Posts by: Editors

Unveiled: Medtronic’s CardioGuide Navigation Support System for LV Lead Implantation

by Editors on Apr 9, 2013

Attaching LV electrode leads to the heart when implanting cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers and defibrillators (CRT-P and CRT-D) requires quite a bit of precision and knowledge of vessel locations on each patient. Medtronic just released its CardioGuide Implant System, a 3D imaging system developed by Paieon Inc. that generates 3-D images of the cardiac veins. In combination with a fluoroscope, the system overlays previously prepared venogram model images onto the virtual representation of the heart and tracks the leads in real time as they are advanced toward the target.

The hope is that the new system will lead to shorter procedure times, allowing physicians to quickly position leads exactly where needed, which in turn will improve the effectiveness of implanted devices and lead to better outcomes for patients.

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ResolutionMD Android App Cleared by FDA for Diagnostic Imaging (w/video)

by Editors on Apr 9, 2013

Calgary Scientific won FDA clearance for the Android version of its ResolutionMD app as a diagnostic imaging tool. The app streams data from a variety of imaging modalities, with off-site servers preparing it for rapid visualization on a smartphone or tablet. Because most processing is done outside the mobile device, no sensitive patient information seems to be transmitted, making it a fundamentally secure process.

The iOS version of ResolutionMD received FDA clearance in September of 2011.

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Dissolvable Electronics Demonstrate Effectiveness in Bacteria Fighting Implant

by Editors on Apr 9, 2013

Following up on our coverage of the work of John Rogers, who is leading efforts at University of Illinois to develop flexible and bioresorbable electronic systems, there’s news now of new findings evaluating such implants in animal models.

Presented at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Rogers discussed a thermoactive implant that delivered localized heating to prevent bacterial growth in surrounding tissue. The implant worked as intended, producing a prophylactic effect and then dissolving completely into the body. The research foreshadows implants that treat acute pain, monitor surgical sites, and restore biological function before essentially disappearing without having to perform excisions.

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Dissecting Art, Intersecting Anatomy: The Art of Pauline Lariviere (w/video)

by Editors on Apr 9, 2013

Last month at the S3 Gallery in Chicago, an exhibit titled Dissecting Art, Intersecting Anatomy profiled the work of Pauline Lariviere, a mid-century scientific artist who brought a new approach to medical illustration. Unlike most of her contemporaries, Lariviere moved away from trying to perfectly recreate human anatomy, but rather focused on accentuating important features and using vibrant colors to improve understanding.

The exhibit featured many of Lariviere’s works, as well as those of artists that were influenced by her philosophy and style.

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3D Printed Reproductions of Anatomy to Prepare Surgeons for Operations

by Editors on Apr 8, 2013

Being competent in performing a variety of specific procedures has been the hallmark of an experienced surgeon, an ability that only experience with previous cases could provide. Various software systems exist that attempt to instill some aspects of a real surgical experience using 3D animation, interaction, and virtual participation.A promising new technique that uses CT scanners and 3D printers may allow surgeons to better understand and train on unique patient anatomies in preparation for operations.

Researchers at Notre Dame are currently printing skeletons of small animals using 3D imaging taken from CT scans, a technique that is easily transferable to human anatomy. Not only this is applicable to bone tissue, but the researchers believe that soft tissue can also be printed and presented for interrogation and practice.

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MGH CTC-iChip Sets New Bar for Circulating Tumor Cell Detection

by Editors on Apr 8, 2013

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed by primary tumors and allow the cancer to metastasize to the distant sites. While this is a devastating tool in cancer’s war chest, it offers clinicians a marker through which to diagnose and monitor progress of the disease. Since the discovery of CTCs over a hundred years ago, researchers have been developing ever more sensitive methods of capturing them since they’re extremely rare in whole blood.

Now a team from Massachusetts General Hospital has reported in journal Science Translational Medicine further refinements of their CTC-iChip that we initially reported three years ago. The new iteration of the device can process 107 cells per second and is applicable to just about any cancer type. Importantly, the CTC-iChip does not require using tumor-specific target molecules, perhaps allowing it to be used as a cancer screening tool. So far its ability to detect CTCs has been shown in epithelial and nonepithelial cancers of the lung, prostate, pancreas, breast, and melanoma.

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New PCR Chip for Automatic Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms

by Editors on Apr 8, 2013

A collaboration between IMEC, a Flemish research center, and Panasonic has led to the development of a new PCR chip that automatically and quickly detects SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) in whole blood. Current methods take hours, but the new system can do 30 temperature cycles in 9 minutes.

The system also makes preprocessing a thing of the past, since blood and chemicals are mixed together inside the chip. This makes the device an excellent candidate for future point-of-care testing for genetic diseases and will hopefully bring prices down for such testing.

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Color Changing Crystals Used to Map Ultrasound Energy Delivery

by Editors on Apr 8, 2013

Ultrasound transducers are known to suffer from heating issues, but the body’s tissues that are resonated can also be damaged from the mechanically built-up heat. Moreover, the pattern of the ultrasound waves coming off the transducers is not uniform, creating areas of varying pressures and temperature. This can lead to attenuated imaging in certain areas with “overexposure” in other parts.

Now researchers at UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have developed a method to provide information about the distribution of ultrasound energy coming off the transducer head. The system relies on embedding special color changing crystals that respond to heat into tiles. Applying ultrasound to the tiles provides a nearly immediate visual representation of the energy being delivered, offering clinicians a better ability of gauging the effect on tissues, as well as helping engineers developing ultrasounds better understand the performance of their prototypes.

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Oxford Creates New Type of 3D Printed Tissue (w/video)

by Editors on Apr 5, 2013

Creating replacement tissue for therapeutic uses typically means growing materials that very much resemble the real thing. Yet for many uses, simply recreating specific functionality of a tissue is all that’s really required.

Researchers from Oxford University have reported in journal Science a new technique to 3D print a new type of material made of large numbers of water droplets trapped within lipid films. As an example of how the material may turn out to be useful in medicine, the team was able to make protein pores within the droplets that can serve as biological pathways for functional activity.

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