We spend around one-third of our life sleeping, and as we all know, the quality of our sleep directly affects how we feel and function the following day. Those of us looking for a better night’s sleep often start by searching for a “better” pillow, but what does that mean? We have all heard companies […]
Author: Medgadged
BIOTRONIK PK Papyrus Stent for Emergency Repair of Coronary Perforations
BIOTRONIK obtained FDA’s approval, under the Humanitarian Device Exemption, for its PK Papyrus covered coronary stent system. It’s indicated for emergency use when treating acute coronary perforations, both of native vessels and bypass grafts, and is the only device of its kind available to treat vessels between 2.5 mm and 5.0 millimeters in diameter and only […]
Welkin Health Launches Workshop for Patient Program Customization
Many patient programs require technology businesses and startups to deploy complex workflows for healthcare organizations, which can vary all the way down to the patient level. Scaling these programs can require significant effort and cost, not to mention increased reliance on the technology provider to accurately translate a healthcare organization’s complex patient interactions. Seeking to […]
New Fiber Optic Sensor for In Vivo Photoacoustic Imaging
Researchers at Jinan University in China have tinkered with the design of optical fibers to create a novel new type of sensor for photoacoustic imaging. Because the technology uses flexible fibers, it may have applications for implantable, wearable, and diagnostic medical devices. Photoacoustics involves using laser light to create ultrasound waves within tissue. This is […]
Withings Releases Tough Smartwatch with Advanced Fitness Tracking
Withings, the French company that sold itself to Nokia and then rescued itself back as an independent firm, has just put out its first product since the corporate separation. The new Withings Steel HR Sport watch looks much like a classic mechanical or quartz watch, but which is actually packed with multiple sensors and digital […]
Microscopic Implantable Sensors Measure Dopamine in Brain
Dopamine is a neural signaling molecule seemingly involved in nearly every aspect of the brain’s activity. Yet, there hasn’t been a practical way to monitor the long term levels of dopamine in lab animals, let alone in humans. The main problem is that sensors developed so far degrade in the brain within a matter of […]
dayzz, An Evidence-Based, Personalized Sleep Training App for Employers, Interview with CEO Amir Inditzky
In addition to fatigue, high blood pressure, and weight gain experienced by individuals with chronically poor sleep, productivity and performance in the workplace are also known to suffer. Sleep deprivation, for example, can cost employers up to six lost working days and $2,762 in financial impact annually per employee. Today, the American Academy of Sleep […]
Oticon Opn Hearing Aids Now Help Assess Hearing Health
Oticon, one of the big names in hearing aid products, is releasing a tool that helps people using hearing aids to learn more about their hearing health and to better understand how these devices are impacting their lives. The technology is available on the Oticon Opn hearing aids, including for patients that have already been […]
NVIDIA Releases Computing Platform for AI in Medicine
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is already beginning to have an impact in medicine, but there’s certainly a lot more that we should be expecting from it in the future. There are a number of issues that prevent a wider adoption of AI in medicine, a lot of them technological in nature. For example, medical systems […]
Scientists See At-Home Biohacking as Future of Medicine
The cost and regulatory environment in which drugs are currently created lead to a number of difficulties for patients, providers, and drug manufacturers. Clearances and approvals, patents, and terms of use agreements, among other things, have forced some patients to turn to “biohacking” their own medical care. Researchers at Colorado State University have been studying […]
Philips Trilogy Evo Portable Ventilator Platform Makes Transitions Easy
Being on a ventilator can be a frightening experience for many patients, and switching between different ventilators for transport, or when going home, can be emotionally challenging as well. To make transitions such as these easier for patients and clinicians, and to provide users the confidence that they’re receiving consistent and closely monitored care, Philips […]
Paper Test for Monitoring Phenylalanine and Other Metabolites in Blood
People with congenital phenylketonuria, a condition in which the amino acid phenylalanine is overproduced, have to undergo regular blood testing. This is important in part because maintaining a proper diet can reduce phenylalanine levels, so gauging the effectiveness of one’s diet can help control the condition. Currently, though, blood samples have to be sent out to […]
Looking Deep Into Living Brain Using Photon Counter on Laser Scanning Microscope
New technology has been developed at Tel Aviv University in Israel that significantly improves 2D and 3D imaging of neuronal activity in the brains of living animals. The technology should help make new findings possible about the workings of the brain and how neurological diseases operate. PySight, as the technology is called, uses open-source software […]
XACT Robotic Needle Navigation System Cleared in EU for Percutaneous Procedures
XACT Robotics out of Caesarea, Israel won EU approval to introduce its needle steering and insertion system for percutaneous procedures including biopsies and ablations. The robotic device gives physicians a more accurate and precise way of moving needles toward difficult to reach targets. The robot is placed on the patient during a procedure and it […]
Flexible Stick-On Ultrasound Patch Measures Central Blood Pressure
Scientists at the University of California San Diego created a flexible ultrasonic patch that can measure the blood pressure in major vessels such as the jugular vein and carotid artery. The technology has already shown, in a proof-of-concept study, that it may be made as accurate as invasive means to measure the central blood pressure. […]
Simple Musical Instrument to Catch Fake Medicine
Counterfeit drugs is a major global health problem, particularly in poorer areas of the world. While regulatory schemes, expensive equipment, and constant vigilance keep the drug supply mostly pure in developed nations, in many places pharmacists and even patients have to manage for themselves to make sure that drugs are what they say they are. […]
ResMed Unveils “Minimal-Contact” Full Face CPAP Mask
ResMed is releasing a new full face CPAP mask that the company claims to be its first “minimal-contact” device of this kind. The AirFit F30 mask features a cushion that avoids sitting on top of the nose, preventing rubbing of that area and disturbing the visual field of view, something that can lead to claustrophobia […]
Software Monitors Social Media to Help Coordinate Emergency Response
Now that another hurricane is approaching the Atlantic coast of the United States, social media sites such as Twitter will be full of reports about what’s going on on the ground. This is useful information for emergency management teams that are working on coordinating where to direct resources, but the flow of this information can […]
Apple Unveils New Watch with ECG Built-In
Apple just unveiled its latest smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 4, and it has one impressive new medical feature: a built-in single-lead ECG (electrocardiograph). The FDA has cleared it as a medical device, according to Apple, and we assume the clearance is for detecting certain cardiac arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation. Previously, the KardiaBand from AliveCor […]
Transducers Free of Crystals to Make Ultrasound Radically Cheaper
Contemporary ultrasound scanners have piezoelectric crystals inside that are able to generate an electric charge when they’re struck by ultrasonic vibrations. These crystals are really the heart of ultrasound devices, but they’re difficult and expensive to grow. The costs associated with running specialty factories to make crystals is a big reason why ultrasound devices are […]