Most cardiac implants, such as pacemakers and AICDs, are designed to correct the underlying heart’s rhythm, and synchronize atrial and ventricular contractions. That’s how these devices can improve cardiac performance in people with heart failure. They don’t do anything to boost the intrinsic myocardial contractility of the heart. Now the FDA has just given approval […]
Author: Medgadged
New Microscope Sees Large Groups of Neurons in Living Brains
Most current methods of looking at the activity of the brains of living animals are very limited in their field of view and/or frame rate. This makes it difficult to understand the complex activity taking place inside the brain that involves more than one small region of the organ. This is all rapidly changing as […]
Future Healthcare 2019: A Medgadget Report
Future Healthcare 2019 came to London’s Olympia with a two-day exhibition and conference featuring speakers from industry, the clinical setting, and a strong showing of start-up companies. The event was opened by former UK Secretary of Health Patricia Hewitt and former UK Science Minister Lord Drayson who addressed a crowd drawn from both the UK and […]
Fingertip Elasticity Probe Helps Spot Breast Tumors
Our fingertips are incredibly sensitive biomechanical devices. They’re regularly used by physicians to feel out tumors during biopsy or excision surgeries. While reasonably effective, too many patients return for repeat procedures to remove missed bits of target lesions. Researchers at University of Western Australia have been working on giving superpowers to surgeons’ fingers so they can […]
Light and Sound Induce Brainwaves to Clear Brains of Amyloid Plaques
Alzheimer’s disease has no cure at this point. Only a few therapies that try to slow the progression are available, but there’s a light, and some sound, at the end of the tunnel. Researchers at MIT and Georgia Tech have now shown they can reduce the buildup of amyloid plaques in mouse models of Alzheimer’s […]
Lantos 3D Scanning System Makes Digital Impressions of Ears
Lantos Technologies, a company out of Wilmington, Massachusetts, is releasing the first FDA-cleared 3D ear scanner that can image everything from the outer ear to the ear drum. The Lantos 3D Scanning system is used to alleviate the need for silicone impressions when making hearing aids and other custom-made hearing products. Each scan produces about a […]
WatchPAT 300 Uses Multiple Sensors to Detect Sleep Apnea at Home
Itamar Medical, an Israeli firm, released the latest model of its WatchPAT sleep apnea detection system. It’s indicated for use by patients at home to help clinicians diagnose sleep apnea without requiring a visit to the sleep lab. It uses Itamar’s Peripheral Arterial Tone (PAT) technology, which involves measuring the arterial tone changes in peripheral arterial beds. This […]
Device Helps Make Incisions Along Skin Tension Lines to Reduce Scarring
Surgeons working on delicate areas and visible areas of the body, particularly in plastic and cosmetic surgery, have to keep in mind the direction of skin tension lines. These are formed by collagen fibers that are aligned within the dermis of the skin. If incisions are made against the grain, more visible scars will be […]
Interview with Tom Reeves, CEO of Interface Biologics
Interface Biologics Inc (IBI) is a company from Toronto, Ontario, Canada that develops medtech and pharmaceutical materials. Their surface modification technology is called Endexo, which involves fluorine-based additives that migrate to a material’s surface during polymerization. This non-stick fluorination prevents platelets and bacteria from sticking, keeping the biomaterial clot-free and clean. The Endexo additive technology […]
Deep Learning System to Track Patient Recovery
Researchers from Stanford University have developed a new tool to track patient recovery in a hospital setting. They have created a deep learning-based system to see if patients are able to perform mobility tasks, such as getting in and out of bed or sitting in a chair. In an ICU setting, improved mobility is associated […]
Injectable Bone Scaffolding Made of Plant Cellulose
The majority of bone implants, cements, and grafts are hard objects that don’t always work well in filling the space they’re supposed to inhabit. Soft objects can gently expand and relocate their mass evenly over a volume, and they tent to be less dense so as to leave room for cells to make home inside […]
Highly Sensitive Point-of-Care Sensor Measures Dopamine in Whole Blood
The concentration of dopamine in a patient’s blood can be an important biomarker for a variety of diseases, including certain cancers, depression, and Parkinson’s. Measuring dopamine in whole blood still requires a laboratory, making it slow and expensive and not always suited for things like screenings. Scientists at the University of Central Florida have now […]
Augmented Reality System Lets Severely Disabled Operate Own Robots
Robots that help severely disabled people are generally assumed to have to be super smart, capable of replacing human caretakers. Engineers at Georgia Tech decided to take a very different approach, instead empowering disabled people to control the robots that help them. The technology allows disabled people to see what the robot is seeing, since a […]
Mobilett Elara Max X-ray Cleared in the United States
Siemens Healthineers won clearance from the FDA for its Mobilett Elara Max X-ray system. The mobile device can be wheeled from room to room while the cables are safely hidden inside and the antimicrobial coating prevents the transfer of pathogens. The firm touts the system’s IT security features that help to maintain patient privacy while being […]
Nyxoah’s Genio Implant for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Cleared in Europe
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often caused by the tongue blocking the airway during night-time breathing. Positive airway pressure (PAP) is the most common way of raising the tongue and allowing air to flow through, but it requires wearing a face mask with a connected hose through the night. Nyxoah, a company headquartered outside of Brussels, […]
Bioreactors Inside Body Grow New Bones for Transplantation
Injuries and disease often necessitate putting something in place of where natural bone is. While there are custom-made artificial orthopedic implants and native bone grafts, researchers from Rice University have now shown a new and better way. The team printed in 3D a bioreactor mold within which new bone can grow. It is made to be […]
Macular Degeneration Treated with Viral Delivery of Gene Into Eye
A number of degenerative eye diseases are related to photoreceptors no longer functioning properly. There can be a host of reasons that photoreceptors don’t work, but soon it may not be that important to know why the disease is happening. That is because researchers at University of California, Berkeley have come up with a way […]
Caregivers Want Robots to Take Care of Annoying Dementia Sufferers
People with dementia, as well as those that take care of them, can benefit from a bit of robotic assistance. There are a few robots on the market that are designed to help elderly people around the house, but not too much exists for those suffering from cognitive decline. While there’s been development in this […]
CareAlert, A Non-Intrusive Home Monitoring System: Interview with Fereydoun Taslimi, CEO of SensorsCall
The world’s aging population continues to grow. Today, in the U.S. alone, there are more than 46 million people 65 years and older, accounting for around 15 percent of the population. This is expected to swell to 20 percent by the year 2030. One of the main decisions that we are bound to make as […]
BD Venovo Stent Approved in U.S. to Treat Iliofemoral Venous Occlusive Disease
BD (Becton Dickinson) won FDA approval for its Venovo venous stent, which is the first stent available for treating iliofemoral venous occlusive disease. Typically, arteries are the vessels that become narrow or even blocked from calcified plaque, but veins can also suffer from similar issues. The iliac and femoral veins near the groin are particularly prone […]