DARPA:
DARPA wants to develop a dynamic, putty-like material which, when packed in/around a compound bone fracture, provides full load-bearing capabilities within days, creates an osteoconductive bone-like internal structure, and degrades over time to harmless resorbable by-products as normal bone regenerates. The agency believes that a successful "Fracture Putty" could rapidly restore a patient to ambulatory function while normal healing ensues, with dramatically reduced rehabilitation time and the elimination of infection and secondary fractures.Potential solutions for Fracture Putty could involve novel bioresorbable adhesives that bond preferentially to bone rather than to soft tissues, that have bone-like mechanical properties, and work in the wet biological environment; load-bearing biomaterials with high mechanical strength and high porosity that match the mechanical properties of bone; biomaterials that create hierarchical bone-like internal structure; and biomaterials that adapt to biochemical cues. Mathematical models for dynamically remodeling systems with complex stimuli will also be necessary to achieve Fracture Putty's development.
Press release: DARPA SOLICITS PROPOSALS TO DEVELOP "FRACTURE PUTTY" (PDF)
(0)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Israel Developing Unpiloted Med-Evacuation Aerial Vehicles
The Aerospace Medicine Research Center at the Fisher Institute For Air & Space Strategic Studies in Israel has a program to develop unpiloted med-evacuation aerial vehicles, aka "MedUAV's", with landing-to-evacuation time as short as 45 seconds, according to Gizmodo.
From the project page:
MedUAV is a Hybrid medical re-supply & casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) vertical take off and landing (VTOL) unpiloted aerial vehicle (UAV) for civilian or military urban or sea scenarios and as a recovery capability for incapacitated, wounded or killed personnel suspected of having been exposed to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) hazards. MedUAV is equipped with an electrical motor capable of providing hover lift at zero airspeed, cruise to speeds of up to 150 knots and a cruise ceiling of about 10,000 feet with a useful payload for 4 patient with full gear for endurance of 3 hours. The unmanned platform will also carry a passive and active self-protection system...The MedUAV, technology will enable to resupply medical logistic to combat medics and facilitate them to provide the best treatment, stabilization and subsequent evacuation of combat casualties from hostile situations onboard the MedUAV autonomously. The research formulated a concept of design, to enable later in order to demonstrate the feasibility of producing enabling technologies for the MedUAV. These include a proficient system for navigating through urban or wooded terrain to a site of combat injury, to select a safe and suitable site for autonomous landing and take-off with communication capability with the human medical team, and minimal operating and guidance from combat troops. This will enhance the potential for appropriate first responder care and evacuation, performed by combat medics, during the so called “Golden Hour” of combat casualty care, utilizing the benefits and new abilities onboard the MedUAV.
The MedUAV research and development lead to primary two streams of technologies approaches for the flying vehicle design: The first one is a Medical Rotary UAV option – to convert a current operational military MedEvac Helicopter, tested and registered it for dual use. It will maintain the ability for fly by wire with flight crew on board and on the same vehicle an option to fly safely autonomously as a VTOL UAV leaded by the IAI (www.iai.co.il). The second technology option is to design an innovated aerial vehicle concept for a Med VTOL UAV. The proposed design is a turbine powered VTOL vehicle, based on two ducted lift fans, contained inside the vehicle's fuselage leaded by Urban Aeronautics (www.urbanaero.com).
Project page: Med-Evacuation Aerial Vehicle MedUAV...
(1)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Pentagon Wants to Develop Device to Gauge Brain Trauma in the Field
The Department of Defense is investing heavily into building a mobile hand held device that can identify signs of brain damage in a person following a roadside bomb or any other injury causing trauma to the head.
From the Wall Street Journal Health Blog:
The Pentagon’s answer: A gizmo that could evaluate a soldier in seconds. And the Defense Department is giving the Brain Trauma Foundation $4.6 million over four years to come up with a device that can do just that–and is rugged enough to function in Iraq. It’s part of $300 million Congress set aside for research into traumatic brain injury and psychological health.The battlefield-ready version isn’t finished. When it is, it’ll probably include goggles or a visor attached to a PDA. But at its heart will be a tiny, high-resolution camera and software to measure how well the soldier can track a red dot traveling in a small circle. How consistently the eye tracks the dot– both initially, and then while the patient concentrates on a simple task, like remembering five words – indicates how much damage was done, said Jamshid Ghajar, the foundation’s president and a clinical neurosurgeon at Weill Cornell Medical College.
More at the WSJ Health Blog...
(2)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Reinventing Air Clinics
The US military is looking into modifying a fleet of their transport planes to install systems that would allow any of the planes to be rapidly converted into a transport hospital.
From Defense Industry Daily
For several decades, the USA had a fleet of dedicated aircraft, the last being its DC-9 derived C-9A “Florence Nightningale” fleet. In its place is a new approach devised by USAF Lt. Gen. Paul K. Carlton Jr., the Air Force surgeon general until 2002. The idea is that every USAF Air Mobility Command aircraft can become an aeromedical aircraft, as newly arrived aircraft on the tarmac are loaded with about 800 pounds of gear and supplies per patient and diverted to hospitals like Landstuhl in Germany. Instead of waiting for days to stabilize a patient, outbound flights are sometimes coordinated while a patient is still in surgery. The result? Lower average cargo volume and weight statistics for US transport aircraft missions, and a 90% survival rate for troops injured in current operations. In Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the rate was about 75%...
What if the lighter systems used for helicopters could be adapted for larger fixed-wing aircraft, and used to create a portable litter system that needed no cargo equipment support, and could be kept with aeromedical evacuation crews?AMB (Air Mobility Command) teamed with Lifeport, Inc. to demonstrate the concept using the company’s stacking litter system (SLS) which weighs less than 150 pounds. The initiative’s initial approval date was April 2007, and the concept demonstration was completed in June 2007 on a KC-135 Stratotanker. The team demonstrated compatibility with the NATO mesh litter, a litter backrest, and the special medical emergency evacuation device. The SLS encountered some minor compatibility issues due to its helicopter origins, but none were show-stoppers and the system could be loaded by 2 people without equipment, and installed in the plane in under 20 minutes.
More from Defense Industry Daily...
(0)
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
(1)
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.
(0)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Using Mirrors to Treat Phantom Limb Pain
Returning Iraq veteran amputees using an odd neural pathway to trick the brain to treat phantom limb pain...
Dr. Jack Tsao, a Navy neurologist with the Uniform Services University, was looking for ways to help soldiers like Paupore. He remembered reading in graduate school a paper by Dr. V.S. Ramachandran that talked about an unusual treatment for amputees suffering "phantom limb pain," using a simple $20 mirror.The mirror tricks the brain into "seeing" the amputated leg, overriding mismatched nerve signals.
Here's how it works: The patient sits on a flat surface with his or her remaining leg straight out and then puts a 6-foot mirror lengthwise facing the limb. The patient moves the leg, flexing it, and watches the movement in the mirror. The reflection creates the illusion of two legs moving together.
They say necessity is the mother of invention. While improvements in armor technology have kept more soldiers alive than ever before, many of those saved are coming home as amputees. We've explicitly asked the question before, and the number of posts we've done on the subject serves as evidence: for better or worse, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are driving major advancements in medical research and technology.
More from CNN...
Photo Credit: michiyoemi
(2)
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...
(1)
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 ...
(0)
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!!!
(0)
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 ...
(0)
Friday, February 8, 2008
GelSpray Liquid Bandage Developed for Military
Working with the Center for Military Biomaterials Research (CeMBR), part of the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials at Rutgers University, lead researcher Dr. Dennis Goupil of BioCure Inc., out of Norcross GA, has developed a remarkable "spray on dressing" that has recently received FDA approval.
The GelSpray Liquid Bandage is a major advance in the management and care of combat casualty and civilian wounds. Much like epoxy is dispensed in household kits, the dressing is applied with a dual syringe that releases two polymer ingredients. These polymers react rapidly upon mixing to form a gel-based dressing that frontline combat soldiers can apply to their own wounds. The dressing conforms to the wound geometry, adheres to intact skin but not directly to the injured tissue, and resists abrasion.While created for the military, the GelSpray technology has potential uses in civilian health care. Future versions of the liquid bandage may be suitable for use by civilian rescue teams to treat traumatic wounds and burns, as well as in the treatment of diabetic ulcers, ostomies and post-op wounds. Future products based on the GelSpray technology platform will include active ingredients to treat infection and pain, and control severe bleeding.
Rutgers’ Center for Military Biomaterials Research was created to link academia, industry and the military to fulfill urgent military medical care needs. Its mission is to familiarize the biomedical research community with the unique needs of combat casualty care and to foster the development of innovative medical technologies to treat injured soldiers. The center is supported with funding from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) and its Telemedicine and Advanced Technologies Research Center at Fort Detrick, Md.
“In this case, it was the mission of our center to collaborate with industry to conduct research that resulted in a new product,” said Joachim Kohn, the principal investigator at CeMBR and Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry at Rutgers.
In the collaboration with BioCure, the Rutgers center supported the research part of the product development effort with funding from the USAMRMC. Kohn explained that the close collaboration among BioCure, the U.S. Army and Rutgers moved the project rapidly from concept to FDA market clearance. “The process took about three and a half years – a truly remarkable achievement,” Kohn added.
Press release: Rutgers Center Sparks 'Liquid Bandage,' A New Frontline Wound Treatment
Research info page of the Center for Military Biomaterials Research...
(0)
Monday, February 4, 2008
Vicor and US Army Team on New Cardiac Monitor
Based on a patented, proprietary algorithm, PD2i Cardiac Analyzer from Vicor Technologies, Inc. (Boca Raton, FL) is promoted by the company as a device that can stratify patients' risk to die from Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) within a six month time frame. Moreover, the company believes that its device, which collects all the data within a twenty minute test, that can be administered in a cardiologist's office, is "superior to all other devices in predicting SCD, with greater than 95% sensitivity and 81% specificity."
PD2 is already undergoing a large-scale clinical trial, called VITAL, to evaluate its ability to predict the risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmic events. Now the US Army is jumping on the wagon to see if the device is useful for combat triage:
President and CEO, David H. Fater said, "We are very excited about the opportunity to cooperate with the U.S. Army on the Prediction of Injury Severity and Outcome in the Critically Ill Using the Point Correlation Dimension Algorithm. The USAISR is exploring ways to assess the severity of injury, and probability of survival, of critically injured combat casualties and critically ill civilian patients. The intention is for the medical personnel at USAISR, in conjunction with our personnel, to test Vicor's PD2i algorithm in several diverse cohorts of animal data as well as in human trauma, ICU patients and combat casualties. It is our mutual expectation that deterioration in status due to trauma and/or hemorrhage will lead to dimensional reductions reflected by the PD2i."Mr. Fater added, "This collaborative effort is envisioned to lead to development of new comprehensive decision support tools and/or devices that may incorporate the PDI2 algorithm alone or in association with other metrics currently under investigation at USAISR with the aim to monitor, assess status and predict outcome in critically injured humans."
Product page: PD2i Cardiac Analyzer ...
Press release: Vicor Technologies Announces Collaboration Agreement With The U. S. Army For Use Of PD2i Cardiac Analyzer
US Patent: PD2i electrophysiological analyzer
Clinical trial information: The Ability Of The PD2i Cardiac Analyzer To Predict Risk Of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmic Events (VITAL)
(0)
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 ...
(0)
Monday, January 7, 2008
Monitoring Traumatic Brain Injuries in GI Joes
Uncle Sam wants You! ...to wear a helmet so he can measure and record the blows you take to the old noggin. This appears similar to the technology now embedded in new football helmets from Riddell that we wrote about two weeks ago.
The device, which will be checked every 30 days, can record 527 events ranging from being dropped on the ground to being blasted by a bomb. The sensor weighs 6 ounces, runs on a battery that can last six months and fits on the back of the helmet.To better measure the causes and effects of traumatic brain injury, the Army wants to establish data on what happens to a soldier's head during an IED blast. The sensor will measure the violent pulse of air after an explosion. Energy from this wave, known as overpressure, courses through the body, damaging brain cells and other organs.
The helmet device also will measure acceleration, the jolt soldiers receive from the explosion. It is one of the primary causes of death from an IED because it can snap the neck. The data will be downloaded to establish a database on the effects of blasts. The information will be studied by medical researchers and used to develop safer helmets.
Video from the Army showing off the device...
More at Wired...
(1)
Thursday, December 6, 2007
In the Works: Light-guided Transluminal Catheter
From the MIT Technology Review we learned of Dr. Farhad Imam, a neonatal intensivist at the Children's Hospital Boston, who designed and is in the process of patenting a light-guided central venous catheter for direct visualization of placement. Dr. Imam is trying to commercialize this device:
Farhad Imam... says that his transilluminating catheter could be useful in outpatient, wilderness, and military settings, where there isn't the luxury of using fluoroscopy or ultrasound to track the device's movement...Imam designed his catheter with babies in mind, knowing that it would be relatively easy for light to shine through their thin skin. However, he thinks that it will also work in adults.
Imam has tested the catheter in rabbits and patented it, and he's now gearing up for human trials, which he expects to begin in 2009. He's working with a catheter manufacturer and an optics company to produce a variety of prototypes.
"The reason why we're so excited about this technology is, it's simple, it's intuitive in the sense that you can see it with your own eyes, and you don't need an extra pair of hands to hold something," Imam says.
Read: A Glowing Catheter ...
United States Patent 20070073160 ...
(2)
» Point-of-Care Devic