Genetics
A number of degenerative eye diseases are related to photoreceptors no longer functioning properly. There can be a host of reasons that photoreceptors don't work, but soon it may not be that important to know why the disease is happening. That is because researchers at University of California, Berkeley have come up with a way of treating retinal degenerative diseases by turning cells that normally can't sense light into ones that can. The researchers used an inactivated virus to introduce a gene into the ganglion cells of mice suffering from macular...
People with dementia, as well as those that take care of them, can benefit from a bit of robotic assistance. There are a few robots on the market that are designed to help elderly people around the house, but not too much exists for those suffering from cognitive decline. While there's been development in this field, researchers at the University of California, San Diego wanted to find out what kinds of robots would actually help. The team brought together a group of caregivers that have a good deal of experience with...
CareAlert, A Non-Intrusive Home Monitoring System: Interview with Fereydoun Taslimi, CEO of SensorsCall
March 18th, 2019 by Kenan Raddawi
The world’s aging population continues to grow. Today, in the U.S. alone, there are more than 46 million people 65 years and older, accounting for around 15 percent of the population. This is expected to swell to 20 percent by the year 2030. One of the main decisions that we are bound to make as we get older is whether or not we will continue to live at our own place. Unsurprisingly, studies have shown that nearly 90 percent of seniors living in the U.S. prefer to grow old in...
BD Venovo Stent Approved in U.S. to Treat Iliofemoral Venous Occlusive Disease
March 18th, 2019 by Editors
BD (Becton Dickinson) won FDA approval for its Venovo venous stent, which is the first stent available for treating iliofemoral venous occlusive disease. Typically, arteries are the vessels that become narrow or even blocked from calcified plaque, but veins can also suffer from similar issues. The iliac and femoral veins near the groin are particularly prone to being occluded and that's where the Venovo stent should help. The Venovo is made of nitinol and it's made to be very flexible, so as to be able to reach the target treatment zone....
Platelets are an important component of blood's clotting mechanism. When platelets are not aggregating as well as they should, there might be a need for a platelet transfusion during clinical care. Platelet functionality is hard to determine quickly with current methods, but researchers at the University of Washington have developed a microfluidic device that can directly assess how well the platelets are doing. The device produces results within about two minutes, which is fast enough in most cases to let clinicians decide a timely course of action. “Our system requires a...
FundamentalVR Integrates HaptX Gloves Into Virtual Reality Surgical Trainer
March 18th, 2019 by Editors
FundamentalVR, a company that makes virtual reality training tools for medical education, has integrated the HaptX Gloves into its Fundamental Surgery platform. Fundamental surgery can be used on different computers and with a variety of virtual reality headsets and haptic tools. Most systems that can provide a sense of touch have relied on pointer-like tools that the user holds with the fingers. The HaptX Gloves make each finger and the entire hand into a virtual reality, haptic controller. Her'es a video FundamentalVR released showing off what's possible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZZmca5EWRA Via: FundamentalVR...
Direct studies on the brain are inherently difficult, as it's a complex and fragile organ hidden behind a thick skull. Animal studies can help, but animal brains are different from human ones. In order to better study how the brain works and its pathophysiology, researchers have been working on growing tiny replicas of specific parts of the brain in the lab. Now scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany are reporting the development of a brain organoid model of neuronal heterotopia,...
Triboelectric Generators to Power Implantable and Wearable Medical Devices
March 18th, 2019 by Editors
Wearable and implantable medical devices are constantly hungry for electricity to power their functions. Batteries, their lifetime, whether they can be recharged, and other related issues influence the design, usability, and functionality of electrically powered medical tech. Triboelectric generators that convert mechanical energy into electricity are an ideal solution, but their efficiency and other limitations have prevented their adoption in the medical space. Researchers at Purdue University have now developed a liquid-metal-inclusion based triboelectric nanogenerator, dubbed LMI-TENG, that can produce meaningful amounts of electricity from natural body movements, such as those...
Following peripheral vascular and microvascular surgeries, it is important to be able to monitor how blood is flowing through the treated vessels and whether there may be an occlusion or compromise. This monitoring typically requires a nurse or a trained sonographer to use Doppler ultrasound, but now a new option is available. Sonavex, a company based in Baltimore, won FDA clearance for its EchoSure system that combines 3D ultrasound with deep learning algorithms that can nearly completely automate the process of blood flow monitoring. The system provides both visual and...
Alternative Orthopedic Fixation Company Ossio Developing Absorbable Fixation Devices
March 15th, 2019 by Kurt Yaeger
Ossio, a medical device company with offices in Caesarea, Israel and Woburn, Massachusetts, recently announced a $22 million Series A venture investment round led by LA-based OCV Partners. This brings the company’s total venture funding to $35 million. This technology received FDA 510(k) clearance in January 2019. Ossio has developed the OSSIOfiber Intelligent Bone Regeneration Technology, which provides a biocompatible framework for bone regeneration after traumatic fractures or orthopedic surgery. The platform is a bioabsorbable polymer resin (PLDLA) combined with natural mineral fibers, constructed in a sturdy matrix to maximize biomechanical...
BIOTRONIK Wins FDA Approval for Two High-Voltage Families of Cardiac Implants
March 15th, 2019 by Editors
The FDA has given BIOTRONIK approval to introduce the company's Acticor and Rivacor lines of high-voltage cardiac rhythm implants. They're designed to treat tachycardia (likely supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and have been made to be smaller and have a longer battery life. Some of the implants have a nearly 15 year lifetime, helping to lower the number of replacement procedures. All of the implants are 3 Tesla MR-conditional, meaning that patients can undergo most MRI scans as long as certain precautions are taken. BIOTRONIK touts the shape of the implants, which...
Withings, the famous French maker of stylish activity trackers, blood pressure cuffs, and other personal healthcare and fitness devices, is releasing a breathing disturbance monitor. Built into its Sleep tracking mat, the technology can detect many of the instances when a person's breathing is interrupted. These events can be signs of sleep apnea, which in turn can lead to a variety of cardiovascular conditions. As a matter of fact, Withings is planning to add true sleep apnea detection to the Sleep mat once it received FDA and European regulatory clearances,...
Medicine
Microfluidic Device Measures Platelet Health in Minutes
Platelets are an important component of blood's clotting mechanism. When platelets are not aggregating as well as they should, there might be a need for a platelet...
March 18th, 2019
Withings Releases Breathing Disturbance Sleep Monitor
Withings, the famous French maker of stylish activity trackers, blood pressure cuffs, and other personal healthcare and fitness devices, is releasing a breathing...
March 15th, 2019
Tea Bag Implant Protects Islet Cells While Letting Insulin Flow Out
Type 1 diabetes patients have to inject themselves with insulin to replace the inability of beta cells of pancreas to produce the hormone. To cure Type 1 diabetes will...
March 11th, 2019
Cardiology
Sonavex EchoSure Vascular Blood Flow Monitor Cleared in U.S.
Following peripheral vascular and microvascular surgeries, it is important to be able to monitor how blood is flowing through the treated vessels and whether there...
March 18th, 2019
BIOTRONIK Wins FDA Approval for Two High-Voltage Families of Cardiac Implants
The FDA has given BIOTRONIK approval to introduce the company's Acticor and Rivacor lines of high-voltage cardiac rhythm implants. They're designed to treat...
March 15th, 2019
Siemens Healthineers to Unveil SOMATOM go.Top Cardiovascular Edition CT Scanner
Siemens Healthineers is releasing a new CT scanner tuned specifically for cardiovascular imaging. The new SOMATOM go.Top Cardiovascular Edition provides advanced...
March 14th, 2019
Surgery
Microfluidic Device Measures Platelet Health in Minutes
Platelets are an important component of blood's clotting mechanism. When platelets are not aggregating as well as they should, there might be a need for a platelet...
March 18th, 2019
FundamentalVR Integrates HaptX Gloves Into Virtual Reality Surgical Trainer
FundamentalVR, a company that makes virtual reality training tools for medical education, has integrated the HaptX Gloves into its Fundamental Surgery...
March 18th, 2019
da Vinci Surgical Robot Given Sense of Touch to Prevent Injury
Intuitive Surgical effectively brought robotics into the operating room with its da Vinci systems. The company now dominates this market and its robots are now used...
March 15th, 2019
Emergency Medicine
Resistance-Sensing Needle Helps Improve Injection Accuracy
While most medical tools have seen incredible advances over the past century, the syringe has remained relatively unchanged despite room for improvement. Without the...
March 11th, 2019
Wireless, Flexible Body Sensors for Monitoring Premature Babies
Children born prematurely end up in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) where they're hooked up to an array of sensors, each connected by a wire to a patient...
March 5th, 2019
Signal Catheter Prevents Injury from Premature Balloon Inflation
Safe Medical Design, a company based in San Francisco, CA, won FDA clearance for its Signal Catheter device. The indwelling foley urinary catheter is designed to...
March 1st, 2019
Radiology
BD Venovo Stent Approved in U.S. to Treat Iliofemoral Venous Occlusive Disease
BD (Becton Dickinson) won FDA approval for its Venovo venous stent, which is the first stent available for treating iliofemoral venous occlusive...
March 18th, 2019
Siemens Healthineers to Unveil SOMATOM go.Top Cardiovascular Edition CT Scanner
Siemens Healthineers is releasing a new CT scanner tuned specifically for cardiovascular imaging. The new SOMATOM go.Top Cardiovascular Edition provides advanced...
March 14th, 2019
Scientists Make MRI Practical for Breast Cancer Screening
Breast cancer is usually spotted using mammography, which delivers a good deal of dangerous X-ray radiation. MRI is a safer imaging modality that can produce higher...
March 13th, 2019
Anesthesiology
Resistance-Sensing Needle Helps Improve Injection Accuracy
While most medical tools have seen incredible advances over the past century, the syringe has remained relatively unchanged despite room for improvement. Without the...
March 11th, 2019
Next Generation SedLine Cleared in EU to Monitor Children's Brains Under Anesthesia
Masimo just won European clearance to introduce its Next Generation SedLine brain monitoring system for use on pediatric patients over one years old. The technology,...
March 6th, 2019
SafeOp Automated Neuromonitor Cleared to Find Nerves, Assess Their Health
Alphatec, out of Carsbad, California, won FDA clearance for the SafeOp automated neuromonitoring system for use in real-time intraoperative nerve location and...
February 28th, 2019
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