Exclusive
Heavy bleeding during menstruation, known as menorrhagia, is often treated by endometrial ablation. There's a number of methods of doing so, including delivery of heat, cold, and microwaves, but each has a number of downsides and limitations. AEGEA Medical is a Silicon Valley company that has developed a unique technology, called adaptive vapor ablation, that allows physicians to treat menorrhagia in a five minute procedure that doesn't require cervical dilation, nor any direct contact with the uterine fundus. We were curious and wanted to find out more and had an...
Medtronic won European CE Mark approval to introduce its Valiant Navion thoracic stent graft for treating lesions within the descending thoracic aorta such as thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA), blunt traumatic aortic injuries (BTAI), and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers (PAU). The system received FDA approval in October of this year. The Valiant Navion is particularly beneficial for patients with narrow iliac arteries, in whom previously developed minimally invasive access could has been difficult and additional procedures may have been required just to get started. The new product is based on the Valiant Captivia thoracic...
PerQseal Absorbable, Sutureless Large-Bore Closure Device Coming to Europe
November 13th, 2018 by Editors
Vivasure Medical, a Galway, Ireland company, is launching in Europe its PerQseal closure device for use in large vessel femoral arteriotomies following large-bore transcatheter procedures, such as aortic valve replacements. Though minimally invasive transcatheter procedures have revolutionized cardiovascular care, closing the access sites created for them can be challenging. The PerQseal device is sutureless and, once placed, fully absorbable into the body. The synthetic-material patch seals the vessel from the interior, slowly dissolving and letting the vessel heal naturally. “In my first clinical experience with PerQseal, I found the device intuitive and...
BReast CAncer gene one (BRCA1) is one of the best-known genes linked to breast cancer risk. Unfortunately, the technology to spot the gene requires a lab and expertise at interpretation. Researchers at Louisiana State University have now developed a smartphone-based system called FLuoroZen that can test for the cancer-related BRCA1 mutation at the point-of-care within twenty minutes. The FLuoroZen analyzes DNA within saliva or blood when the sample is placed on nitrocellulose paper, itself placed on a glass slide. The device then detects the fluorescent oligonucleotide spots on the nitrocellulose paper...
Delivering drugs directly into skin cells using microscopic nanoneedles may allow for highly effective treatment of skin conditions without injuring the cells that are treated. Silicon nanoneedles have been developed in the past that can do such a trick, but they're stiff and can be painful, in addition to quickly losing their effectiveness. This is because the nanoneedle arrays are normally placed on rigid silicon wafers. “To tackle this problem, we developed a method that enables physical transfer of vertically ordered silicon nanoneedles from their original silicon wafer to a...
Researchers at Children’s National Health System, working with engineers from Medtronic, have created a pacemaker appropriately tiny enough to implant into infants. Measuring only one cubic centimeter, about the size of a large pill, it allows the device to be implanted inside the child in a minimally invasive fashion. Currently, because of their size, pacemakers implanted into very small children either remain outside the body or require open surgery with large incision. The new pacemaker is so small that a one centimeter incision is all that's necessary to place it under...
DNA origami is a technique for building different shaped molecules out of the four standard nucleotide bases. Various forms can be constructed, such as tubes, pyramids, and cubes, and the shapes of these molecules can significantly affect their functionality. Now they've been shown to be useful for treating acute kidney injury (AKI). The DNA origami nanostructures (DONs), that researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Arizona State and a few institutions in China have developed, have been shown to protect kidneys from succumbing to AKI and to heal already injured kidneys. The effect...
University of Missouri Research Reactor Now Supplying Iodine-131 for Thyroid Treatment
November 12th, 2018 by Editors
Medical radioisotopes are widely used in cancer treatment, but their production has been hampered to the point that obtaining them has become a challenge. The lack of Technetium-99m is probably the most widely known, but there's also a shortage of Iodine-131 (I-131), a radioisotope commonly used for diagnosing and treating thyroid conditions because the thyroid absorbs iodine naturally. Things are now looking up as the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), a 10 megawatt reactor, has just produced the first commercial batch of I-131. International Isotopes, Inc. is the buyer and distributor. This is the...
Researchers at Purdue University have designed a prototype glaucoma drainage device that can clean itself under the influence of external magnetic waves. The innovation could lead to ocular drainage implants that last significantly longer than current models. The CDC has reported that approximately three million Americans are living with glaucoma. At present, clinicians prescribe medications, or advise that patients undergo surgical implantation of a drainage device to relieve the pressure build-up in the eye and restore sight. However, these approaches offer varying degrees of success. One of the problems is...
Siemens Healthineers has unveiled a new mobile C-arm, the Cios Spin, that can provide both 2D and 3D imaging in just about any operating room. Mostly intended for orthopedic procedures, the device allows clinicians that are currently using 2D C-arms to upgrade to 3D capability and see things in a much more intuitive perspective. Positioning implants and driving screws into bones requires great accuracy and a clear understanding of the tissues being worked. The Cios Spin features the company's Retina 3D scan technology, an imaging volume of 16 cubic centimeters...
Beatboxers can make some pretty wild sounds, from deep bass thumps to snare drum cracks. How they do it is very much a mystery because the vocal chords and everything around them is hidden behind layers of tissue. Researchers at University of Southern California are using an MRI scanner to study this matter with the help of real beatboxers. The investigators are able to identify various markers of different sound types on MRI scans and see how the anatomy affects the sounds that are produced. The research is being presented this...
3M is releasing a new surgical adhesive tape that was developed to address special needs for a variety of clinical applications. The 3M Durapore Advanced tape is particularly beneficial when securing critical tubes that have to stay in place without a danger of being moved (chest tubes, JP drains, etc). The new product line adheres to skin, various tubes, and to itself, and when the surface is moist, having different textures, and in humid environments the tape is designed to perform well. The tape sticks on evenly throughout the surface,...
Medicine
DNA Origami Nanoparticles to Treat Acute Kidney Injury
DNA origami is a technique for building different shaped molecules out of the four standard nucleotide bases. Various forms can be constructed, such as tubes,...
November 12th, 2018
3M's New Durapore Advanced Surgical Tape for Keeping Tubes in Place
3M is releasing a new surgical adhesive tape that was developed to address special needs for a variety of clinical applications. The 3M Durapore Advanced tape is...
November 8th, 2018
Flexible LED Sensor Monitors Blood-Oxygenation Levels Through Skin
Researchers at University of California Berkeley have developed a flexible sensor that can be placed on the skin to measure levels of blood oxygenation over a large...
November 8th, 2018
Cardiology
Medtronic's Valiant Navion Thoracic Stent Graft Cleared in EU
Medtronic won European CE Mark approval to introduce its Valiant Navion thoracic stent graft for treating lesions within the descending thoracic aorta such...
November 13th, 2018
PerQseal Absorbable, Sutureless Large-Bore Closure Device Coming to Europe
Vivasure Medical, a Galway, Ireland company, is launching in Europe its PerQseal closure device for use in large vessel femoral arteriotomies following large-bore...
November 13th, 2018
Tiny New Pacemaker Small Enough for Infants
Researchers at Children’s National Health System, working with engineers from Medtronic, have created a pacemaker appropriately tiny enough to implant into...
November 12th, 2018
Surgery
Point-of-Care BRCA1 Mutation Testing in 20 Minutes
BReast CAncer gene one (BRCA1) is one of the best-known genes linked to breast cancer risk. Unfortunately, the technology to spot the gene requires a lab and...
November 13th, 2018
Cios Spin Mobile 3D C-Arm for Orthopedic Surgery
Siemens Healthineers has unveiled a new mobile C-arm, the Cios Spin, that can provide both 2D and 3D imaging in just about any operating room. Mostly intended for...
November 9th, 2018
3M's New Durapore Advanced Surgical Tape for Keeping Tubes in Place
3M is releasing a new surgical adhesive tape that was developed to address special needs for a variety of clinical applications. The 3M Durapore Advanced tape is...
November 8th, 2018
Emergency Medicine
Cios Spin Mobile 3D C-Arm for Orthopedic Surgery
Siemens Healthineers has unveiled a new mobile C-arm, the Cios Spin, that can provide both 2D and 3D imaging in just about any operating room. Mostly intended for...
November 9th, 2018
3M's New Durapore Advanced Surgical Tape for Keeping Tubes in Place
3M is releasing a new surgical adhesive tape that was developed to address special needs for a variety of clinical applications. The 3M Durapore Advanced tape is...
November 8th, 2018
Flexible LED Sensor Monitors Blood-Oxygenation Levels Through Skin
Researchers at University of California Berkeley have developed a flexible sensor that can be placed on the skin to measure levels of blood oxygenation over a large...
November 8th, 2018
Radiology
Medtronic's Valiant Navion Thoracic Stent Graft Cleared in EU
Medtronic won European CE Mark approval to introduce its Valiant Navion thoracic stent graft for treating lesions within the descending thoracic aorta such...
November 13th, 2018
PerQseal Absorbable, Sutureless Large-Bore Closure Device Coming to Europe
Vivasure Medical, a Galway, Ireland company, is launching in Europe its PerQseal closure device for use in large vessel femoral arteriotomies following large-bore...
November 13th, 2018
University of Missouri Research Reactor Now Supplying Iodine-131 for Thyroid Treatment
Medical radioisotopes are widely used in cancer treatment, but their production has been hampered to the point that obtaining them has become a challenge. The lack...
November 12th, 2018
Anesthesiology
3M's New Durapore Advanced Surgical Tape for Keeping Tubes in Place
3M is releasing a new surgical adhesive tape that was developed to address special needs for a variety of clinical applications. The 3M Durapore Advanced tape is...
November 8th, 2018
Flexible LED Sensor Monitors Blood-Oxygenation Levels Through Skin
Researchers at University of California Berkeley have developed a flexible sensor that can be placed on the skin to measure levels of blood oxygenation over a large...
November 8th, 2018
Machine-Learning Can Help Anesthesiologists Foresee Complications
During surgeries, anesthesiologists must monitor the vital signs of patients and administer the proper doses of anesthesia at the right times. While managing these...
October 31st, 2018
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