Bandages used to treat chronic wounds present a host of challenges, particularly when they’re removed to examine and clean a wound. While this is necessary, the process can be very painful for the patient, difficult on the clinician, and the wound may become infected due to being exposed. A team of researchers from Swiss Federal Laborato (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
Genetically Engineered Baker’s Yeast Detects Variety of Fungal Pathogens
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a cheap and easy to use fungal pathogen sensor based on store bought baker’s yeast. Currently available methods for detecting specific fungi involve expensive equipment, the use of refrigeration, and trained personnel. Using the team’s technique may result in cheap, readily available tes (Read more...)
Medtronic’s Micra Pacemaker Survives Flight to Space
This is an update to a recent story of ours on the first pacemaker in space. The Medtronic Micra is the smallest pacemaker currently available. It’s so small that it’s delivered via a catheter and attached to the endocardium of the heart, where its internal battery paces the heart for years. It’s certainly an incredible piece (Read more...)
Scalp Cooling to Prevent Hair Loss from Chemo Cleared in US for Solid Tumor Patients
Thanks to a new FDA clearance, cancer patients with solid tumors undergoing chemotherapy will now have the ability to have their scalp cooled by the DigniCap system to help prevent hair loss. Previously only indicated for breast cancer patients, the DigniCap Cooling System moves cool liquid through a cap worn by a patient during chemo sessions (Read more...)
iHealth Clear Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor: A Quick Look and Interview
iHealth Labs recently launched iHealth Clear, its newest addition to the growing product line of mHealth devices. With five other blood pressure cuffs on its line (iHealth Sense, View, Feel, Ease, and the Blood Pressure Dock), this sixth product is unique in that it offers a voice-supported smart blood pressure monitor (BPM) that uses a stand- (Read more...)
Edwards INSPIRIS RESILIA Aortic Valve Now Approved in U.S.A.
Edwards Lifesciences has announced that the FDA has issued approval for its INSPIRIS RESILIA prosthetic aortic valve, which is based on the popular Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT device. Cleared in Europe just under a year ago, the INSPIRIS RESILIA features flaps made from RESILIA material, a tissue developed by Edwards that helps maintain the i (Read more...)
HxRefactored 2017 Day 2: Healthcare Policy, a Deep Dive into Blockchain, and Yoga
Welcome back for a summary of Day 2 of HxRefactored which featured keynotes and breakout sessions around the design of healthcare processes, systems, and technologies. Matthew Holt, Chairman of Health 2.0, returned to the stage to kick things off with a keynote on the current changes taking place in Washington, D.C. and the potential impa (Read more...)
Closed Loop System Reads Brain Activity to Activate Neurostimulator Only When Needed
At the University of Washington researchers have been focusing on drastically improving the longevity and performance of deep brain stimulators for people suffering from essential tremor. These devices, implanted like pacemakers with electrode leads stretching up into the brain, run on internal batteries. The devices, not knowing when to quiet the (Read more...)
Varian’s Halcyon Image-Guided Volumetric Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy System Now FDA Cleared
Having unveiled it only two months ago, Varian has announced receiving FDA clearance for its Halcyon image-guided volumetric IMRT system. Varian has been working on improving the quality and shortening the time of treatment sessions, as well as making it easier to install, maintain, and train people using the system. The company has introduced (Read more...)
3D Printed Patient Cardiovascular Anatomy to Guide Replacement Heart Valves
In cases of heart valve replacements, surgeons have different sizes and options to choose from, each prosthetic device having its unique qualities and limitations. Predicting the best replacement heart valve for patient’s specific morphology may soon be easier to figure out thanks to the use of 3D printing. Researchers at Georgia Tech are pri (Read more...)
BIOTRONIK’s Pulsar-18 Stent with Thin Delivery System for Superficial Femoral Arteries Now Available
BIOTRONIK is releasing its new Pulsar-18, a self-expanding stent designed for placement within the superficial femoral artery (SFA). This is the only FDA approved device of its kind to fit inside a 4 French sized delivery catheter, making it easier to get it through difficult lesions and place it accurately at the target location. The dev (Read more...)
Nevisense Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy to Test Lesions Before Biopsy for Melanoma
SciBase, a Swedish firm, won FDA approval to introduce its Nevisense system to help dermatologists assess suspect cutaneous lesions that may be melanoma tumors. Unlike many technologies that have been attempted to characterize cancerous lesions, this one uses electrical impedance rather than optical methods. The system delivers electric curren (Read more...)
A Pill to Replace Needles: Interview with Mir Imran, Chairman and CEO of Rani Therapeutics
Operating within InCube Labs, a multi-disciplinary life sciences R&D lab based in Silicon Valley, Rani Therapeutics is developing a novel approach for the oral delivery of large-molecule drugs such as basal insulin, which is currently delivered via injections. By replacing painful injections with a painless, easy-to-take pill, the technology ha (Read more...)
Needle-Free Viscous Drug Injections: Interview with CEO of Portal Instruments
High viscosity biologic drugs generally require syringe injections, but many patients are extremely uncomfortable around long needles and injection times can create a great deal of anxiety. Portal Instruments, a company out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has developed a nearly automatic needle-free injector that reminds us of something doctors in sci (Read more...)
CT Perfusion Technology Monitors Blood Flow to Predict Ovarian Cancer Treatment Response
Patients with advanced ovarian cancer have a very high relapse rate following primary treatment, with 60 to 85% of patients relapsing. Treatment planning is an important factor in patient care, but few reliable options exist to help physicians accurately plan treatment and select patients who are appropriate candidates for a specific therapy. (Read more...)
Engineering Immune Organoids : An Interview with Prof. Ankur Singh from Cornell University
Organ-on-a-chip technologies are redefining the way in which in vitro models help understand and recapitulate the in vivo environment. The immune system is particularly difficult to model in an in vitro environment because of the complexity of biological, mechanical, and chemical cues that modulate the immune cells. Prof. Ankur Singh, an assistant (Read more...)
High Speed Microfluidic Guillotine Helps to Study How Cells Repair Themselves
There are single cell organisms in existence that, after being cut in two, regenerate themselves into two separate fully functional living beings. Understanding the mechanism of this ability can help to better study cancer, improve treatment for physical injuries, and track the development of neurodegenerative diseases. But, carefu (Read more...)
Fingertip Simulator Models Nerve Activity to Introduce Sense of Touch to Prostheses
At the University of Chicago neuro researchers are working on studying how the nerves in a person’s fingertips communicate with the brain to relay tactile sensations. They hope their understanding will lead to technologies that enable the sense of touch in prosthetic devices and to that end they’ve built a simulator that replicates the (Read more...)
Self-Administered Microneedle Patch to Make Flu Vaccine More Accessible
These days flu vaccines are administered using needles and in some pediatric applications via a nose spray. Needles in particular can create quite a bit of anxiety and for many people even the idea of a visit with a medical professional keeps them from being vaccinated. A new flu patch developed at Georgia Tech, that […]
Hand-Held Probe Can Detect Cancer Cells in Real-Time During Surgery
Scientists in Montreal, Canada have perfected a hand-held Raman spectroscopy probe that surgeons can use to distinguish between cancer cells and normal tissue. Raman spectroscopy is a technique that involves shining light on a material and analyzing how it scatters. Scientists have used the method for years to analyze and characterize living t (Read more...)