Finding a suitable caregiver for an elderly relative can be difficult, and leaving a vulnerable loved one with a stranger can be tough, especially if they have very specific medical or care needs. An innovative platform, developed by Hometeam, a company working in New York City and New Jersey, aims to match caregivers with seniors […]
Author: Medgadged
Butterfly iQ, a Whole Body Ultrasound That Fits in a Pocket
Butterfly Network, a firm based in Guilford, Connecticut, won FDA clearance and is introducing its Butterfly iQ portable ultrasound system. It consists of a portable transducer that connects directly to an iPhone, and an iOS app to display the images and to control settings. The device actually works as three different transducers thanks to an [&he (Read more...)
EluNIR Drug-Eluting Coronary Stent from Medinol Wins European Clearance
Medinol, a company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, has announced that its EluNIR drug eluting stent received the CE Mark of approval in Europe. The device is coated with ridaforolimus to help prevent restenosis and is designed be both highly flexible while maintaining flexibility, making it easier to reach and penetrate difficult lesions. The compa (Read more...)
Reminder: Medgadget Sci-Fi Writing Contest!
We are excited to announce the return of the Medgadget Sci-Fi Writing Contest! We cover the latest medical technologies on a daily basis, many of which may seem like they come from the future. Yet, we feel that the medical device industry can benefit from the work of creative fiction writers, as literature of the […]
Inscope Direct, The First Laryngoscope with Built-In Suction, Unveiled
Inscope Medical Solutions, a company based in Jeffersonville, Indiana, just announced its Inscope Direct, a laryngoscope with built-in suction capability. This is apparently the first device to integrate controllable suction within a laryngoscope, avoiding having the physician to switch between yankauer suction and advancing the endotracheal t (Read more...)
Reprogrammed Patient-Specific Pig Organs for Human Transplants: Interview with Dr. Jeff Ross, CEO of Miromatrix
The waiting lists for organ transplants are long, and people die daily waiting for transplants that never become available. For those that get a transplant, there is a risk that their immune system could reject it. Using organs from pigs is an alternative to human organs since many are a similar size. However, there is […]
Abbott’s New XIENCE Sierra Drug-Eluting Coronary Stent Released in Europe
Abbott is introducing in Europe its XIENCE Sierra stent following receipt of the CE Mark of approval. The device is based on the popular XIENCE everolimus-eluting stent platform. The new installment of the XIENCE features a narrower profile, greater flexibility, and available in longer lengths and smaller diameters, compared to previous device gene (Read more...)
Will Phase Space Tomography Revolutionize Cardiac Diagnostics? Interview with Don Crawford, CEO of Analytics 4 Life
Human body emits all kinds of signals that, if analyzed with the proper sensors and computers, can help us develop completely new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Most medical technology advancements are improvements of existing devices, but some people try for bigger leaps. Analytics 4 Life is a company based in Toronto, Canada, that is deve (Read more...)
Highlights from Mayo Clinic’s Transform 2017 Event
Transform 2017, held a few weeks ago, was the tenth annual healthcare innovation conference hosted by the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation (CFI). Each year it brings together stakeholders from around the world to “challenge assumptions, collaborate, and share results to create the future of health care.” This year the conference focuse (Read more...)
Scientists See Brain Rewiring Itself to Adjust to Advanced Prostheses
Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (EPFL) working with investigators in other institutions, managed to see, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), how the brain reorganizes itself after a person is treated with targeted motor and sensory reinnervation (TMSR). TMSR is a method of redirecting ex (Read more...)
UCLA Trials Ambulance Equipped with CT Scanner for Rapid Stroke Treatment
According to the AHA (American Heart Association), when it comes to stroke, it’s all about acting FAST (face, arms, speech, time). And while comprehensive stroke centers have gotten pretty good at triaging and imaging and treating patients, the time it takes for the ambulance to transport the patient to the hospital eats up precious minutes. (Read more...)
Qualcomm’s New Virtual Reality App Teaches to Diagnose Stroke
Qualcomm, the developer of mobile processors and more, is promoting the use of virtual reality, and in the process its Snapdragon technology, through the release of a medical app. It just unveiled the Think F.A.S.T. virtual reality app that trains medical students and others to diagnose signs of a stroke. As the name implies, it […]
Medgadget Joins the Verily Baseline Project Study, Part 2: The Tech
This is the second of a two-part series about Medgadget editor Scott Jung joining the Verily Baseline Project Study. Click here to read the first part. The Project Baseline Study is a landmark, 10,000-subject trial sponsored by Verily Life Sciences (Alphabet‘s life sciences division) and coordinated in partnership with Stanford University and (Read more...)
University of Michigan’s Hybrid OR: High Tech Surgical Gadgetry Inside One Room
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor sports one of the finest medical centers in America. We won’t even mention the football team. One of the reasons U of M’s clinics are at the forefront of what they do is because the university gives physicians the freedom to seek new ways of doing things. This […]
Klarus Automatic Auto-Injector System Preps Drugs for Dosing
Cambridge Design Partnership, a company that helps other firms design new products, is touting its recent work on the Klarus auto-injector management system. Auto-injectors, such as those used by people with multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, are a bit of a hassle to maintain. They need to be stored in the fridge and warmed up […]
Varian’s New Flagship Radiotherapy System Now in Europe
Varian has released its Halcyon image-guided volumetric intensity modulated radiotherapy system (IMRT) in Europe at University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium. The system, recently FDA cleared, is designed to be speedier during prep, while delivering therapy, and providing an assessment of results. The number of steps that technicians have to undertake f (Read more...)
Mental Work, an Artistic Installation Involving Brain-Computer Interfaces (Video)
At the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, a nifty art installation will be on show in the coming days that will be a part experiment and partly a demonstration of brainwave reading technology. It will involve an electroencephalography headset being connected to a motorized wheel via a computer. Peop (Read more...)
Deep Learning Network Taught to Classify Red Blood Cells by Shape
Researchers at the Northeastern University in China have developed a deep convolutional neural network that can identify and classify different shaped red blood cells. The technology may provide cheap, easy to use devices for monitoring of patients with sickle cell disease. Although it’s commonly assumed that sickle cell disease leads to the (Read more...)
Electrically Stimulating a Specific Brain Region using Ultrafine Wires Enhances Memory
Neuroscientists at UCLA have found that electrically stimulating a specific area of the brain using ultrafine wires enhances memory in epilepsy patients. If the technique can enhance memory in other patients, it might help with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Our memory naturally declines with age, and in conditions such as Alzheimer& (Read more...)
Bioresponsive Hydrogel Can Release Proteins on Cue
Researchers at Penn State have developed a DNA-laced hydrogel that mimics biological systems by releasing a proteins in response to a chemical signal, a technology which could be useful for drug delivery. The system has potential for on-demand release of therapeutic proteins, also known as biologics, to treat a variety of conditions. Hydrogels are (Read more...)