Aziyo Biologics, out of Silver Springs, Maryland, won FDA clearance for its CanGaroo Envelope to be used with implantable neurostimulators. It has previously been cleared only for encapsulating implantable cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators. The CanGaroo Envelope is, contrary to what its name may imply, is a porcine extracel (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
Equashield Uses Robots and Image Recognition to Handle Hazardous Drugs
Although lifesaving, chemotherapy drugs are potentially hazardous to the pharmacists and other healthcare workers who routinely handle them. Closed System Transfer Devices (CSTDs) are used to move these drugs from one container to another, while preventing contamination and occupational exposure due to aerosolization or needle sticks. A reliable CS (Read more...)
EZbra Breast Dressing to Make Post-Op Recovery Easier, Safer
EZbra Advanced Wound Care, a firm based in Tel Aviv, Israel, is releasing in the U.S. its innovative breast dressing for recovery following procedures such as biopsies, lumpectomies, reconstructions, and placement of implants. The company hopes that its EZbra all-in-one device will become a standard of care, as currently there is no universally acc (Read more...)
Medgadget Sci-Fi Contest 2018: Meet The Authors and Read Their Stories
From Jules Verne to Isaac Asimov, science fiction writers have inspired scientists, explorers, and thrill seekers to influence the future of humanity. While Sci-Fi may seem like it’s about the distant future, more often than not it’s commentary on rudimentary technologies that already exist and that are about to mature and reveal their (Read more...)
GE Healthcare’s New Revolution Apex CT with Deep Learning Image Reconstruction
GE Healthcare unveiled a new CT scanner in its lineup of Revolution family of devices. The Revolution Apex device features the brand new Quantix 160 X-Ray tube and Deep Learning Imaging Reconstruction, a system built on GE’s Edison platform to produce “TrueFidelity” images in challenging cases. GE believes it offers the “ind (Read more...)
Inkrypt and Translo Partner on Blockchain-Based, Secure, Shareable Healthcare Data (Interview)
Last month, two startups out of Harvard Innovation Labs announced a partnership to enable patient-controlled sharing of biomedical data from a decentralized platform. The underlying system is provided by Inkrypt, a privacy-centric decentralized content hosting platform. Inkrypt uses a decentralized storage architecture, blockchain technology, and a (Read more...)
NYU and Facebook Release Database to Teach AI to Read MRI Scans
Imaging scans, such as those taken using MRI machines and CT scanners, are hot targets for artificial intelligence research. Improving how well and how fast radiologists can spot lesions and other tissue characteristics can significantly improve the effectiveness of medicine overall. One problem regularly faced by researchers in this field is a sho (Read more...)
Continuous Glucose Measuring Smartwatch, K’Watch Glucose, Expected Soon
PKvitality, a company based outside of Paris, France, has announced that it’s getting ever closer to unveiling the world’s first glucose measuring smartwatch. The K’Watch Glucose, as it’s expected to be called, features the company’s patented SkinTaste technology that samples glucose from the skin and K’apsul bio (Read more...)
Nanopore Sensor Exploits Artificial Intelligence for Specific Virus Detection
Researchers at Osaka University in Japan have developed a nanopore sensor to detect single influenza viral particles in a biological sample. The researchers used artificial intelligence to work out the “hallmarks” of the virus, which allowed them to identify it using the sensor. The technique has potential as a point-of-care diagnostic (Read more...)
electroCore Vagus Nerve Stimulator Cleared for Prevention of Cluster Headache
electroCore, based out of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, received the first FDA clearance for a product to prevent cluster headache. The gammaCore non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) system was previously cleared for treating pain that has already kicked in, that is related to migraines and episodic cluster headaches. The new clearanc (Read more...)
Amazon Comprehend Medical Understands Free-Form Clinical Text
Amazon, not content with disrupting retail, distribution, computing, publishing, grocery shopping, and other spheres of business, is now turning its attention to medicine. It has recently announced the launch of its own brand of consumer medical devices, and has now released a service that can convert unstructured medical data, such as doctor&rsquo (Read more...)
New E-Skin Nearly as Sensitive as Real One
At Stanford University researchers have created an electronic skin that is sensitive enough to give robotic hands the ability to handle delicate berries. Though mostly intended for robotic hands, the technology may give powered prostheses similar capabilities. The e-skin can measure slight pressures and even the direction in which they’re app (Read more...)
Spire’s Health Tag: CEO Interview and Product Review
Spire, a San Francisco-based company best known for its stress management and activity tracker called Stone, has recently launched their new product, Health Tag. Health Tag is a health-tracking device designed to overcome some of the limitations present in many of today’s wearable devices, such as limited battery life or having to remember to (Read more...)
Attilan Developing Virtual Prosthetic Arm Training
Upper body amputees that receive powered prosthetic arms and hands require a lot of practice to get used to new prostheses. These devices are not exactly intuitive to use, so peg boards and other rehab gadgets are employed. This kind of rehab can get pretty monotonous and, because the prostheses are often heavy, physically exhausting. […]
Self Forming Injectable Gel for Cervical Brachytherapy Procedures
A Virginia Tech polymer chemist and a University of Virginia clinical oncologist, have teamed up to create a special gel to reduce the pain associated with cervical cancer brachytherapy. This kind of therapy involves placing radioactive sources near the location of tumors, which essentially kill the cancer cells. Gauze is placed within the vag (Read more...)
Siemens Healthineers Releases Mobilett Elara Max X-Ray
Siemens Healthineers is releasing a new mobile, general purpose X-ray system, the Mobilett Elara Max. It features secure connectivity to the hospital’s IT systems to quickly store and retrieve the captured images, a design to make the unit easier to clean, and overall improved ergonomics for ease of use. The cabling has been integrated i (Read more...)
Nanome Looking for VR Folks to Help Complete Human Biome Map
Molecular scientists these days have tools at their disposal that allow to do quite incredible things. To use these tools to create new drugs and therapies, they need new ways to visualize and manipulate molecules using computers. Proteins are important subjects of study, as an understanding of their structure and how they fold and work [&hel (Read more...)
Siemens Healthineers Unveils MAGNETOM Altea 1.5 Tesla MRI Scanner
Siemens Healthineers has unveiled a new 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner, the MAGNETOM Altea, at the RSNA conference in Chicago. The device features a generous 70 centimeter bore that will fit some of the largest patients, as well as the company’s BioMatrix technology that helps to prepare for scans based on patient info and speeds up […]
Severely Disabled People Control Tablet Computer via Brain Implant
A team of researchers in the U.S. has given three quadriplegic people the ability to use an off-the-shelf tablet computer with impressive ease. The researchers used a BrainGate2 neural interface that relies on an intracortical electrode array implant to allow direct communication between the brain and the tablet. The high-end system connected to th (Read more...)
Philips V60 Plus Non-Invasive Ventilator with High Flow Therapy Unveiled
Philips has unveiled and received European CE Mark approval for a new non-invasive ventilator, the V60 Plus, that features high flow therapy. Typically high flow therapy is not available in a non-invasive ventilator, requiring frequent switching in the ICU, slowing delivery of therapy, causing hardship for patients, and eating into clinicians&rsquo (Read more...)