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...)
Tag: Cardiology
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...)
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...)
Abbott’s Advisor HD Grid Mapping Catheter, Sensor Enabled Cleared in US
Abbott won clearance from FDA for its Advisor HD Grid Mapping Catheter, Sensor Enabled. The device is used to create detail-rich electrophysiologic maps of the heart based on the signals measured via the multi-electrode array at its distal end coupled with magnetic sensors. It is therefore able to spot sources of arrhythmias and to point to [& (Read more...)
Genetesis: A Teenage Cincinnati Area MedTech Success Story
During a recent tour of some of the Cincinnati area life science companies, we had a chance to visit Genetesis, a firm in nearby Mason that has developed a novel scanner to help diagnose the source of chest pain. Aside from the innovative technology behind the equipment, what’s notable about this startup is that founder […]
Fitbit Versa: Medgadget Reviews One of The Best Fitness Wearables
An already crowded smartwatch/fitness & health tracker space just got a little more congested with the recent release of Fitbit‘s latest smartwatch. The new Fitbit Versa is the company’s latest attempt to claim a slice of the smartwatch pie currently dominated by Apple and Samsung. Fitbit, of course, is no stranger to wearables; the (Read more...)
The WAVE Patient Surveillance and Predictive Algorithm Platform: Interview with Mark Koppel, CMO of Excel Medical
Excel Medical, a medtech company based in Jupiter, Florida, has developed the WAVE patient surveillance and predictive algorithm platform. The system monitors patient physiological information, such as vital signs, in healthcare facilities. It then aggregates, integrates and displays this data in a variety of formats, including through smartphones, (Read more...)
The WAVE Patient Surveillance and Predictive Algorithm Platform: Interview with Mark Koppel, CMO of Excel Medical
Excel Medical, a medtech company based in Jupiter, Florida, has developed the WAVE patient surveillance and predictive algorithm platform. The system monitors patient physiological information, such as vital signs, in healthcare facilities. It then aggregates, integrates and displays this data in a variety of formats, including through smartphones, (Read more...)
Real-Time Intravascular Imaging for PAD by Avinger: Interview with CEO Jeff Soinski
Peripheral artery disease (PAD), a circulatory condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the extremities, is projected to affect over 21 million patients in the United States by 2020. Common treatments include balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, stenting, and bypass, all of which require physicians to use tools which enter the patient (Read more...)
Students Working on Leadless, Multi-Site Heart Pacing Tech
Pacemakers have gotten so small that they can now reside inside the heart itself. This avoids reliance on electric leads that snake from the implant to the interior of the heart, which come with a number of potential problems. On the other hand, advanced multi-site sensing leads are able to provide considerably more nuanced monitoring […]
FDA Approves Implant for Detecting Oncoming Heart Attacks
Angel Medical Systems, based in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, won FDA approval for its AngelMed Guardian implantable device that may help detect oncoming heart attacks before they even happen. It looks like a pacemaker and it monitors for ST segment changes, an ECG sign of ischemia. When it detects sustained ST segment changes, the implant […]
FDA Approves Implant for Detecting Oncoming Heart Attacks
Angel Medical Systems, based in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, won FDA approval for its AngelMed Guardian implantable device that may help detect oncoming heart attacks before they even happen. It looks like a pacemaker and it monitors for ST segment changes, an ECG sign of ischemia. When it detects sustained ST segment changes, the implant […]
BioSig Technologies Announces FDA 510(k) Submission for PURE EP (A Follow-up Interview)
Last year, Medgadget spoke with BioSig Technologies about the company’s PURE EP System for detection of cells that cause arrhythmias. PURE EP is a surface electrocardiogram and intracardiac multichannel recording system that acquires, processes, and displays high fidelity cardiac recordings required during electrophysiology stu (Read more...)
4Dx Uses Algorithms to Better Visualize Lung Function
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects millions of people in the United States. The main method of diagnosis is the pulmonary function tests (PFTs), in which a patient breathes into a machine that measures pulmonary parameters. The disadvantage, however, is that pulmonary function tests take an “average” of a patient’s lung (Read more...)
Researchers Develop Smartphone App to Measure Arterial Stiffness
The stiffness of arteries is an important indicator of cardiovascular health, but this parameter is somewhat difficult to evaluate and requires a specialist to do it. And yet regular monitoring of arterial stiffness can help to monitor a variety of diseases or help in their diagnoses. Now researchers at University of Southern California (USC) have (Read more...)
Fischer Releases an Update on a Classic Cardiac Electrophysiology Stimulator
Fischer Medical, a company based outside of Denver, Colorado, won FDA clearance for its BLOOM2 cardiac electrophysiology stimulator. The all-digital device provides a fresh interface over the original Bloom, the design of which has withstood over 40 years. The new BLOOM2 takes design cues from the classic machine, helping EP docs and staff to (Read more...)
Defibrillator Pads with Needles to Deliver More Effective Shocks
External defibrillators that shock hearts out of life threatening arrhythmias are pretty brutal devices. They have to deliver a great deal of electrical energy into the skin so that enough of it reaches the heart, sometimes even to the point of burning the person being treated. The skin is a major barrier to the flow […]
Interview with Tal Golesworthy, Inventor of the ExoVasc Aortic Root Support
Tal Golesworthy is the inventor of the ExoVasc, a bespoke implant that supports the aortic root when it has becomes weak and dilated. Tal’s invention was born out of his personal need for the device to support his aorta that was expanding dangerously due to Marfan syndrome. In 2004, Tal was the first patient to […]