Antibiotics are usually only needed at particular sites, where infection is likely to start. Yet, they’re delivered throughout the entire body via pills and injections. This results in poor localized effectiveness, unnecessary effects on the rest of the body, and sometimes leads to the development of resistance. Researchers at Flinders Univer (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
Interview with a Father of Modern Surgical Robotics, Dr. Yulun Wang
Founder of both InTouch Health and Computer Motion, Dr. Yulun Wang is considered one of the fathers of modern surgical robotics. Originally a graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara, Dr. Wang developed AESOP (Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning), the first FDA approved surgical robot, and the ZEUS Robotic Surgical System (Read more...)
Soft Auditory Brainstem Hearing Implants from Platinum Kirigami
People who have hearing loss because of inner ear damage or from a poorly functioning auditory nerve are not helped by cochlear and middle ear implants. Auditory brainstem implants (ABI), which bypass most of the hearing system and send signals directly to the auditory brainstem, are the best option for such patients. But currently these […]
(Read more...)Chip to Evaluate Health of Immune System from Blood Sample
Knowing how well a patient’s immune system is functioning may be very useful in diagnosing a disease and guiding the course of therapy. Researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore are making this a reality, having developed a hybrid chip that assesses the health of white blood cells in a whole blood sample. The microfluidic (Read more...)
Alvo Medical Shows Off Its Vision of The Future of Operating Room Design
Located in the picturesque town of Śmigiel, Poland, Alvo Medical is a family-run business that specializes in everything related to operating room layout and design. Since the company first started producing steel operating room furniture 25 years ago, Alvo has grown to become a worldwide provider of innovative healthcare solutions in the OR. (Read more...)
Contact-Free Baby Monitor Uses White Noise to Monitor Breathing
Echolocation technologies can detect objects by measuring how long it takes sound to bounce off them. This is used to detect submarines underwater, but now to also measure a child’s breathing while delivering soothing, and sleep inducing, white noise. Next week, researchers from the University of Washington will be at the MobiCom 2019 confere (Read more...)
HairBoom Air Helmet FDA Cleared to Treat Hair Loss
WONTECH, a Korean company, won FDA clearance for its HairBoom Air hair loss treatment helmet. The device delivers low-power laser therapy to the scalp, bathing it in light. This kind of treatment has been shown to help increase blood flow around hair follicles, increasing oxygenation in nearby tissues, resulting in more hair growth and improved [&h (Read more...)
Medtronic Launches Evolut Pro+ TAVR System: Interview with Dr. Pieter Kappetein
Last month, Medtronic announced receipt of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for and launch of the Evolut Pro+ TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) System to treat patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. Aortic stenosis is characterized by stiff, often thickened aortic valve leaflets that struggle to open and close (Read more...)
FDA Clears geko Muscle Pump Activator to Prevent VTE
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) too often strikes bedridden patients in the hospital, and this is one of the main reasons that patients are put back on their feet as soon as possible. Inflatable wraps placed around the legs, which can raise the pressure, are a common way to prevent the condition. Now, a device called geko […]
3D Liquid-Cell Electron Microscopy Imaging Now Possible
Electron microscopy revealed a world that exists at scales smaller than the wavelength of light. Advancements in this field have allowed scientists to visualize ever more objects and processes, but actually seeing living cells in 3D and within a liquid environment has been impossible. Now, a team of researchers from Penn State University, Virginia (Read more...)
Peptide Particles Ferry Drugs Across Blood-Brain Barrier
Most drugs, genetic materials, and other therapeutic agents are very difficult to use inside the brain because of the blood-brain barrier. There have been attempts to use ultrasound and microbubbles to create temporary passages through the barrier, including as a possible therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, but this is approach is not easy or id (Read more...)
Noble’s Self-Injection Trainers for Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs: Interview with Joe Reynolds, Research Manager
Last year, Medgadget heard from Noble International about its “smart” training devices that educate patients on safe and effective at-home use of prefilled syringes and autoinjectors. At the time, Joe Reynolds, Research Manager at Noble International, shared some use cases for the company’s products, including rheumatoid arthritis (Read more...)
Microfluidic Device for Rapid Lyme Disease Diagnosis
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a microfluidic device that can diagnose Lyme disease in as little as 15 minutes. The device is particularly accurate in identifying antibody biomarkers that are present during early stage Lyme disease, raising hopes that it could be useful in detecting cases of early infection in a doctor’s of (Read more...)
iRhythm-Verily Partnership: Interview with iRhythm CEO Kevin King
iRhythm and Verily announced a partnership last month to “co-develop solutions intended to provide early warning, diagnosis and management for patients, particularly for those with silent or undiagnosed AF.” We spoke with iRhythm CEO Kevin King to understand how the two companies complement each other and how they can solve the problem (Read more...)
Light Therapy Device to Treat Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most common substances that people are poisoned by. It has no smell and is invisible to the naked eye, but can cause severe damage to tissues and lead to death. Patients who have already suffered significant lung damage because of CO inhalation too often don’t respond sufficiently to […]
Sweat Sensors Help Predict Outbursts in Autistic Kids
Kids with autism can become unruly and aggressive, often without any warnings for those around them. Such outbursts can also be emotionally difficult for family and caretakers, not just the kids, and planning events and going into public places is a major challenge. Having a bit of warning about an autistic child’s worsening mental state [&he (Read more...)
Medtronic’s Tiny New InterStim Micro Neurostimulator Submitted to FDA
Medtronic has filed for FDA approval for its InterStim Micro neurostimulator and the accompanying InterStim SureScan MRI leads. The rechargeable device delivers sacral neuromodulation therapy to treat conditions such as overactive bladder, fecal incontinence, unobstructed urinary retention, and urinary urge incontinence. Along with the InterStim Mi (Read more...)
Low Power MRI Helps Image Lungs, Brings Costs Down
Modern clinical MRIs usually have magnetic field strengths of 1.5 or 3.0 Tesla. These are pretty powerful magnets and it’s the reason that these devices are very expensive. While such strengths have been standard for a long time, the internal hardware and software beyond the magnets have been improving steadily. Now, researchers affiliated wi (Read more...)
Dexcom G6 Pro with Blinded Mode FDA Cleared
Dexcom landed FDA clearance for its Dexcom G6 Pro continuous glucometry system. Intended to be used by medical professionals with their patients, it offers a novel “blinded” mode that allows physicians to hide live glucose readings from patients. Using this capability, doctors can review glucometry data and propose lifestyle changes to (Read more...)
New Drug Capsule for Oral Delivery of Insulin, Protein-Based Drugs
Most drugs are administered in pill form, but some have to be injected because they would otherwise be broken down by the gastrointestinal tract. This limitation mostly applies to protein-based drugs. Insulin, essentially a small protein (aka peptide), is by far the most injected medication in the world. It saves lives, but injections can be [&hell (Read more...)