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At present, mitral heart valve failure is treated through invasive surgery or via a transcatheter procedure called Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER). However, this procedure is difficult to perform, potentially resulting in suboptimal outcomes in challenging cases and if done by inexperienced clinicians. To address this, Moray Medical, a company based in Mountain View, California, has developed a robotic catheter and associated technology, including augmented reality and a 3D digital interface, designed to make the job easier. In fact, the company claims that using its technology to deliver cardiac therapies can...

October 26th, 2020 by Medgadget Editors
Radiology
Siemens Healthineers won clearance from the FDA for the Ysio Max digital radiography system that features a number of so-called MAX technologies, including new detectors and usability features that improve imaging and quicken exams. Three new detectors are included, including the new MAX wi-D, the lightest 14 x 17” wireless detector with a handle, that weighs only 6.6 lbs. and is just over a half an inch thick. The new wireless MAX Mini, developed for pediatric, orthopedic, and trauma applications, is 10 x 14 x 0.6" in size and weighs...Read More

October 26th, 2020 by Conn Hastings
Neurology
Researchers at Penn State and Houston Methodist Hospital have developed a tool to aid doctors in rapidly diagnosing strokes. The technology uses a smartphone to record a patient’s speech and facial movements, and a machine-learning algorithm then processes these data to identify whether a stroke probably occured. The researchers have shown that their system is as accurate as an ER clinician in diagnosing stroke, and that it can provide accurate answers within minutes. "When a patient experiences symptoms of a stroke, every minute counts," said James Wang, a researcher involved...Read More

October 23rd, 2020 by Conn Hastings
Rehab
Researchers at MIT have developed a wearable sensor that can detect small deformations of the skin, potentially serving as a way to help amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients to communicate through facial movements. The low-cost sensors are much cheaper and may be more effective than current assistive communication technologies for ALS patients. Canan Dagdeviren, the lead researcher on the project, and who has been previously interviewed by Medgadget, became inspired to develop technology to assist those with ALS to communicate after meeting Professor Stephen Hawking in 2016, and noting that...Read More

October 22nd, 2020 by Medgadget Editors
Medicine
Stryker has announced a new completely wireless hospital bed that sports a number of smart patient monitoring features. The ProCuity, which is actually a series of beds that have somewhat varying capabilities, was developed to minimize patient falls, help clinicians to efficiently monitor those that are bedridden, and to maintain connectivity when the bed is on the move. ProCuity beds include Stryker's Secure Connect technology that provides a wireless way to connect to nurse call systems. When connected, the beds will stream parameters such as bed configuration, including the position...Read More

October 21st, 2020 by Conn Hastings
Surgery
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute and the University of Stuttgart in Germany have developed a method to create high-resolution ultrasound fields, a capability which may improve the effectiveness of ultrasound therapies and tailor them for individual patients. The technique involves passing ultrasonic waves through water, where hydrogen bubbles help to transform the waves into desired shapes. High-power ultrasound therapy is currently used to destroy tumor tissues, including prostate and uterine tumors. However, the technique can also damage healthy tissue, since it generates a great deal of heat, so the...Read More

October 20th, 2020 by Conn Hastings
Diagnostics
Researchers at McMaster and Brock universities in Canada have developed a hand-held device that can provide rapid measurements of cancer biomarkers in blood samples. Termed an electrochemical bio‐barcode assay, the device could be used to measure a variety of health markers at home, and is similar to the devices used by patients with diabetes to measure blood glucose levels. Monitoring and detecting disease using blood-based biomarkers typically requires a blood sample to be sent to a laboratory and potentially days or weeks before a result is available. Moreover, such labs...Read More

October 19th, 2020 by Conn Hastings
Surgery
Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a ‘sucker’ to pick up and transfer thin cell or tissue sheets that are intended for therapeutic purposes, such as wound healing or tissue grafting. Inspired by octopus suckers, the device can gently manipulate the delicate sheets without causing damage, and uses heating and a temperature-responsive hydrogel to create suction between the sucker and the sheet. "For the last few decades, cell or tissue sheets have been increasingly used to treat injured or diseased tissues. A crucial aspect of tissue transplantation surgery,...Read More

October 16th, 2020 by Conn Hastings
Medicine
Researchers at the University of Colorado have developed a new rapid test for sickle cell disease. Their tiny device is less than the size of a quarter, and can provide a result in as little as one minute. The technology uses ultrasound to heat a protein sample and then measures how it dissolves over time to identify the protein responsible for sickle cell disease. Relatively inexpensive and requiring only a simple camera (such as those on a smartphone), a power source and a microscope, the technology could be suitable for...Read More

October 16th, 2020 by Conn Hastings
Materials
Researchers at Penn State have developed a supportive gel that allows for printing of complex shapes using cell aggregates. The gel provides a supportive matrix during the printing process, and permits the researchers to place the aggregates wherever they want. This technique could pave the way for printed replacements for tissues and organs. Bioprinting, where cell aggregates, such as organoids, are printed to form complex shapes, holds significant promise for regenerative medicine. Simply printing replacement tissues or organs is a tantalizing idea. However, the process is delicate, and so far,...Read More

October 15th, 2020 by Medgadget Editors
GI
Delivering drugs to internal organs and tissues is usually achieved through ingested medications, but these are often diluted and intercepted before enough can reach the intended destination. Targeted delivery is preferred but usually very difficult to accomplish, particularly when there's a lot of fluids and movement. This is the case with the colon, an organ that in many patients would benefit immensely if doctors had a way to place drugs on its interior tissues. Now, engineers at Purdue University have come up with tiny robots, controlled by an external magnetic...Read More

October 13th, 2020 by Conn Hastings
Exclusive
Hydrocephalus patients have an excess of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, which needs to be drained away through a ventricular shunt. However, these shunts regularly fail, with potentially life-threatening results. At present, there isn’t an easy way to check that a shunt is still working, and clinicians typically use brain MRI/CT scans to see if a shunt is still draining correctly. Not only are these imaging procedures inconvenient and expensive, but in the case of CT they may expose a hydrocephalus patient to significant amounts of radiation if regular assessments...Read More

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