An international research collaboration, including teams from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), Brown University, and MIT, has developed an AI platform that can assess blood flow characteristics through microvasculature. The system relies on a microfluidic chip that mimics vascular disease, in this case a micro-aneurysm i (Read more...)
Tag: Cardiology
Lab-Generated Heart Valves Grow Inside Body
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a tissue-engineered heart valve replacement that can grow within a patient. The breakthrough could allow children with congenital heart defects to avoid repeated surgeries to replace heart valves that they have outgrown. To create the valves, the researchers cultured donor cells in a fibrin (Read more...)
Smart Speaker Monitors Heart Rhythms
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed an AI-powered sound system that can detect irregular heartbeats. The system sends inaudible sounds into its close environment and then analyzes the reflected waves to identify individual heartbeats from someone sitting close to it. The technology may be useful in detecting heart rhythm diso (Read more...)
Improving Structural Heart Disease Care: Interview with Joel Portice, egnite CEO
egnite, a digital healthcare company based in California, offers the CardioCare, an AI-based solution that aims to help clinicians identify and treat patients with structural heart disease. CardioCare is already used in over 50 hospitals in the US. The company reports that structural heart disease can sometimes be undertreated or not identified in (Read more...)
Robots Measure Vitals to Minimize Interactions with COVID Patients
Researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada have developed three different robots that can sense and measure patients’ healthcare parameters, including electrocardiograms, oxygen levels, respiration rates, and temperature. One of the robots, comprising a robotic arm, contains electrodes in its fingertips, and can take measurements when i (Read more...)
Microfluidics and AI Microscopy for Hemoglobin Measurements
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science and SigTuple Technologies, a company based in Bengaluru, India, have developed a method to inexpensively measure hemoglobin levels in small-volume blood samples. The technique combines a microfluidic chip and an AI-powered microscope. The researchers hope that the technology will help streamline hemogl (Read more...)
Intraoral Stimulation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Interview with Akhil Tripathi, CEO of Signifier Medical
Signifier Medical Technologies, a company with headquarters in London, UK and Massachusetts, has created a new treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, and it is the first to be used during waking hours. Unlike conventional sleep apnea devices, the eXciteOSA is designed to be used for short periods during the day and employs electrical stimulation to (Read more...)
Fully Implantable LVAD for End-Stage Heart Failure: Interview with Greg S. Aber, CEO of Corvion
Patients with advanced heart failure often need a cardiac transplant due to the severe injuries sustained by the heart muscle. Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) are frequently used in such patients to help the heart pump blood through the body while they are waiting for a transplant. These devices are also used in the short-term […]
Neuromuscular Tongue Stimulator for Snoring Authorized by FDA
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) impacts millions of people with wide-ranging effects that can have a serious impact on overall health. There are a number of technologies to help manage and sometimes treat the condition, including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices. Most patients end up receiving therapies that don’t treat the un (Read more...)
Philips Unveils Medical Tablet for Patient Monitoring During Emergencies
Philips is releasing a computer tablet designed to provide easy access to patient information in various emergency environments without a difficult implementation. The Medical Tablet, as it is called, can connect wired or wirelessly to hospital systems, whether the tablet itself is there or not. Thanks to integration with Philips IntelliVue XDS sof (Read more...)
Tiny Ventway Sparrow Ventilators FDA Cleared
Inovytec, an Israeli firm, has won clearance from the FDA to introduce its Ventway Sparrow ventilators in the United States. Weighing only 2.2 pounds (1 Kg), including the built-in battery, and with a small footprint, these can be used just about anywhere that ventilator support is required. The Sparrows support both invasive and non-invasive venti (Read more...)
DiamondTemp Ablation System FDA Approved for AFib
Cardiac ablation is the current go-to method for treating most cases of atrial fibrillation (AFib) that are not responsive to medications. While radiofrequency ablation, the most common kind, can be highly effective, the technique often results in damage to cardiac tissue beyond what is intended. This can be a result of poor heat dispersal, overly (Read more...)
Aktiia Optical Blood Pressure Monitor Wins European Green Light
Swiss company Aktiia, whose cuffless blood pressure monitor we’ve been following for several years, announced that their wrist-worn device has received the CE Mark as a Class IIa medical device in Europe, and is now available for pre-order in the UK through the Aktiia website. Aktiia recently completed a pivotal trial whose preliminary result (Read more...)
New AHA Scientific Statement on Mind-Heart-Body Connection
Mental health is important to the heart and overall health, the American Heart Association says in a new statement encouraging providers to consider the psychological health of their patients. Medscape Medical News
Catheter Stimulates Lymphatic Drainage for Heart Failure Treatment: Interview with Eamon Brady, CEO of WhiteSwell
WhiteSwell, a medtech company based in Galway, Ireland, has developed a catheter system to treat acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). ADHF is often treated using diuretics to remove excess fluid, but this doesn’t work for every patient and can have side-effects. This latest technology consists of a catheter with an impeller pump that is (Read more...)
Medical Gadgets at This Year’s CES 2021
CES 2021 took place this past week, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the annual electronics megashow show was completely virtual. While we certainly missed the free swag, a chance with lady luck at the Vegas casino tables, and the opportunity to reunite with many of you Medgadget readers, there were still a good […]
(Read more...)HARPOON System for Mitral Valve Repair: Interview with Daveen Chopra, Edwards Lifesciences
Degenerative mitral regurgitation occurs when the mitral valve prolapses, causing blood to leak back into the atrium every time the heart beats. The condition can be asymptomatic for many people, but for some it can cause a variety of issues, including fainting, pain, and shortness of breath. Currently, open-heart surgery is considered to be the [& (Read more...)
CES 2020: OMRON VitalSight Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote patient monitoring has gone from novelty to necessity in a matter of months thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. In reality, allowing clinicians to keep an eye on their patients provides a number of important benefits even during “normal” times. At this year’s CES, which is a virtual event this year, Omron presented its VitalSi (Read more...)
Nanodroplets and Ultrasound to Drill Through Blood Clots
Penetrating compacted and extensive blood clots has been one of the main challenges of vascular surgery. Various catheter-based devices have been invented and are in use today, but many patients present with plaques that are just too difficult even for the finest existing devices. Now, researchers at North Carolina State University and University o (Read more...)
Strados RESP Monitors Lung Sounds, Now FDA Cleared
Strados Labs, a company based in Philadelphia, PA, but with R&D offices in Atlanta, GA, won FDA clearance to introduce its RESP system for monitoring lung sounds. The RESP device has already been employed in clinical trials to help monitor how various therapies, patient reports, and other vital signs correlate with changes in lung sounds. [&hel (Read more...)