End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients experiencing kidney failure typically require hemodialysis in order to artificially remove fluid and waste from blood and maintain appropriate electrolyte concentrations. For many patients on hemodialysis, an arteriovenous (AV) fistula is created to link an artery to a vein. Veins are too fragile for frequent access, but arteries are too deep. Creating an AV fistula makes the vein that is linked to an artery more resilient and capable of providing regular vascular access for dialysis. While effective, and a standard of care for ESRD patients,...
Liver Chip Avoids Animal Testing, Makes Drug Research Easier, Faster
December 5th, 2019 by Medgadget Editors
Low liver toxicity is a major hurdle that drug candidates have to demonstrate before they are used as therapeutic medications. This testing is usually performed using animals, including rodents and dogs, with livers that aren't quite like ours. Animal studies are useful, but they often result in misleading information, which may not be realized until long into the drug development process. Sometimes, patients are injured by such drug candidates when liver toxicity isn't properly assessed ahead of time. Now, a research collaboration involving scientists from Emulate, a Boston-based firm, AstraZeneca,...Read More
Researchers at the Polytechnique Montréal Nanorobotics Laboratory in Canada have developed a new method to guide endovascular instruments into complex vascular structures that were hitherto inaccessible to endovascular surgeons. The technique involves moving the patient and the endovascular instrument using a robotic platform within a magnetic field. Endovascular surgery has enabled minimally invasive approaches for a huge array of surgical interventions. However, the technique is not without its challenges, and advancing a thin catheter through long and tortuous vasculature can be difficult, with the device potentially getting stuck. In fact,...Read More
At the RSNA conference in Chicago, Samsung unveiled a new high-end ultrasound, the RS85 Prestige. Based on the RS85, the system comes with a new imaging architecture as well as a set of features designed to expand the system's capabilities and improve diagnostic accuracy. So-called "Crystal Architecture" within the RS85 Prestige relies on Samsung's established S-Vue transducer technology along with the new CrystalBeam beamformer and CrystalPure imaging engine, to generate high fidelity images. MV-FLow with LumiFlow is an included feature that makes viewing blood flow easier and more accurate. 3D...Read More
Researchers at the University of Bath in the UK have developed low-power silicon chips that mimic the electrical activity of neurons. This breakthrough could enable the small chips to function as artificial neurons in numerous implants and medical devices, and the technology has significant potential in treating a wide range of chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases and heart failure. Researchers have been attempting to develop artificial neurons for a long time. Such technology would be extremely useful in a wide variety of diseases and conditions. For instance, artificial neurons could...Read More
Microelectrode Spinal Implants to Control Paralyzed Limb Function
December 4th, 2019 by Siavash Parkhideh
Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada have used novel platinum/iridium microelectrodes to create a functional map of the lower spinal cord in monkeys, demonstrating how different segments of the spinal cord control lower limb movement. This development may one day be used for rehabilitation of patients with paralysis. The spinal cord is a complex part of our nervous system, regulating our breathing, gait, and bowels. Thus, stimulation of the spinal cord has been studied for re-animating paralyzed limbs and improving recovery. In order to have controlled, intended effects,...Read More
Siemens Unveils AI Apps for Automatic MRI Image Segmentation
December 4th, 2019 by Medgadget Editors
Siemens Healthineers is releasing a couple of AI-driven and cloud-based software applications, one for the brain and one for the prostate, that automate a great deal of the manual tasks that radiologists have to perform. Both of the applications can be used with data coming from any MRI machine, so can be deployed by just about any facility using an MRI scanner and scanning the brain and/or prostate. The AI-Rad Companion Brain MR for Morphometry Analysis, without any manual intervention, segments brain images from MRI exams, calculates brain volume, and...Read More
Ethicon, a part of J&J, is releasing a new surgical fibrin sealant designed to be delivered much faster than existing options. The VISTASEAL Fibrin Sealant helps to control unexpected bleeding thanks to its chemical composition and delivery mechanism, which work together to quickly get to the bleed site and achieve hemostasis faster. VISTASEAL contains fibrinogen and thrombin, two clotting proteins that are naturally present in blood plasma. These help the material to produce clots quickly and with high reliability. The product can be used during open procedures, and thanks to...Read More
Dr. Hugh Herr, Founder of BionX: On The Superpowers of Bionic Technologies
December 3rd, 2019 by Alice Ferng
Two young and extremely talented rock and ice climbers set out to summit Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States (6,288 feet) and considered to be the world's most dangerous small mountain, in January of 1982. Despite careful planning, an unfortunate turn in the weather caused Hugh Herr and his friend Jeff Batzer to descend on the wrong side of the mountain, forced to hike through the Siberian-cold nights to keep from freezing to death. Thankfully, on the fourth day, local EMS efforts were directed to where...Read More
VivaLNK, a Silicon Valley company, won the European CE Mark for its VivaLNK multi-vital medical wearable sensor and accompanying software development kit. The reusable device sticks to the patient's chest and can record ECG waveforms, the respiratory rate, heart rate, RR interval, as well as movement based on a three-axis accelerometer. It weighs only .26 ounces (7.5 grams) and can be used repeatedly. It may have significant impact for helping to diagnose difficult to detect cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AFib). The reusability of the device should help with...Read More
3DQuorum Mammography Tech Reduces Number of Images for Radiologists to Review
December 3rd, 2019 by Medgadget Editors
Hologic has won FDA approval to introduce its 3DQuorum imaging technology to the U.S. market. Powered by the company's Genius AI analytics platform, the new software reconstructs 3D data captured by a Hologic 3D mammography system to generate so-called "SmartSlices" that are each 6 millimeters in width. During the reconstruction, the system spots clinically important regions and keeps relevant image features intact. In the process, though, the image volume that radiologists have to review drops by 66 percent. Image quality, sensitivity, and the accuracy of reproductions remain the same, but...Read More
SOMATOM On.site: A Portable CT Scanner for Bedside Head Exams
December 3rd, 2019 by Medgadget Editors
At the ongoing RSNA conference in Chicago, a gathering of the world's radiologists, Siemens Healthineers introduced its SOMATOM On.site CT scanner that can be wheeled right into patient rooms for bedside exams. Currently, patients requiring a head CT have to be taken to wherever the scanner is, but the mobility of the SOMATOM On.site allows for the equation to flip. For patients in intensive care units this reduces the risks involved in transportation and doesn't tie up multiple staff when a single person can transport the SOMATOM On.site on their...Read More
Medicine
Interview with Medtronic's Mark Pacyna on Approval of IN.PACT AV DCB for Failing AV Fistulae
Liver Chip Avoids Animal Testing, Makes Drug Research Easier, Faster
Samsung Unveils New RS85 Prestige Ultrasound System
Cardiology
Samsung Unveils New RS85 Prestige Ultrasound System

Silicon Chips as Artificial Neurons

VivaLNK's Tiny Reusable and Wearable ECG Cleared in Europe

Surgery
Samsung Unveils New RS85 Prestige Ultrasound System

VISTASEAL Fibrin Sealant to Quickly Stop Surgical Bleeds

Canon's New High-End PET/CT Scanner Unveiled

Emergency Medicine
Samsung Unveils New RS85 Prestige Ultrasound System

VISTASEAL Fibrin Sealant to Quickly Stop Surgical Bleeds

Canon's New High-End PET/CT Scanner Unveiled

Radiology
Samsung Unveils New RS85 Prestige Ultrasound System

Siemens Unveils AI Apps for Automatic MRI Image Segmentation

3DQuorum Mammography Tech Reduces Number of Images for Radiologists to Review

Anesthesiology
Samsung Unveils New RS85 Prestige Ultrasound System

Flexible Wireless Oxygen Sensor for Monitoring Newborns at Home

Butterfly Network Expands Applications for Smartphone-Connected Ultrasound: Interview
