Medtronic’s HVAD System, a left ventricular assist device, can now be implanted via a thoracotomy, a less invasive procedure than a median sternotomy. Moreover, a thoracotomy means that future procedures that may require access through the chest can still be performed in what are already risky patients. The HVAD System is indicated for those with advanced, refractory heart […]
Tag: Cardiology
Healcerion 300L Wireless Portable Ultrasound Now Available in U.S.
Healcerion, the South Korean firm that introduced truly wireless ultrasound probes that work with smartphones and tablets, is releasing its SONON 300L ultrasound in the United States. The device was cleared last fall by the FDA and Healcerion has been working on manufacturing and preparing it for distribution. The SONON 300L works with most Android […]
TEECAD Camera Gives Vision to TEE Probes
A young medtech company called Visura Technologies, based outside of Chicago, won FDA clearance for its TEE Camera Assist Device, TEECAD for short. The device is designed to be connected to a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) ultrasound probe, letting the physician see the upper airway and esophagus while navigating the probe toward its destination. TEE procedures are […]
The World’s First Wireless, App-Based Ultrasound: Interview with Dr. Ryu, CEO of Healcerion
Healcerion, based in South Korea, was the first company to receive FDA clearance for a wireless, app-based ultrasound system back in 2015. The groundbreaking work done by South Korean engineers and scientists laid the foundation for the development of an ultrasound transducer that works with most smartphones or tablets. Since introducing the SONON 300C convex transducer, […]
Smart Stent Monitors Blood Flow, Detects Restenosis
Vascular stents are some of the most commonly implanted medical devices, keeping millions of arteries open to uninterrupted blood flow. Though they tend to work well at first, too many end up being re-stenosed by new deposits of plaque and scar tissue often forms in the vicinity, blocking blood flow through the stent. Typically, renewed […]
New Siemens Acuson Sequoia Ultrasound Beams Through Obese Patients
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, clinicians can […]
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 native valve anatomy, the software helps to […]
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. These systems wirelessly and continuously […]
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 seem simple from the patient’s perspective, they’re […]
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 organization. While the […]
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 regurgitation and a combination […]
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 also for clinical […]
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® Catheter is intended for use in […]
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 instead of commonly used […]
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’s Dose IQ software within […]