Medgadget

My Lab One Portable Ultrasound from Esaote Makes Debut

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:46:33 -0800

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.

From the press release:

The automatic rotation of the image according to the position of the system, an ergonomic probe equipped with controls, a long life battery, all add up to making this ultrasound an extraordinary innovation in the medical system arena.
MyLab One is a “dedicated” ultrasound, which reflects perfectly today’s need for diagnostic capabilities in many different fields of application: from Radiology to Cardiology, from to Orthopaedics, Anaesthesia, Sports Medicine, etc… or in first-aid, emergency, vascular screening as well as in general practices.

Press release: Esaote presents “My Lab One” Innovative “wearable” ultrasound scanner ARM HELD

Product page: Esaote ultrasound...

Philips Releases New BiliChek Transcutaneous Bilirubin Measurement System

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:33:58 -0800

Philips Respironics has announced the release of a new model of the BiliChek bilirubin measurement system that can noninvasively detect and quantify jaundice in newborns. Marketed under the Philips Children's Medical Ventures brand, the device uses light to measure total serum bilirubin levels in skin though a special touching tip sensor.

Features of the new BiliChek:

Ergonomic design, slimmer and lighter, improves dexterity for easier measurements

LCD color screen is perfect for operating in the low-light levels of a nursery

Easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions, graphics and a faster measurement system increase proficiency and productivity

Numeric key pad allows user to enter or attach patient or nurse information to the patient's bilirubin measurement

On-board help system walks user through the measurement process and provides access to the online help menu

New BiliChek provides an option to interface with hospital charting or laboratory information systems

Barcode scanner allows for accurate entry and verification of nurse and patient identification information

New, less touch-sensitive tip allows for easier readings with reduced error

Integral, long-lasting, rechargeable lithium battery

Press release: Philips Introduces New BiliChek to Assess Risk for Leading Cause of Jaundice in Newborns ...

Product page: BiliChek ...

iStetho Adapter and iStethoscope Pro Make a Great Combo for iPhone

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:05:18 -0800

Dr. Blaine Warkentine MD, a partner at a startup firm RidRx, is telling us that the firm is now selling directly to consumers its patent pending iStetho Adapter that can convert an iPhone/iPod touch and an old stethoscope into an electronic one. Also, the adapter is designed to work in tandem with the powerful iStethoscope Pro software that does many tricks with auscultation sounds, such as displaying sound spectrograms, replaying and emailing recordings, etc.

More about the adapter:

Convert with a scissors your old stethoscope into a digital one that you can use to store audio files of patients and email if needed. Our application amplifies the signal and eliminates audio outside of what is important for diagnosis. Our adapter simply offers a quick release sound proof channel for analog audio to be converted by your mobile devices microphone. Simple and sweet.

Video demonstration of iStethoscope Pro software:

(A disclaimer from Medgadget: US FDA and other regulatory agencies are far behind the times that we live in, so they have no current policies to deal with the proliferation of mobile computing devices and their potential uses in medicine. Hence, none of the iPhone applications and attachments are classified as medical devices, so they are sold for non medical uses only.)

Product page: iStetho Adapter... ($29.99)

More about iStethoscope Pro...

New Intel Device Helps Overcome Problems With Reading, Learning

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:03 -0800

Intel has released a new gadget for people with vision problems, autism, dyslexia, and other conditions that can make reading difficult. With the Intel Reader you can take pictures of book pages, letters, and product labels and the device will read out the text back while showing magnified print on the screen. While designed to be used by people with certain disabilities, we can also see using this device to learn how to read a new language.

The Intel Reader, about the size of a paperback book, converts printed text to digital text, and then reads it aloud to the user. Its unique design combines a high-resolution camera with the power of an Intel® Atom™ processor, allowing users to point, shoot and listen to printed text.

When the Intel Reader is used together with the Intel® Portable Capture Station, large amounts of text, such as a chapter or an entire book, can be easily captured for reading later. Users will have convenient and flexible access to a variety of printed materials, helping to not only increase their freedom, but improve their productivity and efficiency at school, work and home. The Intel Reader has been endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association as an important advance in assistive technology. Additionally, Intel is working with the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, the Council for Exceptional Children, Lighthouse International, the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the National Federation of the Blind to help reach and address the needs of people who have difficulty reading print.

Press release: Ready, Set, Read: Intel® Reader Transforms Printed Text to Spoken Word ...

Product page: Intel Reader ...

GLUCOCARD Vital Blood Glucose Platform Gets US Green Light

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:34:20 -0800

Arkray out of Edina, Minnesota has received FDA clearance for the firm's GLUCOCARD® Vital™ blood glucose testing system. The platform uses glucose oxidase strip chemistry that supposedly has less chance of false readings than many competing systems.

Features from the product page:

Glucose Oxidase System

Auto coding

Sleek, compact test strip bottle and meter

0.5 µL sample size

7 second test time

Highly Accurate

Alternate site testing

250-test memory

Time and date stamp

14 or 30-day average

Plasma referenced results

Five year warranty

Press release: ARKRAY, Inc. Receives FDA Clearance for New GLUCOCARD(R) Vital(TM) Blood Glucose Monitoring System ...

Product page: GLUCOCARD VITAL ...

Symphony Transdermal Continuous Glucose Monitoring System Going to Clinical Trials

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:04:04 -0800

Franklin, Massachusetts based Echo Therapeutics has announced the initiation of a clinical study testing the viability of the firm's Symphony™ tCGM product. Last year we wrote about Echo's success at pre-clinical trials of the system. MassDevice has reported that it cost the company about $60 million for the development of the system to get to this point.

"We are extremely pleased to take this next step forward in the development work on our one piece biosensor, a critical component of Symphony, our needle-free, continuous glucose monitoring technology," stated Patrick T. Mooney, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Echo Therapeutics. "As we described previously, this next generation biosensor introduces new materials and a more effective geometrical construction designed to be one-piece and replaces the prior prototype two-piece biosensor used in earlier clinical trials. We believe that this biosensor will demonstrate improved performance and reliability and we look forward to confirming this in this clinical trial in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics."
Echo's pilot clinical study will enroll patients with diabetes (either Type 1 or Type 2) and will compare data obtained from its Symphony tCGM System with the "gold standard" YSI Glucose Analyzer. The study will collect approximately 900 data pairs to be used in the analyses. Reference glucose measurements will be made at 15 minute intervals for 24 hours with the study data blinded to study subjects and study personnel.

Press release: Echo Therapeutics Initiates Clinical Study of its New One-Piece Symphony(TM) tCGM Biosensor in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetic Patients ...

Flashback: Positive Results for Echo Therapeutics' Noninvasive Glucometer

Product page: Symphony tCGM System ...

(hat tip: MassDevice)

IEEE Spectrum: Flexible Microsystems Deliver Drugs Through the Ear

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:49:30 -0800

In the latest IEEE Spectrum, Jeffrey T. Borenstein of the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Mass. and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) in Boston gives a detailed overview of the innovative drug delivery device his team is building. The implantable system is soft and stretchable, and it uses embedded microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfluidics to control drug delivery on a tight schedule over long periods of time.

A quote from the article:

Our system, which is still under development, consists of a programmable micropump powered by a small battery and controlled by an electronic circuit. It pulses precise quantities of a drug from a small reservoir into the inner ear. A flow sensor meters the delivery and sends out an alert if anything goes wrong. What we have so far is about the size of a D-cell battery, but we're working to get it down to the volume of a single AA battery, which ought to be small enough to suit most patients. The device's reservoir would hold enough medication for about one year. We've already tested the system on guinea pigs, and our results show that it can successfully deliver medication to the inner ear without damaging hearing.

Image: A prototype of the device from 2007 which is currently being miniaturized and outfitted with a push-pull pump.

IEEE Spectrum: Flexible Microsystems Deliver Drugs Through the Ear ...

Delivery Method for Iomai's Transcutaneous Vaccine

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:03 -0800

We've previously covered Iomai Corp's (now part of Intercell) transcutaneous vaccination technology, with the idea being that if you're able to vaccinate patients through their skin, you can take advantage of the high density of Langerhans cells in the epidermis to activate an amplified immune response. Also, since transcutaneous vaccination does not involve systemic exposure, you're able to use more potent immune stimulants. These factors, in addition to it being needle-less, make transcutaneous vaccination an appealing option because you need less vaccine for an equal immune response. Additionally, having the vaccine in this dry, patch form also allows it to last much longer without refrigeration (possibly up to six months).

Application of the vaccine, however, first requires you to scrape off some of the keratinized epithelium to gain access to the Langerhans cells. This abrasion needs to be consistent, painless, and easy enough that it could be self-administered. At TEDMED, we've heard from IDEO's CEO Tim Brown, whose design firm was hired to develop the application technique for the transcutaneous vaccine patches. IDEO came up with a band aid looking device with a bulls eye and an attached tab. Pressing at the center and pulling the tab draws an abrasive strip across the skin, as well as leaves an ink mark to show where the vaccine patch should be placed. The application device and patch is also made using only standard processes and materials so they'd be easily manufactured in developing countries.

The administration device and patch are currently in phase two clinical trials for pandemic influenza.

Product page @ IDEO...

Flasback:Immunity That's More Than Skin Deep...

Needle Free Insulin Delivery from PICOSULIN

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:41:52 -0800

Amy Tenderich from DiabetesMine spoke with Thierry Navarro, co-founder of PICOSULIN, a Geneva, Switzerland company developing a patch and an insulin pump with an unusually open R&D process.

A snippet:

"We think differently from the traditional way of keeping R&D secret. We have perfected our technology, and we're disclosing the benefits. Now we want to try to get feedback from all the over world. We're using a website survey to capture input from Europe, Asia and the US, " Thierry says.

Here's more about the technology from the product page:

The simplicity of the system is based on the use of a plastic micro pump which is connected to an ultra precise mechanical system (patent pending) capable of delivering a bolus of 25nl (0.0025U) that is 20 times more precise than any of the existing competing patches on the market which deliver 500nl (0.05U).

What’s more, the micro pump uses a volumetric pump mechanism capable of aspirating insulin directly from any type or brand of PenFill cartridge.

Performance aside, it has the major advantages of its very small size and modular design: the “PicoPatch” is a wearable patch only 0.59 inches (15 mm) thick, loaded with a standard PenFill cartridge containing 3ml of insulin.

Read the interview with more details at DiabetesMine...

Link: PICOSULIN...

NovoTwist Needle Wins Prize for Design

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:12:46 -0800

Novo Nordisk (Bagsværd, Denmark) just won the coveted Good Design Award (aka, G-Mark Award) from the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization for the NovoTwist needle. Currently in use in company's insulin delivery device FlexPen®, this simple twist on and off needle has been constructed to be totally intuitive and not to require much finger strength.

Nearly 3,000 entries were narrowed down by the judging panel and NovoTwist™ was selected for an award in the ‘Society – Medical Equipment’ section. Previous winners of the Good Design Award™ include Apple, Toshiba, Toyota and Nintendo.

The Good Design Award™ highlights the unique design features of NovoTwist™. The judges specifically commented that “Conventional screw thread needles can be difficult to attach and detach, especially for the elderly, as limited manual dexterity and hand strength make the circular motion of screw attachment/detachment challenging. NovoTwist™ has solved this problem with a simple functional design with a push-and-twist needle attachment/detachment system”.

Press release: Novo Nordisk wins design award for NovoTwist™ needle...

Product page: NovoTwist...