Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Medical Device With Own Online Simulator
Cook Medical, in order to provide clinicians with basic training on using the company's Ciaglia Blue Dolphin Balloon Percutaneous Tracheostomy Introducer, created a follow-along online simulator of the procedure.
Product page: Ciaglia Blue Dolphin ...
Flashback: Blue Dolphin Dives into Trachea
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Wednesday, November 19, 2008
MIT Students Design Robot Surgeons
When we took robotics in college we worked at best on little robotic cars. When MIT students do it, they develop surgical robotic arms:
MIT students will take to the operating table next Monday, Nov. 24, to show off their robotic engineering skills in the final presentations for Course 2.12 (Introduction to Robotics).Four teams of students have spent the past seven weeks building robotic arms and writing software that will allow them to remotely make an incision in a silicone "organ" and remove a jelly bean masquerading as a tumor.
MIT students will take to the operating table next Monday, Nov. 24, to show off their robotic engineering skills in the final presentations for Course 2.12 (Introduction to Robotics).
Four teams of students have spent the past seven weeks building robotic arms and writing software that will allow them to remotely make an incision in a silicone "organ" and remove a jelly bean masquerading as a tumor.
Hopefully we'll be seeing a whole new generation of robotic surgery once these young geniuses graduate to the workplace.
MIT News: Going under the (robotic) knife ...
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Thursday, November 13, 2008
NovaMesh from Nicast
Nicast out of Lod, Israel, developers of fine electrospun polymer "nanofabric", will be introducing the company's new NovaMesh™ Ventral Hernia Mesh at Medica 2008 conference in Germany next week. We have profiled Nicast's proprietary poly-urethane nanometric scale fiber scaffolding twice before, as our flashbacks below testify.
From the product page:
The NovaMesh Ventral Hernia Mesh features improved resistance to tissue adhesion on the visceral-facing surface, and promotes excellent tissue ingrowth on the fascial surface. The NovaMesh is the first hernia mesh to exploit the unique properties of electrospun nanofabric.These include:
Improved resistance to tissue adhesion on the visceral-facing surface
Excellent tissue ingrowth on the fascial surface
Near-perfect flatness, no creasing or kinking following tight rolling and unrolling
Biomimetic electrospun nanofabric
Easy handling and laparoscopic insertion – all sizes can fit through a trocar
No shrinkage
Press release: Nicast to Introduce the NovaMesh™ Ventral Hernia Mesh at Medica 2008 in Germany
Product page: NovaMesh™ Ventral Hernia Mesh ...
Flashbacks: Europe Green Lights Nanofabric-based AVflo Vascular Graft ; Nanofiber-based Vascular Grafts by Nicast
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Continuous Noninvasive Blood Pressure Monitoring with CNAP Monitor 500
CNSystems Medizintechnik AG, a medical technology firm out of Graz, Austria, has received FDA approval to market the company's CNAP™ Monitor 500, that performs continuous noninvasive blood pressure monitoring. The unit can be used in conjunction with other monitoring systems or alone as a self contained, battery powered unit.
More about the technology and the device from the press release:
CNAP™ traces blood pressure changes through the patented CNAP™ cuff at the fingers and calibrates the derived values once in a while to an upper arm measurement. This way the physician is provided with blood pressure values is the one he/she is familiar with and the patient's individual physiology is optimally taken care of. If the position of measurement is changed relatively to heart height, just trigger a new upper arm measurement for the recalibration to the new measurement situation...The CNAP™ Monitor 500 measures non-invasive and continuous blood pressure in real-time and can predict responsiveness to fluid administration. In the perioperative setting, detecting blood pressure drops and their cause in time is crucial for peri- and postoperative outcome. However, until recently only invasive methods provided quality information to the clinician. CNAP™ provides reliable blood pressure monitoring comparable to invasive techniques and adds valuable information about fluid responsiveness of the patient non-invasively. This allows spreading the highest level of blood pressure monitoring to all perioperative settings where close blood pressure monitoring is indicated, but the risk and discomfort of invasive measurement is not justified.
Product page: CNAP™ Monitor 500 ...
Press release: CNSystems Medizintechnik AG Receives FDA Approval for CNAP(TM) Monitor 500...
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Friday, November 7, 2008
Celero Biopsy Device from Hologic Gets EU OK
Hologic out of Bedford, Massachusetts just received the European CE Mark for the Celero vacuum-assisted, spring loaded core biopsy device that promises easier and more accurate biopsies with less discomfort for the patient.
With the option of firing inside or outside the breast, the Celero device is designed to access hard-to-reach lesions in the axilla, near the chest wall, near implants or behind the nipple. The lightweight design of the handheld Celero device and its highly echogenic needle provides smooth penetration to lesions while reducing deflection and offers a visible aperture location for target verification under ultrasound imaging prior to tissue acquisition. The Celero device is designed to securely hold the tissue sample in place while acquiring large cores. Research shows that with the Celero device, only two to three samples are needed for a diagnosis In addition, the Celero device requires only two to three insertions to gain the same results, as opposed to more needle insertions for other spring loaded core biopsies.
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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Blue Dolphin Dives into Trachea
Cook Medical is releasing its Ciaglia Blue Dolphin device for an elective percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT), which combines balloon dilation and tracheal tube insertion into one step and promises easier and safer delivery.
From the press release:
The balloon minimizes pressure on the anterior tracheal wall and delivers an even and controlled radial dilation. This significantly reduces the downward force needed to create a tracheal stoma compared to traditional PDTs. Additionally, the device may minimize bleeding, ring fractures and posterior wall perforations by eliminating the need for a dilator to advance back and forth in the trachea, and by limiting soft tissue dissection to a simple skin incision. Due to the "elastic memory" of tissue, the stoma tightly contracts around the tracheostomy tube once the procedure is complete, providing the needed seal and tamponade effect to help prevent bleeding.
From the product page:
The set consists of a balloon-tipped catheter loading dilator assembly; Cook inflation device; wire guide; 18-gage introducer needle; 18-gage TFE sheath needle; needle holder cup; 14 French dilator; large full-body drape with clear plastic window; gauze pads; disposable syringe; measuring tape; disposable safety scalpel; and lubricating jelly. A separate, sterile tracheostomy tube is also included in an optional set.The tray contains the set components and other items necessary for a bedside procedure, including lidocaine; 22-, 25-, and 18-gage needles; double swivel connector; Chlorhexidine/alcohol prep solution; suture with needle; CSR wrap; and prep tray. A separate, sterile tracheostomy tube is also included in an optional tray.
Press release: Cook Medical Introduces Ciaglia Blue Dolphin™ Percutaneous Dilational Tracheostomy Device...
Product page: Ciaglia Blue Dolphin...
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
PlasmaBlade Finds New Uses With New Attachments
PEAK Surgical, maker of the innovative PlasmaBlade replacement of the bovie, has put a couple extensions for its device onto the market.
The PlasmaBlade Needle, which has a fine needlepoint tip, is specifically designed for ultra-precise surgical procedures. The PlasmaBlade EXT is designed for use in surgical procedures requiring an extended-reach tip.In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted PEAK Surgical 510(k) clearance to market the PEAK® Surgery System, including the PlasmaBlade 4.0, for use in general surgery. The PlasmaBlade 4.0 is designed to be used to cut through all types of soft tissue, including skin, fat and muscle. All of the PlasmaBlade tissue dissection tools are used in conjunction with PEAK's PULSAR™Generator, which provides pulsed plasma radiofrequency energy to the PlasmaBlade to create surgical incisions and control bleeding. They offer the exacting control of a scalpel and the coagulation of traditional electrosurgery without extensive collateral damage.
Press release: PEAK Surgical Introduces PlasmaBladeTM Product Line Extensions for Use in General Surgery
Flashbacks: PlasmaBlade System Gets FDA Go Ahead; Peak PlasmaBlade Wants to Be The New Bovie
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Monday, October 27, 2008
Sharpies Find Their Way Into OR
Sharpies have become a staple product in almost any office, classroom, boardroom, or even kids' pencil case, but a new study released by the University of Alberta Medical School will probably put them in every operating room as well!
From the University of Alberta press statement:
When prepping for surgery it is standard practice for the surgeon or their designate to mark the operative site using a marking pen, a precaution to ensure surgeons cut the correct spot. A concern that germs would be spread from one patient to the next, however, has meant that each barely-used pre-surgery marker is thrown away after each use, costing thousands of dollars a year.As it turns out, hospital staff was putting too fine a point on it, says Sarah Forgie, professor in the Department of Pediatrics, who, along with pediatric infectious diseases resident Catherine Burton, have shown that the tips of the Sharpies don't spread infection.
In a controlled experiment, marker tips were heavily contaminated with four types of bacteria that can cause surgical site infections; two of the germ types are of particular concern in hospitals since they are antibiotic-resistant, Burton explained.
"With our little agar plates we put way more bacteria on these little nibs than you would ever find on a human and the alcohol effectively killed them from the Sharpie marker," said Forgie
After recapping the markers and letting them sit for 24 hours, Burton and Forgie found that the sterile, one-use marker, which has a non-alcohol-base ink, was still contaminated, but the Sharpies were not.
This finding has caught the attention of organizers of a major conference on infectious disease taking place in Washington, D.C. at the end of October. They have invited Burton to share the team's work with other disease control specialists from around the world.
It has also led to a policy change within Alberta Health Services.
"As long as surgeons or their designate wipe off the outside of the pens after each use, they don't have to throw them out," said Forgie, "which means there is a cost savings, and, most importantly, the markers are still safe for the patient."
Press release: X Marks the Spot: Sharpies get thumbs-up for marking surgery sites
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Friday, October 24, 2008
Free Hand Gives Surgeon Another Appendage to Work With
The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons has awarded its innovation of the year award to the FreeHand robotic camera device from Prosurgics, a Loudwater, UK firm.
From The Engineer Online:
Currently, keyhole surgery is performed using a fibreoptic laparoscope, a device consisting of a flexible tube, that a theatre nurse or junior doctor controls for the surgeon.But the FreeHand camera unit (which can be clamped to the side of any operating table) removes this third party requirement.
It moves by receiving information from a hands-free controller worn on a headband or attached to a surgeon's cap, and an activation pedal. The surgeon selects the direction of the laparoscope using head movements.
The hands-free controller contains accelerometers to detect the head motion of the surgeon and relays the direction to the camera via an infrared signal.
More from The Engineer...
Press release: Breakthrough surgical robot 'FreeHand' secures "Innovation of the Year" recognition
Product page: FreeHand
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
SurgiCount's Safety-Sponge: 200,000 "Never Events" and Counting...
It wasn't long ago that we reported on SurgiCount's Safety-Sponge System, an electronic bar code strategy designed to eliminate retained sponges during surgery.
The latest news is a SurgiCount announcement that there have been no retained sponges in 200,000 operations employing their technology. The expectation that these "Never Events" will approach zero, is starting to become a reality...and we want to thank every "gadget head" out there devoted to advancing medicine!
Press release: SurgiCount's Safety-Sponge System Reaches 200,000th Procedure Milestone Without a Reported Retained Sponge...
Flashback: "Never Events" Prevented With SurgiCount's Safety-Sponge
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Infrascanner, an Intracranial Hematoma Detector, Goes on Sale in Europe
Infrascan out of Philly, PA has received the European CE Mark to sell the company's infrared hematoma detection device for emergency personnel responding to traumatic injuries.
From the press release about the device:
The Infrascanner brain hematoma detector is the first hand-held device of its kind designed to assist first responders and emergency room personnel in identifying life threatening brain hematomas, allowing expedient assessment of patients and potentially facilitating crucial treatment. Intracranial hematomas resulting from a traumatic brain injury are life-threatening and patient outcomes can improve significantly if treated within an hour after an injury – known as the “golden hour”. While most hospitals have a Computer Aided Tomography (CAT) scanner, which is viewed as the state-of-the-art technology for diagnosing a brain hematoma, many facilities lack the neurosurgical capabilities to treat the condition. The early identification of a brain hematoma can play a significant role in facilitating transportation of critically injured patients to facilities, which can both verify Infrascanner’s early diagnosis and offer surgical intervention.The Infrascanner is a small, completely portable device, which can detect the presence and location of a brain hematoma based on differential NIR light absorption of a hematoma and normal brain tissue. InfraScan will present the results of a pivotal (400 patient) multicenter study to the FDA later this year to support its 510k application and a subsequent U.S. launch of the device. A pilot study with an earlier Infrascanner prototype involving more than 300 patients demonstrated high sensitivity for detecting bleeding in the brain and for rapidly detecting the onset of delayed hematomas.
Product page: Infrascanner...
Press release: InfraScan Launches International Sales of a Handheld Brain Hematoma Detector (.pdf)...
Flashback: Quick, Cheap & Easy Bedside Diagnosis of Brain Injury
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Sentinelle Vanguard Breast MR Auxiliary Table Gets European OK
Back in May, we reported about the Sentinelle Vanguard Breast MR Auxiliary Table®, a product of Sentinelle Medical Inc. from Toronto, O'Canada.
Here's what we said about the device back then:
Designed to work in tandem with GE Healtcare's Signa® HDx 1.5T MRI system, the table features an eight channel coil array that enhances imaging of the breast, while the configuration of the table makes percutaneous biopsies (and other interventions) more tolerable for the clinician and the patient, thanks to an open design that offers easy accessibility to all quadrants of the breast.
The latest news from the company is that its line of devices, that now also features a new table for Siemens Avanto® and Espree® MRI machines, has been cleared by the European regulators with the CE Mark of approval.
More details in this press release (.pdf)...
Sentinelle Medical's products...
Flashback: Sentinelle Vanguard Breast MR Auxiliary Table
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Cook Medical's Biodesign Hernia Graft
Cook Medical is releasing its new hernia repair graft made out of the company's proprietary Biodesign™ material that's strong and resistant to infection.
From a press release obtained by Medgadget:
Cook's Biodesign product line establishes a new category in tissue repair that combines the best attributes of synthetic mesh and biologic grafts while reducing disadvantages of those materials including erosion and infection. Based on the breakthrough technology that has made the original Surgisis material from Cook an advanced tissue repair solution, the newly enhanced Biodesign base material now offers surgeons better handling characteristics, long-term strength and faster tissue remodelling, thereby delivering better surgical outcomes and an improved quality of life for patients.Using this technology, Cook is introducing the Biodesign™ Hernia Graft, designed to meet the challenges of complex hernias.
Suited for use in contaminated surgical fields, Cook's enhanced Biodesign Hernia Graft is quilted for reliable handling and perforated to ensure adequate drainage. Serving as a full-strength scaffold, the graft signals surrounding tissue to promote rapid and complete remodelling that, over time, becomes strong, vascularized tissue.
Product brochure: Biodesign Surgisis Hernia Graft (PDF)
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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
"Never Events" Prevented With SurgiCount Safety-Sponge System
A surgeon's nightmare is an event that should never happen. Enter SurgiCount's Safety-Sponge™ System which consists of individually bar-coded surgical sponges and an easy-to-use portable scanner that validates traditional hand sponge counts.
From their website and press release:
Essentially, the system works much like a grocery store check-out counter – every laparotomy and gauze sponge is pre-labeled with an individual and unique bar code (in this instance, a 2-D data matrix label) and a scanning SurgiCounter is used to read the labels. Unlike other technologies, there is no major change in a hospital’s established AORN (The Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses) manual counting practices and procedures. And no other technology can offer documented time stamps of when every item was counted in and out. When using the system, staff concurrently scan sponges during their manual counts or can scan the items before or after the manual count. The SurgiCounters can be held by the circulator, or can be placed on a holster on an IV pole in a hands-free mode. By scanning in the unique labels, the system builds a database of items used in that particular procedure. At the end of the procedure when the circulator is counting out the sponges, the circulator will again swipe the sponge under the SurgiCounter, this time in order to “count” the sponge out of the database. Because each sponge has a unique bar code, the system automatically alerts the staff in case they have accidentally tried to count the same sponge twice. This assists the staff in validating that they have an accurate count in case the there was a manual counting error.Because the SurgiCounter is in a fact a mobile computer and every sponge is uniquely identified, the system is able to record and document the entire procedure. Every item’s size, unique ID code and time in and out is time stamped, documented and archived. The software also captures the opening staff as well as the closing staff.
Reports can be printed immediately with special printers that also act as rechargers or can be archived and printed later through a Windows-based desktop application that allows the consolidation of all reports done on one or all of a hospital’s SurgiCounters. Reports can be exported from the database in XML for import into a hospital’s paperless management system.
"We are very pleased to have implemented the System into our first New York based hospital. The Safety-Sponge System continues to gain national acceptance. Our current customer base has enjoyed knowing that the System works and is extremely reliable. They find it to be a safe, simple and cost effective solution to retained surgical sponges. We estimate that our SurgiCount Safety-Sponge(TM) System has successfully been used in over 200,000 procedures without a single report of a retained surgical sponge," says Rick Bertran, President of SurgiCount Medical. "Based upon a comparison to published data, our sponge tracking system appears to significantly reduce the possibility of a retained sponge during a medical procedure. This success, combined with an overall increase in public awareness of patient safety concerns, leads us to believe that other large institutions will soon adopt our surgical sponge patient safety solution." With over 4,000 potential institutions and 45,000 operating rooms nationally, that are subject to this "never event" we feel there is a significant opportunity to expand our leadership in this market.
Press release: First New York Hospital Adopts the SurgiCount Medical Safety-Sponge(TM) System...
SurgiCount Medical: Why Not RFID...
Product page: SurgiCounter...
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It's a Retrospectroscope... It's a Rectospectroscope...No It's Retroscope!
We would love to have been a fly on the wall when Avantis Medical Systems, Inc. was brainstorming a name for their new colonoscope accessory that allows a rear view from an advancing colonoscope. We all know that hindsight is 20/20, and most of our readers will have heard of a retrospectoscope, an imaginary instrument that would have helped resolve a diagnostic dilemma when viewed from behind. Rectospectroscope must have been on the list somewhere...but lets digress!
Seriously, the Third Eye Retroscope brings a significant advantage to the endosuite table.
From a press release by the American College of Gastroenterology:
"Although colonoscopy is currently the best method available for colorectal cancer screening, we know that lesions may be missed, especially if they are located behind folds in the colon wall and behind flexures, or tight turns in the colon," said Scott Dodson, CEO of Avantis Medical Systems, Inc., developer of the Third Eye Retroscope. "The Third Eye Retroscope is designed to solve that problem by making it possible for endoscopists to see the areas behind those folds and flexures". Previous research has revealed that 12-24% of polyps and a significant number of cancers can be missed during colonoscopy.This innovative new device is passed through the instrument channel of a standard colonoscope. As it emerges from the channel and extends beyond the tip of the colonoscope, the device automatically turns around 180 degrees to provide a retrograde view. The endoscopist observes the forward and retrograde video images simultaneously on a split-screen monitor while the colonoscope is withdrawn through the length of the colon.
Renowned gastroenterologist Douglas K. Rex, MD presented results from a multi-institutional clinical study that evaluated the efficacy of the Third Eye(R) Retroscope(R) in the 249 patients...262 polyps were identified with the standard colonoscope. "However, using the Third Eye Retroscope in conjunction with the standard colonoscope, an additional 34 polyps were detected, including 15 adenomas," said Dr. Rex. "Also very importantly, in 11.2 percent of cases, at least one additional polyp was found using the Third Eye Retroscope. In eight of the patients, the polyp detected with the Third Eye Retroscope was the only one found."
The Third Eye Retroscope has been cleared for use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as a device to provide retrograde illumination and visualization of the colon.
Press release: National Study Presented at ACG 2008 Confirms New Device Functions Like 'Rear-View Mirror' to Provide Improved View of the Colon...
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Catheter with SecurAcath Subcutaneous Mounting System Gets OK
Interrad Medical, a Minneapolis, MN firm, won FDA clearance for the catheter that features company's SecurAcath device, a system that grabs to subcutaneous tissue to anchor and secure the central line catheter.
The SecurAcath System utilizes a small anchor that deploys in the subcutaneous tissue just beneath the skin to hold an indwelling catheter securely in place. There are over 12 million venous access catheters placed each year worldwide. Currently, catheters are secured on the surface of a patient's skin using sutures or adhesive devices.The SecurAcath System offers significant advantages over current securement methods. The SecurAcath system is designed to improve catheter securement by decreasing catheter maintenance time and related costs, reducing catheter-related infections by improving cleaning of catheter exit site and minimizing catheter motion, decreasing skin surface issues, and eliminating needle stick injuries that may occur when suturing catheters.
The Company is currently developing a stand-alone SecurAcath device that can be used with virtually any indwelling catheter. The stand-alone SecurAcath is being designed to work with all PICC, CVC, dialysis and drainage catheters.
Product page: SecurAcath
Press release: Interrad Medical Receives FDA Clearance of World's First Catheter with Subcutaneous Securement System (.pdf)...
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Friday, October 3, 2008
NanoDiamonds...Everyone's Friend?
Diamonds are a girls best friend but nanodiamonds could soon become everyone's friend. Dean Ho, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and Robert Lam, a graduate student in Ho's research group at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, have developed a microfilm device containing drug-laden slow release nanodiamonds.
Initial studies with Doxorubicin showed excellent pharmacokinetics, with sustained drug delivery over a one month period. The study's control group using microfilm without nanodiamonds, dumped all the Doxorubicin within one day. Ho and Lam's study was published yesterday in the journal ACS Nano (American Chemical Society Nano).
From Northwestern University media office:
The flexible microfilm device, which resembles a piece of plastic wrap and can be customized easily into different shapes, has the potential to transform conventional treatment strategies and reduce patients’ unnecessary exposure to toxic drugs. If a surgical oncologist, for example, was removing a tumor from the breast or brain, the device could be implanted in the affected area as part of the same surgery. This approach, which confines drug release to a specific location, could mitigate side effects and complications from other chemotherapy treatments.To build the biomedical device, the researchers developed a streamlined approach where a double layer of parylene (an FDA approved polymer) was fabricated, with the nanodiamond-drug complexes sandwiched in between. The bottom layer, approximately 20 to 30 microns thick, serves as the backbone of the device, allowing it to be easily handled. For the top layer, the research team created a thinner semi-porous film that allows the drug to slowly release from the device.
“One of the most significant aspects of this work is that the fabrication procedures are highly scalable, meaning hundreds, or even thousands, of devices potentially could be manufactured in parallel and at low cost,” said Ho.
Abstract: Nanodiamond-Embedded Microfilm Devices for Localized Chemotherapeutic Elution ACS Nano, 2008 DOI: 10.1021/nn800465x
Press release: Nanodiamond Drug Device Could Transform Cancer Treatment...
To further understand Dr. Ho's nanotech research and its future applications, check out these two videos produced by Nanotech Today: Nano-Engineered Medicine - Dean Ho - Pt. 1; Nano-Engineered Medicine - Dean Ho - Pt. 2
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Thursday, October 2, 2008
Ultrasound Wound Dressings in Development (Again)
Siemens has signed a contract with DARPA to develop a battlefield wound dressing with an embedded ultrasound device, capable of tuning itself somewhere near the resonant frequency of blood. The technology promises to stimulate coagulation around an injury, stabilizing the wound for further treatment. This is not the first time we see an acoustic coagulation system being entertained by DARPA, as previously we've reported on a very similar project between the defense agency and Philips.
Here's what Siemens says about this new project:
... Siemens has entered into an exclusive government contract today with the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a prototype Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation cuff (DBAC), a life-saving ultrasound device limiting blood loss and shock resulting from combat limb injuries. Partners at the University of Washington's Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound (UW), the Texas A&M University's Institute for Preclinical Studies (TIPS) and Siemens Corporate Research (SCR) will work together with Siemens Healthcare to achieve DARPA's goal of producing a prototype in 18 months...The cuff is designed to limit blood loss from penetrating wounds to limbs in fast and slow bleeders, significantly reducing the risk of limb loss and death resulting from irreversible hemorrhagic shock. Once applied to the limb, Siemens Silicon Ultrasound technology within the cuff automatically detects the location and severity of the bleeding within the limb. This triggers therapeutic ultrasound elements within the cuff to emit and focus high-power energy toward the bleeding sites, speeding coagulation and halting bleeding at the injury site. The device is intended for use by minimally-trained operators, curtailing bleeding in a minimal amount of time with automatic treatment and power shut-off.
"We are very excited to leverage advanced technologies of Siemens Ultrasound such as real-time volumetric imaging and Silicon transducers to realize DARPA's vision for saving lives on the battlefield," said Richard Chiao, VP of Siemens Healthcare's Ultrasound Innovation Group. "We believe technologies developed for this new therapeutic application of ultrasound will also benefit civilian care in the future."
Aside from its use of advanced medical technologies, the cuff's use in the field requires a compact, lightweight design with highly integrated electronics. Built with versatility in mind, the cuff is capable of accommodating a variety of limbs ranging from the wide male thigh to the slender female arm.
"We are eager to participate in this exciting program", noted Lawrence A. Crum, Research Professor and Principal Investigator of the University of Washington effort. "This unique technology offers a real opportunity to address a major problem in battlefield trauma."
"The challenge of applying our extensive animal modeling expertise to develop this potentially life-saving technology is exciting", noted Matthew W. Miller, DVM, Professor of Cardiology and Associate Director for Research at TIPS. "The opportunity to work closely with talented colleagues at SCR and UW will ensure that the likelihood of success is maximized."
The team will be working in collaboration with future users of the technology to maximize its potential, including the Combat Casualty Care Group at the US Army Medical Research and Material Command, surgeons from the Madigan Army Medical Center, and the US Army Institute for Surgical Research.
Project page: Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation
Flashbacks: Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation, aka Autonomous Acoustic Hemostasis; Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation; The Battle Against Bleeding
(hat tip: Crave)
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Cryopreserved Liver Survives First Animal Transplant
Israeli scientists have successfully froze, thawed, and transplated a liver from one pig into another. The technology developed at the Agricultural Research Organization in Bet-Dagan, and now pursued by Core Dynamics, an Israeli company also based in Orangeburg, NY, uses slow, controlled cooling of tissue to preserve it for future use.
From The New Scientist:
Arav and his colleagues flushed the blood from the pig's liver, cooled it, and then encased it in a pair of hollow brass cooling blocks attached to a supply of liquid nitrogen. The device was developed by Core Dynamics, a company Arav co-founded in Ness Ziona, Israel. This cooled the liver at a rate of 0.3 °C per minute bringing it to a temperature of -20 °C in about an hour and a half.The team then immediately let the liver thaw for 20 minutes before transplanting it into another pig, plumbing it in as a second liver. There it rapidly recovered its red colour, an indication of blood flowing through it, and began producing bile - both signs of health and normal function. The pig was then killed after about 2 hours and the auxiliary liver analysed, revealing that the cells were alive (Rejuvenation Research, DOI: 10.1089/rej.2008.0706).
Here's what we were able to find about Core Dynamics' Multi Thermal Gradient™ (MTG) Freezing Technology:
The MTG technology, also known as directional freezing, allows precise control over ice crystal propagation during the freezing process, thereby substantially reducing the mechanical damage caused to cells during freezing. The technology is based on moving the biological material through linear temperature gradients at predetermined velocities. The technology can be used for cells, using rapid velocities, or for organs and tissue, using very slow velocities.A major advance provided by this Core Dynamics technology is the ability to freeze cells without the commonly used penetrating cryoprotective agents such as DMSO or glycerol. The materials frozen in this fashion may then undergo sublimation of the ice crystals leaving a dry material, the process known as freeze-drying.
More at the New Scientist...
Core Dynamics technology page...
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» IVs That Kill...The Bugs (September 30, 2008)
» A CRIC In The Neck! (September 30, 2008)
» Off-Grid Medicine and Hospital-In-a-Box (September 29, 2008)
» Identifying Multiple Cancer Proteins in a Single Specimen (September 25, 2008)
» MRI Staging of Breast Cancer vs. Surgical Staging (September 22, 2008)
» LOGIQ E9: The Next Plane in Ultrasonography (September 16, 2008)
» Ditto, a Diversionary Therapy For Pedi Patients (September 3, 2008)
» Microsurgery Using Microgrippers (August 29, 2008)
» TOGA Stomach Stapling System Goes on Trial (August 25, 2008)
» FLARE Lights Up Tumors (August 20, 2008)
» Silver Coating Fights Ventilator Related Pneumonia (August 20, 2008)
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