Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a smart stent that can monitor hemodynamic parameters. The wireless and battery-free device can transmit the data to the outside of the body, and is powered through a wireless energy transfer system that uses magnetic fields, similar to wireless chargers that are available for many s (Read more...)
Tag: Cardiac Surgery
Heart Chamber on a Chip
Researchers at Boston University engineered a heart chamber on a chip that can beat by itself. The technology relies on cardiomyocytes generated from induced pluripotent stem cells and small acrylic valves that allow the fluid pumped by the chamber to come and go. The chamber is supported by a thin acrylic scaffold that aims to […]
Wireless Data Transfer for Implanted Devices Using Ionic Communication
Researchers at the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new method for implanted devices to communicate with the outside world that exploits the ions that are naturally present in our tissues. Ion-rich tissues store potential energy, and in this paradigm an implanted device would alter this stored energy wi (Read more...)
vMap Mapping Technology for Cardiac Arrhythmias: Interview with Mike Monko, CEO of Vektor Medical
Vektor Medical, a medtech company based in San Diego, created the vMap system, a mapping solution for cardiac arrhythmias. The system is the first to identify arrhythmia sources anywhere in the heart, including the septal wall, outflow tracts, and all four chambers. The company reports that the technology takes less than three minutes to provide [& (Read more...)
vMap Mapping Technology for Cardiac Arrhythmias: Interview with Mike Monko, CEO of Vektor Medical
Vektor Medical, a medtech company based in San Diego, created the vMap system, a mapping solution for cardiac arrhythmias. The system is the first to identify arrhythmia sources anywhere in the heart, including the septal wall, outflow tracts, and all four chambers. The company reports that the technology takes less than three minutes to provide [& (Read more...)
Blood Clotting Test on a Smartphone
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed smartphone-based technology that can allow someone to perform a blood clotting test at home. The technology is low-cost and easy to use. The test involves placing a drop of blood into a plastic attachment that can be viewed by a smartphone camera. The smartphone then vibrates the […]
(Read more...)Lab-Designed “Fish” Could Pave the Way for Artificial Hearts
Researchers at Harvard University have created a fish-like construct from human stem cell-derived cardiac muscle. The structure can beat and swim autonomously, and is inspired by zebrafish. So far, the researchers have shown that the fish can survive and swim for over 100 days, and they hope these new structures could provide insights into cardiac (Read more...)
Pop-Up Sensors Measure Electronic Signals in Cardiac Cells
Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a tiny ‘pop-up’ sensor that can measure the electronic signals propagating inside cardiac cells. The technology consists of tiny spike-like protrusions that can penetrate cell membranes without causing damage, and which can detect electrical signals within individual cells (Read more...)
Paragonix Leads Organ Transportation with Liver and Heart Milestones
Paragonix Technologies, a leading provider of donor organ preservation and transport systems, recently launched a new donor liver preservation system (LIVERguard) and global liver registry. The LIVERguard System provides a highly controlled, state-of-the art environment for hypothermic liver preservation, coupled with real-time digital monitoring t (Read more...)
Explorer Surgical Expands into Robotic Surgery: Exclusive with CEO Jennifer Fried
As cloud and digital platforms continue to gain traction, we’re seeing a trend toward increased investments in robotic surgery in medical technology fields. Surgical training, coordination, and collaboration in the operating room are areas where digital tools can help shorten learning curves. While robotic technology continues to transform he (Read more...)
POEMS Electro-Optical Cardiac Stimulator to Study Arrhythmias
At the University of Bern in Switzerland, researchers have developed the Panoramic Opto-Electrical Measurement and Stimulation (POEMS) system, which allows them to conduct advanced optogenetic experiments with mouse hearts. The device, which contains a volume into which a mouse heart can be placed, lets the Swiss team stimulate various cell types u (Read more...)
Cracking Calcium in Arteries Using Sound Waves: Interview with Shockwave Medical’s Scott Shadiow
Shockwave Medical, a medtech company based in California, has developed a technique called intravascular lithotripsy, which involves delivering sonic waves to calcified plaque in an artery in much the same way that sound waves have been used to treat kidney stones for many years. The idea is to safely crack the calcified deposits so that […]
(Read more...)Heart Model Simulates Mechanical Load on Cardiac Tissues
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, along with collaborators in the Netherlands, have developed a heart model consisting of engineered cardiac muscle tissue that is attached to an elastic material. The design allows the team to mimic the mechanical forces experienced by heart tissue in the body, which should provide them with more accurate d (Read more...)
Battery-Free Wireless Pacemaker Dissolves Post Treatment
Researchers at Northwestern University and collaborators have developed a temporary cardiac pacemaker that dissolves away in the body into harmless byproducts. The technology avoids the need for leads penetrating the skin as well as follow-up procedures to remove a pacemaker. The device could make temporary pacemaker placement a safer and more conv (Read more...)
Spray-On Hydrogel to Prevent Post-Surgery Adhesions
Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a spray-on hydrogel that forms a protective coating on tissue surfaces, such as the surface of the heart. The new material is intended to prevent the formation of adhesions, where tissues inside the body adhere together abnormally following a surgical procedure. The crosslinked gel pe (Read more...)
PerQseal+ for Large Diameter Arterial Closure: Interview with Andrew Glass, CEO of Vivasure Medical
Vivasure Medical, a medtech company based in Galway, Ireland, has developed the PerQseal device, a synthetic implant designed to seal large bore blood vessel punctures. The implant has utility in a wide variety of transcatheter endovascular procedures, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEV (Read more...)
Cardiac Organoids Self-Organize to Mimic Human Heart
Researchers at the Austrian Academy of Sciences have developed the most realistic cardiac organoids to date. The tiny structures self-organize from pluripotent stem cells to form a hollow chamber that can beat. The method to create the ‘cardioids’ involves stimulating a variety of signaling pathways in stem cells and does not rely on co (Read more...)
Wireless Sensor Measures Deep Tissue Oxygen Levels
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed an ultrasound-powered implantable sensor that can measure oxygen levels in tissues deep within the body and transmit these data to an external device. The technology could be useful in monitoring transplant viability or oxygen exposure in preterm infants. It also has potential to (Read more...)
Heart Patch Helps Grow New Vessels Post Myocardial Infarct
Researchers at the Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) in South Korea have developed a hydrogel patch system that allows for sophisticated sequential release of growth factors that stimulate angiogenesis. The sequential cascade of growth factors mimics the natural process in the body and the researchers hope that the technology (Read more...)
Tendon-Inspired Sutures Protect Fragile Tissues
Researchers at McGill University in Canada have developed bioinspired sutures that mimic the structure of human tendons. The gel-covered sutures are slippery and tough, reducing the damage caused by conventional sutures when used on soft tissues. Interestingly, the gel surface of the sutures may allow for advanced applications such as drug delivery (Read more...)