The Mount Sinai School of Medicine is reporting that its surgeons are using a small wireless sensor to monitor for pressure inside the aorta, following endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair(EVAR). In such a surgery, a repair of aortic aneurysm is done by inserting an endovascular stent graft through arteries in the groin. The intraaortic monitoring device is called RemonAAA and it comes from Remon Medical Technologies Ltd., an Israeli company.
Company’s description of its technology:
In recent years a less-invasive procedure of inserting an endovascular stent graft has become more prevalent, and is expected to account for more than 65% of all AAA surgical procedures by 2003. Despite such advances, between 40-50% of patients who undergo the procedure develop a serious complication in which the aneurysmal sac is not completely isolated, leading to recurrent pressurization of the sac (endotension) and/or endoleaks. If undetected, this complication may lead to rupture…
RemonAAA will allow physicians to directly and non-invasively monitor the most important parameters in assessing the risk of aneurysmal rupture…
The Company’s core technology utilizes acoustic waves, which both energize and communicate with the implanted device. The advantage of this approach is that acoustic waves transmit effectively inside the body (through soft tissue, bones and fluids), and are not absorbed by the intervening tissue. Acoustic communication requires very little energy to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio when accessing locations deep inside the body.
Remon’s proprietary technology is integrated into a minute implant, requiring no antenna, battery, or connecting leads. The system can either serve as a sensor, measuring parameters such as pressure, flow, temperature, and irradiation dosage, or as an activator for localized drug therapies and nerve or tissue stimulation. The implant contains an energy exchanger, a control chip, and a sensor or activator, all enclosed in a miniature casing, roughly the size of a grain of rice. The Remon solution also incorporates a specially developed external unit, capable of powering the implant and receiving information directly from the implanted sensor.
To learn more, go to the company’s website…
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine press release…
Flashback: The EndoSure™ Wireless AAA Pressure Measurement System
