Medgadget

Let Draeger Polaris Be Your Guiding Light

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800

We are continuing to profile the latest gadgets that are being showcased at the Medica 2009 in Düsseldorf. This beautiful line of cold OR light systems, appropriately dubbed Polaris, comes from Drägerwerk AG & Co., a company better known to everyone as Dräger.

Details from the press release:

Compared with conventional light sources, the smaller LEDs of the Polaris system are considerably more energy-efficient than conventional light sources. An LED light source has a life span of about 30,000 hours (corresponding to about seven to ten years of service life in the operating room), while the life span of a conventional light source is about 1,000 hours (corresponding to about four months of service life in the operating room). The slight amount of lost heat from the LEDs is dispensed through the top of the housing.
The different Polaris models are distinguished by their illuminating power. They can be used as an individual OR light or as a satellite in multiple-light systems, and can also be equipped with an integrated camera.

This new product design received the red dot design award 2008 which, according to the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, is based on criteria such as innovation, functionality, quality and ergonomics.

The 108 light-emitting diodes of the Polaris (700 model) distribute light with a color temperature of 4,600 Kelvin. "Cold light" (without long-wave infrared content) is generated by means of a phosphor layer on the semiconductor and focused via an optical system. The LEDs are installed in the reflectors in pairs.

The individual light paths form a light cylinder which has an illumination depth of about 1,100 millimeters and a variable diameter of 220 to 290 millimeters. This ensures that the light of each LED can be focused on the OR field and that several surgeons can work simultaneously on the OR field without noticeably reducing the brightness.

Press release: Precision lighting with the new Dräger Polaris...

Product brochure... (.pdf)

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...

Tru-flo Catheter Valve for a More Natural Urine Discharge

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:49:31 -0800

Here's something worth mentioning, even though it is not the most revolutionary tech. Protek Medical out of Hickory, NC has released a new urinary catheter valve for people who have suprapubic or indwelling foleys for urinary retention. Developed by a valve engineer, who has the same GU condition, the device is intended to let patients avoid the use of a collection bag and, hopefully, to make their lives a bit more normal.

Designed to be used in place of a bag, the valve connects to the end of the catheter tube and slides open and closed easily with one hand. With a secure, leak-free seal, a Tru-flo-equipped catheter can be drained directly into a commode at the convenience of the patient. The valve universally adapts to all Foley and Supra-pubic catheter systems.
By eliminating the bag and utilizing shorter catheter tubing, the entire catheter system is easily concealed thanks to Tru-flo - helping to restore patient comfort and dignity. And with no recessed or undercut external surfaces that can harbor bacteria, the Tru-flo valve has important design features for infection prevention.

For patients utilizing the valve, it should be opened every three-to-four hours initially. Some patients may have the urge to void and should open the valve as this occurs. The valve can be used safely overnight, or a bedside drainage bag may be attached before bed, reducing nocturia, and the valve replaced in the morning.

Contraindications include a high-pressure neurogenic bladder, a history of autonomic dysreflexia, a febrile UTI, and situations following any procedure or trauma where there is a possibility for urinary extravasation and urinary drainage is needed for optimal tissue repair, such as TURBT, bladder repair or trauma, or radical prostatectomy. Relative contraindications are gross hematuria with clot.

Press release: ProtekMed Introduces the Tru-flo(TM) Urinary Catheter Valve...

Link: Protek Medical...

Lap-Pak, a Student Designed Abdominal Retractor, On Road to Market Realization

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:44:53 -0800

A device developed by clinicians and students at Johns Hopkins University to move bowels out of the way in laparotomies has been licensed to Seguro Surgical, a Columbia, Maryland company. The Lap-Pak is see-through and flexible, giving you ability to quickly displace the guts without all the towels and sponges and external retractors.

The primary goal for Lap-Pak is to reduce bowel packing time by 50%. Use of Lap-pak during laparotomies ensures interoperability with retractors, facilitates monitoring of bowels, and maintains tissue temperature and hydration.

The Lap-Pak device is a one-piece device constructed from a soft and flexible material that is easy to position. It contains a stable body support that evenly distributes pressure. Side and bottom flaps contour against the abdominal walls to prevent movement and allow for varied cavity sizes. The dual top flaps shield the bowels while maintaining visibility of the intestines as well as internal temperature and moisture. The product will be offered in three sizes designed to fit over 80% of adults.

Press release: Seguro Acquires Worldwide Rights to Johns Hopkins Abdominal Surgery Device...

Product page: Lap-pak...

ThumBlade Scalpel Safety System

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:34:10 -0800

Here's an interesting new take on improving the safety for scrub techs, nurses and surgeons. ThumBlade™ scalpel system from Precision Medical Devices Inc. (Marlboro, NJ) is a no contact, disposable safety sheath that covers blades, and allows activation of the scalpel with just one hand. So no more sharps and no more mosquito use to mount a blade.

Medgadget has obtained the following details about the device:

Featuring patent pending innovative thumb activation independent mechanisms, PMD’s ThumBlade™ safety scalpels enable one-handed activation smoothly and safely by right or left handed practitioners with no contact with the exposed blade. This activation affords an easy, natural opening motion while keeping the other fingers out of the way. The safety sheath is made from high quality ABS composite with a completely flat and smooth top, providing a stable platform for better control during the procedure. The extra sharp blades are stainless steel, pre-sterilized, and disposable after single use. The blade sheaths and packaging are color coded by size for easy counting and safe use. The stainless steel handles are pre-sterilized for first use and can be re-sterilized and re-used. These handles, available in both #3 and #4 fitments, are premium length and back-weighted for the grip and feel practitioners prefer.

Product page: ThumBlade™ safety scalpel system...

GE's New Ultra Small Ultrasound May Become as Ubiquitous as Stethoscope

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:50:51 -0800

Yesterday at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, GE showed off their new handheld ultrasound device. The Vscan looks like a cross between an iPod and a cell phone, making it possibly the world's smallest ultrasound. Later today we'll be attending GE's healthymagination technology showcase in New York where further details and specs will hopefully become available.

For critical care clinicians, Vscan can offer an immediate look beyond patient vital signs with the potential to identify critical issues, like fluid around the heart, which could be a sign of congestive heart failure. And for cardiologists, Vscan provides a dependable visual evaluation of how well the heart is pumping at a glance, so they can treat patients more efficiently.

Solace Balloon Relieves Pressure When Stress Incontinence Says Go

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:08:15 -0800

Here's another interesting technology spotted by MassDevice at the MassMEDIC 11th Annual Medtech Investors Conference. Solace Therapeutics (Framingham, Mass.) has developed a device, essentially a small, lightweight cushion ("about the size of a quarter"), that once inserted into the bladder can absorb some of the intraabdominal pressure increases, hence thought to reduce leakages in patients suffering from stress incontinence, overactive bladder (OAB), male voiding dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), etc. The device is currently undergoing an FDA IDE approved clinical trial, and according to MassDevice , the company has received European CE Mark of approval to market the Solace Intravesical System on the continent.

The reduction in tissue elasticity, sometimes referred to as compliance, can result in significant and rapid increases in pressure within the bladder. Solace’s technology adds compliance to the bladder, reducing these rapid pressure changes.
Solace’s first product is an investigational non-surgical alternative to involuntary urinary leakage. The product is a small, lightweight device (about the size of a quarter) that floats within the urinary bladder. The balloon is designed to eliminate or reduce involuntary urinary leakage. It acts as a “shock absorber” to reduce the temporary pressure changes in the bladder that cause urinary leakage.

The Solace Balloon procedure is performed in the physician’s office. No fasting, medication or preparation is required before the procedure. The physician places the Solace Balloon into the bladder through the urethra using a soft, tube-like catheter. Pressure reduction is immediate.

MassDevice: Solace Therapeutics wins CE Mark for female incontinence device...

Press release: Solace Therapeutics, Inc. Announces CE Mark Approval...

Product page: Solace Balloon...

LiRIS Delivers Lidocaine Drip Therapy Direct Into Bladder

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:10:39 -0800

MassDevice last week attended the MassMEDIC 11th Annual Medtech Investors Conference and is reporting back on some of the startups that presented innovative technologies. One interesting device that caught our attention is the LiRIS therapeutic system from TARIS Biomedical out of Lexington, MA. The non-resorbable intravesical system is designed to deliver a regular supply of lidocaine straight into the bladder for pain and urgency control related to various bladder diseases.

The TARIS therapeutic system, which was initially developed by which is based on technology developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and supported by the Deshpande Center and leading urologists, has two main features: a drug component and a retentive device component. Our approach is an innovative advancement in the field of drug delivery and has the potential to be a less invasive, more effective local treatment option that may also minimize systemic exposure and associated side effects of current therapies.
TARIS’ lidocaine-releasing intravesical system (LiRIS) is a passive non-resorbable system whose primary mode of action is the controlled release of lidocaine in the bladder. Lidocaine has been shown in clinical practice and in scientific literature to decrease symptoms such as bladder pain and urgency. The LiRIS system is designed to be inserted into the bladder via cystoscopic or catheter. Over a period of weeks, the LiRIS system will deliver therapeutic agents directly to the bladder, and can then be removed by conventional, non-surgical cystoscopic procedures.

Product page: LiRIS therapeutic system...

Hat tip: MassDevice...

Profound Medical's MRI Guided Thermal Therapy Device for Prostate CA Treatment

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:09:27 -0800

Profound Medical's (Toronto, Canada) thermal coagulation therapy system is an interesting new product that MassDevice has just reported from MassMEDIC 11th Annual Medtech Investors Conference. The MRI-compatible ultrasound applicator, yet to undergo clinical trials, is designed to deliver controlled thermal ablation to prostate cancer in an MRI via via a trans-urethral approach.

Features of the device:

Complete compatibility within an MRI suite

Accurate location of the trans-urethral ultrasound applicator in the prostate

Multiple 3D treatment planning options through proprietary software

Precise heating control through unique array geometries and frequencies

Whole or segmented treatments relative to disease progression and location

Single or multiple treatments in the same session

Real-time thermometry for active monitoring and surveillance

Highest control around organs such as nerve bundles, rectum & urethra

Treatment time estimates of 30 mins (6X faster than next best)

Product page: Profound Medical Treatment System...

Tiny Portable Ultrasound from SonoSite Gets US OK

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:56:09 -0800

SonoSite (Bothell, Washington) just announced that the company received FDA approval to market the firm's tiny NanoMaxx ultrasound system throughout the United States. Weighing in at only 6 pounds (2.7 kilo) and with a battery life of 2 operational hours, the system is truly portable for busy clinics, ambulances, emergency rooms, and elsewhere that ultrasound is needed.

The new ultra portable and one button design of the NanoMaxx system makes high quality ultrasound available to a much broader range of clinicians. The system incorporates SonoSite’s advanced proprietary imaging algorithms, including SonoMB™ and SonoAdapt™ to deliver superior image quality in a lightweight, rugged form factor.

With a touch screen that responds easily to the tap of a finger, and one button optimization, clinicians can readily acquire high resolution images to increase clinical productivity at the point-of-care. A system boot-up time of less than 20 seconds and long battery life further enhance workflow when using the NanoMaxx system.

At introduction, the NanoMaxx tool is available with a complement of five transducers to support a wide range of examinations and procedures including thoracic assessment for pathology, vascular access, needle aspirations and injections, as well as abdominal, cardiac, nerve, OB/Gyn, musculoskeletal, small parts and vascular scanning.

For convenience and flexibility, the system can be wall mounted, placed on an exam table with kickstand attached, or used from a highly maneuverable stand. Physicians can easily carry the NanoMaxx tool from room-to-room, to a satellite office, to the operating room or to a field site for immediate use.

The NanoMaxx system’s highly integrated architecture and ruggedized design, including the industry’s first elastomeric bumper for extra durability, plus magnesium outer shell, allows it to be used in the most demanding and austere environments. Proving its reliability, the NanoMaxx system and its transducers successfully passed SonoSite’s standard three foot durability drop test.

In addition, to further reduce the risk of infection, the NanoMaxx system’s fluid-resistant user interface makes the system easy to clean and disinfect, helping to address the growing concern over infection control in the medical community.

Press release: SonoSite Announces FDA Clearance for Its New Nanomaxx Ultrasound Tool

Product page: NanoMaxx

Flashback: NanoMaxx Tiny 6 Lb. Ultrasound System Unveiled