Since it seems that the virus that causes COVID-19 is going to be with us for a while, face masks will be around as well. As everyone who hasn’t worked in the OR before just noticed, not seeing the entirety of people’s faces influences how we interact with each other. Smiling, for example, completely loses […]
Author: Medgadged
Videos of Surgery Used to Teach Robot to Suture
Surgery has a reputation as being an intellectual profession, but a lot of the actual practice of surgery involves simple, routine tasks that are performed on nearly every patient. Suturing is one of those and a team of researchers from University of California Berkley and Intel thinks that it is possible to teach a robot […]
Medtronic’s MiniMed 780G with Artificial Pancreas Capabilities Cleared in EU
Medtronic won the EU CE Mark for its MiniMed 780G closed loop insulin pump that features both Medtronic’s own SmartGuard algorithm and MD-Logic, an algorithm developed by DreaMed Diabetes, a small Israeli firm. The system, indicated to be used by patients with type 1 diabetes between ages 7 and 80, automatically delivers both basal insulin […]
Patch for Melanoma Treatment to Make Chemo Easier, Painless, More Effective
Scientists at Purdue University are reporting a skin patch that can deliver chemotherapy into melanoma tumors in an effective, convenient, and painless way. This may be an important development, as currently chemotherapy delivery options are limited and result in systemic exposure in the whole body and/or poor effectiveness. Previous attempts at chemotherapy delivery via a […]
Neopenda NeoGuard Wearable Vital Signs Monitor for COVID-19: Interview with Sona Shah and Assumpta Nantume
Neopenda, a medical device startup based in Chicago that has been featured on Medgadget previously, has recently adapted its wearable vital signs monitor, originally developed for newborns, to be used with pediatric and adult patients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the neoGuard has been utilized as a monitoring solution for newborn infants […]
Medtronic Micra AV Transcatheter Heart Pacer Cleared in EU
Medtronic won the European Union CE Mark for its Micra AV pacemaker that’s delivered into the heart, where it resides without requiring any leads, using a minimally invasive transcatheter procedure. The device is indicated for patients suffering from AV block, a condition that prevents proper electrical signal transfer between the atria and the ventricle. Micra […]
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre 2 Advanced Wearable Glucometer FDA Cleared
After a long wait, the FDA has finally cleared Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 2 continuous glucose monitor in the U.S. for any patients with diabetes over four years of age. The system provides low and high glucose level alarms, which let patients know in real-time if they’re falling outside of their normal range and it doesn’t […]
Philips Fetal Monitor to Help During COVID Distancing
Philips is releasing a fetal monitoring device in the United States designed to help pregnant women and their physicians keep a close eye on what’s going on in the womb, while maintaining respect for ongoing social distancing recommendations. The Avalon CL Fetal and Maternal Pod and Patch are being made available thanks to the current […]
Samsung Releases RS85 Prestige Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound
Samsung is releasing its top-of-the-line RS85 Prestige diagnostic ultrasound system. The device sports Samsung’s latest hardware and software technologies, such as Crystal Architecture, to produce high quality ultrasound images. Moreover, the system can run a dozen or so intelligent software features that fine tune image quality in specific situations and provide measurements, assessments of blood […]
The Impact of COVID-19 on The Medical Device Industry
As of early May 2020, over 4.7 million people have been confirmed to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus[1], and governments are scrambling to contain its spread. The high R0 value (a measure of contagiousness- estimated to be between 2.0 and 3.02) of SARS-CoV-2 means that those infected copiously spread the virus and develop complications […]
Sound Waves Move Individual Droplets Inside Microfluidic Devices
Microfluidic devices are analogous to circuit boards, and they can be programmed to perform all kinds of laboratory tasks on a small scale. They have the potential to perform all kinds of medical tests involving body fluids in a short time and using very small samples. While circuit boards pass electricity, which can be abstracted […]
Printed Soft Objects for Shape-Shifting Biomedical Implants
Researchers at Rice University have developed a method to 3D print soft structures that can reversibly change their shape in response to external stimuli, such as heat or an electric current. The researchers have dubbed their technique “reactive 4D printing” and it could have potential in creating adaptive biomedical implants that can respond to external […]
Microneedle Patch for Delivering Stem Cells Into Tissue
Researchers at the Terasaki Institute in Los Angeles have developed a microneedle patch to deliver mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into the skin. The biodegradable needles contain a gelatin matrix in which MSCs can survive. Once applied to the skin and removed, the needles detach from the patch and remain within the tissue. The hard outer […]
Breathalyzer to Detect COVID-19 in Seconds
Being able to tell, in a matter of seconds, whether someone is infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 would certainly help put a halt to the ongoing pandemic. Existing tests typically involve a deep nasal swab to obtain enough fluid sample, which has to be transferred to a laboratory machine for processing, with the […]
3D Printed Liquid Crystal Elastomers for Mimicking Complex Biological Tissues
Researchers at the University of Colorado Denver have developed a method to 3D print liquid crystal elastomers so that they form complex structures with physical properties that match those of complex biological tissues, such as cartilage. The researchers hope that the technique will help with creating patient-specific implants to replace tissues that have been lost […]
Ocutrx 8K 3D Eye Surgery Imaging System Unveiled
Ocutrx, an augmented reality (AR) start-up based in Irvine, California, is releasing an ophthalmology visualization system designed to make it easier for surgeons to perform procedures. Right now, ophthalmologists have to remain in constrained positions for long periods of time as they work with a microscope, but the OR-Bot from Ocutrx helps to alleviate some […]
Battery-Free Neural Stimulator Powered by a Magnetic Field
Researchers at Rice University have developed an implantable neural stimulator that is both wireless and battery-free. The device is powered by an externally applied magnetic field and could be used as part of a system to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain. At present, battery powered […]
Blood Volume Analysis Using The BVA-100: Interview with Michael Feldschuh, Daxor CEO
Daxor Corporation, a company based in New York, has developed the BVA-100, a blood volume analysis test. The test is the first to be FDA approved for the quantification of blood volume and composition. Following the injection of a radio-labeled tracer, a blood sample is obtained from the patient and analyzed. The entire process takes […]
Artificial Red Blood Cells to Carry Oxygen, Drugs, and Work as Biosensors
Manufacturing artificial red blood cells may turn out to be significant in treating a number of diseases and conditions. This has been tried in the past by a number of teams, but some important functions were missing in every design. Now, a team of scientists at the University of New Mexico have developed artificial red […]
How Texas Medical Center Accelerates Medtech: Interview with Tom Luby, Director of TMC Innovation
Walk around the city-like campus of Texas Medical Center (TMC), and you might find it hard to picture the bootstrapped, garage-like digs that one associates with startup companies. But on the eastern edge of the sprawling complex in a former Nabisco cookie factory, TMC has set up the Innovation Institute for these types of ventures. […]