Siemens Healthineers is releasing a fresh update to its popular ACUSON Sequoia ultrasound system. The device can image deeper than before while maintaining a high quality output, an important capability for those on the front lines of the obesity epidemic. As an example, using the Deep Abdominal Transducer (DAX) that comes with the Sequoia, cl (Read more...)
Tag: Cardiology
Simulation Software Helps to Repair Diseased Heart Valves
At this week’s Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery conference (CARS 2018) in Berlin, scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing in Germany will be showing off their unique software that helps to fix cardiac valves. Designed for minimally invasive procedures, which involve placing special rings that correct n (Read more...)
Understanding and Creating Calculators for Medical Diagnoses: Exclusive Interview with MDCalc
MDCalc is a 13-year-old medical reference started by two practicing emergency medicine physicians, Dr. Joe Habboushe and Dr. Graham Walker. A recent survey by EB Medicine has shown that MDCalc’s 370+ tools are now used weekly by 65% of U.S. attending physicians and nearly 80% of U.S. residents, which may make it the most […]
EarlySense Live, an Under Mattress Sleep and Health Tracker: Medgadget Review
EarlySense is an Israeli-based company and a market leader in the field of real-time, contact-free health monitoring systems. We at Medgadget have been following the company for more than a decade, starting with the company’s flagship product, EverOn. EarlySense systems were initially developed for use in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. (Read more...)
Roche Unveils Blood Coagulation Checker with Bluetooth Features
Roche has announced that next month it will be releasing a new device for patients to test their own blood coagulation parameters, the CoaguChek Vantus. The device, which looks like a cellular phone from a few years ago, has Bluetooth connectivity built-in, which lets it dump its INR readings to the patient’s smartphone and then […]
Device Delivers Drugs Direct to Heart to Help Recover from Heart Attacks
A team of researchers from the U.S. and Ireland have developed a device that can be used to deliver drugs directly to a damaged region of the heart. The capability has the potential to provide a direct therapeutic option to guide how the heart recovers following a heart attack, leading to improved cardiac function. As […]
Automatic Robot Draws Blood, Performs Hematology Analysis
Rutgers University researchers have created a desktop system that can automatically take patient blood samples (robotic phlebotomy) and process them without any human intervention. Making such technology available for hospitals and clinics may have significant consequences, as blood draws are the most common clinical procedures. Though they may see (Read more...)
Exclusive Tour of Materialise, a Leader in 3D Printing of Patient Specific Parts
3D printing technology was originally touted to provide consumers the ability to print customized mugs, plates, and other household items. The reality turned out to be a lot more exciting, at least for us in the medical space, since 3D printing is already being used daily by thousands of doctors to help perform procedures that […]
Health Technology Briefs from the ITF Demo Floor
Medgadget was recently invited to attend the imec Technology Forum (ITF) conference in Antwerp, Belgium. One of the highlights of the conference was the demo floor where imec, which is a non-profit R&D innovation organization, had the opportunity to show off some cool technologies from their research teams, spinoff companies, and partner organi (Read more...)
New Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve to Treat Regurgitation and Stenosis
JC Medical, based in Burlingame, California, has announced that its J-Valve transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve system has been implanted in the first patient to treat aortic regurgitation. Other transcatheter aortic valves available in the U.S. are indicated for aortic stenosis only, but the new device hopes to also treat pure aortic regurgita (Read more...)
IQcool Warm System FDA Cleared to Cool and Rewarm Patients
BrainCool, a Swedish company, obtained FDA clearance for its IQool Warm System. The device, the name of which seems to be intended to be an oxymoron, can be used to both cool and reheat patients. The company’s first FDA cleared product, the IQool, which looks identical to the newly approved one, is indicated for rapidly […]
MC10’s BioStamp nPoint Biometric Recording System Cleared by FDA
MC10, out of Lexington, Massachusetts, landed FDA clearance for its new BioStamp nPoint biometric data acquisition system. Based on the BioStampRC, it is stuck to the patient’s body and can then continuously record parameters such as the heart rate, step count, and movements during sleep. It’s intended for monitoring of patients, but al (Read more...)
TrapLiner 2-in-1 device Guide Extension Catheter with Guidewire Trapping Now Available in Europe
Teleflex is releasing in Europe its TrapLiner, a guide extension catheter and guidewire trap, that makes sure the guidewire stays in place and doesn’t move forward during catheter exchanges. This simplifies catheter exchanges in many cases, leading to faster completion of complex procedures. According to the company, “the TrapLiner® (Read more...)
FDA Clears FlowTriever, First Device to Pull Blood Clots from Lungs
Inari Medical of Irvine, California won the first FDA clearance for a thrombectomy device to be used for treatment of pulmonary embolisms. The FlowTriever went through a clinical study involving 106 patients with acute pulmonary embolism and RV/LV (right ventricular/left ventricular) ratio of at least 0.9 that were treated using the device ins (Read more...)
Baxter’s Spectrum IQ Drug Infusion System with Clever Safety Features Cleared in U.S.
Baxter won FDA clearance for its Spectrum IQ infusion system, which has some interesting features designed to prevent the wrong drugs and wrong dosages from being administered. The device connects to the hospital’s electronic medical record system, receiving information from it and sending its own data there for permanent storage. Baxter&rsqu (Read more...)
Admetsys Develops Artificial Pancreas for Critical Care
Admetsys, a company headquartered in Boston, has developed a system for controlling blood glucose levels in critical care patients. Essentially an artificial pancreas, the system relies on a lab-on-a-chip that’s embedded within an intravenous catheter to measure glucose and lactic acid, automatically supplying insulin or glucose to keep the p (Read more...)
AcQMap Now Imaging Hearts with Ultrasound and Electricity in U.S.
Acutus Medical of Carlsbad, California, having won FDA clearance for its AcQMap last fall, has announced that the system has been used for the first time in the United States. The system’s novel catheter uses ultrasound and electrical tissue conduction mapping to provide a novel electrophysiologic live view inside the heart. Both th (Read more...)
Artificial Intelligence Spots Congenital Long QT Syndrome on ECGs
Clinical researchers at Mayo Clinic, working with AliveCor, the company that essentially introduced mobile electrocardiography (ECG) to the mass market, have published a study abstract demonstrating that artificial intelligence can be used to spot patients with congenital Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). The readings come from lead 1 of a 12-lead clin (Read more...)
Computer Simulations Help Grow Custom Replacement Cultured Heart Valves
Prosthetic heart valve implantations have become common in modern hospitals, but these devices are still far from perfect. Issues with longevity, calcification, and maintenance of a good fit over many years following placement are some of the existing concerns. An entirely different approach, which involves growing new valves from cultured human ce (Read more...)
HeartLight Excalibur Balloon for Cardiac Ablation Gets Approval in U.S.
CardioFocus, based in Marlborough, MA, obtained FDA regulatory approval for its HeartLight Excalibur Balloon as a treatment option for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The system ablates cardiac tissue and relies on the same balloon design as the previously approved HeartLight Ablation System. The latest design improves the speed of ablation an (Read more...)