Medgadget

Hitachi and PENTAX Collaborate on HI VISION Preirus Ultrasound

Editors — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:18:49 +0000

Hitachi has released its HI VISION Preirus ultrasound system that it developed in conjunction with PENTAX. The system can be used in most ultrasound imaging situations, including OB/GYN, in interventional procedures, and for transesophageal cardiac echos thanks to an optional add on.

From a PENTAX news release:

Medtronic’s Coronary Export Advance Aspiration Catheter Cleared in EU

Editors — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:24:49 +0000

Medtronic announced that its Export Advance aspiration catheter received the CE Mark and will soon be available in Europe. The device is used for thrombus removal, a time sensitive procedure that requires quick access to the site of the obstruction.

The Export Advance features a metal core running down the shaft that prevents the catheter from kinking and improves pushability when navigating to the target. The wrapping, meanwhile, is made using something called “full-wall variable braiding technology” that “provides variable levels of stiffness along the length of the device to enhance flexibility and pushability,” according to the company.

CDx Diagnostics Wide Area Transepithelial Sample Biopsy with 3D Analysis Effective in Spotting Barrett’s Esophagus (VIDEO)

Editors — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:26:47 +0000

An interesting tool from CDx Diagnostics (Suffern, NY) is proving effective at identifying dysplasia and Barrett’s Esophagus, potential precursors for esophageal cancer.

The company’s WATS3D (Wide Area Transepithelial Sample biopsy with 3-dimensional analysis) technology collects a more varied sample of tissue than individual pokes using forceps and collects more samples to analyze than cytology. These are then analyzed in 3D throughout the entire sample to spot any signs of disease, a technique that in the latest study showed an “increased detection yield of Barrett’s Esophagus by 20% (9-32%, p < .05). Correlation of WATS3D and forceps biopsy results was uniformly high among all sites with an average concordance index of .88 and a range of .82-.94. In three sites that had more than 30 WATS3D tests performed or had on-site assistance, the increased detection yield of Barrett’s Esophagus was an average of 46% (20%-88%, p < .05, n=75).”

Nihon Kohden’s New Lightweight Mobile Transport Monitor

Editors — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:15:52 +0000

Japan’s Nihon Kohden is releasing in the U.S. its new patient transport monitor. The device weighs 3.5 pounds (1.5 Kg), features a touch screen 5.5 inch (14 cm) screen, and keeps track of a 12-lead ECG, respiration, pulse oximetry, patient temperature, blood pressure, and a few other things. The device records unusual events for later analysis, as well as trends that clinicians can use to get a better perspective on a patient’s condition.

The system includes a removable battery that will keep the monitor running for five hours and a memory card stores all the readings for easy data transfer once the patient arrives at the hospital.

BioMatrix NeoFlex Coronary Stent CE Marked for Sale in Europe

Editors — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:29:42 +0000

BioMatrix, a company based in Singapore, received European clearance for its BioMatrix NeoFlex drug eluting stent. The device sports a new delivery system for easier navigation through vasculature and has a lower lesion entry profile than the model it’s replacing.

The stent is coated in BioMatrix’s own proprietary immunosupressant, Biolimus A9, which helps prevent smooth muscle cell growth around the implant.

Rice University Students Develop Shoe Energy Harvester to Power Medical Devices (VIDEO)

Editors — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:44:31 +0000

As medical devices are becoming more energy hungry thanks to new capabilities, batteries that are used to power them are not keeping up. Lithium ions have essentially plateaued the development of new batteries for now, but a way to overcome this challenge is to generate power continuously and feed it to hungry devices as needed.

A team of engineering students at Rice University have been tasked with developing a new device that can harvest the body’s motion to produce useful electric power. In the process of researching where it’s best to gather the energy they settled on the heel of the shoe, which is normally designed to absorb the shock and finally transfer the energy into heat that is lost forever. They instead developed a mechanical heel that spins a small motor, that in turn generates electric power. The device, called PediPower, produces about 400 milliwatts in laboratory tests, enough to charge a battery for some limited applications.

Take a Deep Breath and Find Your Inner Balance – a User Friendly iOS Sensor and App from HeartMath

Janelle Chang — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:34:45 +0000

According to HeartMath (Boulder Creek, California), about 60% of adults have tried to reduce their stress levels, with 50% of this population still struggling to consistently achieve this goal.

This editor was recently given the opportunity to use and review HeartMath’s Inner Balance, an iOS sensor that detects heart rate variability (HRV), the time interval between heart beats, and uses the signal to guide the user through more controlled breathing hopefully leading to an “improved well-being, vitality, clarity of thought, access to your heart’s intuition, and a more balanced response to stress”. The company uses a metric titled “Coherence” which is defined by a smooth sine-wave-like pattern in the HRV plot and, according to HeartMath’s research, is reflective of a number of important physiological changes. These include “an overall shift in autonomic balance toward increased parasympathetic activity, … a number of different bodily systems synchronize to the rhythm generated by the heart [blood pressure rhythm, respiration, and]… there is increased synchronization between the activity of the heart and brain.”

Direct Flow Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve Gets FDA Feasibility Trial OK (VIDEO)

Editors — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:14:23 +0000

Direct Flow Medical out of Santa Rosa, California received an FDA green light to begin a feasibility trial of the company’s second-generation Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve System in patients with aortic stenosis.

The device is positioned around the stenotic valve and inflated to fully replace the original functionality. This polymer-based device that has no metal parts, and it can be deflated and repositioned or removed at anytime. Rapid pacing of the heart is not required when placing the prosthesis, reducing the stress put on the heart during the procedure. According to the company, the device “encompasses a distinctive transcatheter aortic heart valve with a metal-free frame and flexible, low-profile delivery system that virtually eliminates aortic regurgitation.”

Analog Sensor-Based Medical Devices Resilient, but Show Some Weakness to Radio Frequency Hacking (VIDEO)

Editors — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:50:05 +0000

As worn medical devices are becoming more common and some are merging with the world of consumer technology, security is becoming an issue that scientists are trying to address before real problems arise. A lot of published research in this field focuses on manipulating digital signals in an attempt to confuse and disrupt the normal functionality of implants.

An international team of researchers has instead focused on the analog sensors that many of today’s devices use. The investigators used real devices, which were placed in saline solution or artificial cadavers, and researchers showed that under limited controlled conditions they were able to cause some disruption of functionality by beaming radio signals of various frequencies at the devices. The team does note that practically it would be very difficult to use their technique to disrupt medical devices and that implants in particular are hard to manipulate.

HeartMate II Pocket Controller for Thoratec LVAD Gets U.S. Clearance

Editors — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:42:42 +0000

Thoratec received FDA clearance to offer its Pocket Controller for patients using the company’s HeartMate II LVAD (left ventricular assist device). The controller has been made lighter and smaller than previous generation models, and has an internal battery that can energize the pump at full power for 15 minutes when disconnected from the main source.

The device sounds alarms and provides on-screen instructions for what to do, but otherwise stays quietly hidden in a pant pocket.