Abbott received FDA approval for its HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device (LVAD), a pump designed to augment cardiac output in patients with severe heart failure that are waiting for their heart to recover or that are in line for a transplant. Featuring the “Full MagLev”, as the technology is called by Abbott, the HeartMate […]
Tag: Cardiology
SoClean Disinfects CPAP Equipment: A Medgadget Review
Users of CPAP machines end up maintaining the system by having to clean the mask, the accompanying air tube, and humidifier. Not only this is a hassle, but for many patients with sleep apnea this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, causing them to abandon the therapy. As CPAP is impressively effective […]
Medtronic’s Attain Stability Quad MRI SureScan Cardiac Lead Cleared in Europe
Medtronic won CE Mark approval to introduce its Attain Stability Quad MRI SureScan left heart lead in Europe. The device works with the company’s quadripolar cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-D) and CRT-pacemakers (CRT-P) and is not only a conduit for electric current, but also a tool for the electricity to better target cardiac tissue. The device […]
BIOTRONIK’s Tiny Quadripolar Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Pacemaker FDA Approved
BIOTRONIK has obtained an FDA approval for its Edora HF-T QP MR conditional quadripolar cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker (CRT-P). It’s tiny, by comparison to similar devices, and features the BIOTRONIK’s MR AutoDetect technology that allows a physician to tell the implant that an MRI exam is coming up and for the device to automatically engage its […]
Injectable Tissue Patch to Fix Broken Hearts
Scientists at the University of Toronto have developed a bandage-like patch that can be delivered into the heart through a needle, in combination with stem cells allowing for minimally invasive cardiac tissue repair, currently an impossible task. After a massive heart attack, myocardial tissue damage can significantly reduce the cardiac output. One very promising treatment […]
New Automatic Technique to Measure Blood Pressure with Greater Accuracy
Existing and commonly used automatic blood pressure meters suffer from inaccuracies. An old fashioned auscultatory blood pressure test can avoid inaccurate results, but it has to be performed by a medical professional. Now researchers at the Jerusalem College of Technology in Israel have developed a new method that may be more accurate than common oscillometric automatic […]
Automatic Heart Analyzing CADence System Cleared by FDA to Help Primary Care Physicians
AUM Cardiovascular, a company out of Northfield, Minnesota, won FDA clearance for its CADence system, which is a novel combination of a stethoscope and ECG in one device. The CADence is intended to be used by primary care physicians to help spot suspicious cardiac murmurs that should be referred to cardiologists. The physician places the device […]
Medtronics New Avalus Pericardial Aortic Surgical Valve Approved in U.S. and Europe
Medtronic today announced FDA approval and European CE marking of the company’s Avalus pericardial aortic surgical valve. The device is currently the only stented surgical aortic valve that does not limit patients’ ability to undergo MRI scans, and whole body scans are allowed as there are absolutely no restrictions and no related safety concerns. The valve features […]
Medtronic CoreValve Evolut PRO TAVR Valve Cleared in Europe
Medtronic won the European CE Mark and is introducing its CoreValve Evolut PRO transcatheter aortic valve in Europe for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered at intermediate, high, or extreme risk of not doing well from an open heart surgery. The Evolut PRO features an external porcine pericardial tissue wrap that helps to make close […]
BIOTRONIK’s New CRT-ICDs Alleviate Atrial Lead Without Sacrificing Diagnostics
BIOTRONIK won FDA approval and is releasing in the U.S. its Intica DX and Intica cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)-DX implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). The DX indicator refers to BIOTRONIK’s technology that obviates the necessity of having an atrial lead to monitor the electrical activity in the atrium, a way that cardiologists use to spot atrial […]
Cardiologs Cloud-Based Software FDA Cleared to Spot Arrhythmias in ECGs
Cardiologs, a company based in Paris, France, won FDA clearance for its software that analyzes electrocardiograms (ECG) for signs of cardiac arrhythmias. The system is based on a neural network, an artificial intelligence technique, that was trained by feeding it more than half a million previously gathered ECG recordings. The Cardiologs system lives in the […]
Researchers Work to Grow Capillaries Inside 3D Printed Molds
Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have overcome an important challenge to using endothelial cells sourced from induced pluripotent stem cells to generate bioengineered blood vessels. Specifically, the investigators were able to watch and guide the formation of tiny blood vessels within specially built molds that promote cellular ingrowth. This development should […]
Medtronic’s CoreValve Evolut Transcatheter Aortic Valves Now Approved for Intermediate Risk Patients
Medtronic has announced that its CoreValve Evolut transcatheter aortic valve replacement platform, consisting of CoreValve, CoreValve Evolut R, CoreValve Evolut PRO, is now FDA approved for patients with “symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who are at an intermediate risk for open-heart surgery.” Previously, the products were only approved for high and extremely risky patients that are not good […]
Masimo’s EU Approved Super Sensor Monitors Variety of Physiologic Parameters
Masimo just announced receiving European approval for its new rainbow Super DCI-mini sensor, a pulse oximeter that can simultaneously monitor arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), hemoglobin (SpHb), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO), methemoglobin (SpMet), pleth variability index (PVi), index of perfusion (Pi), and pulse rate (PR). This is the first non-invasive fingertip sensor capable of monitoring all these parameters, indicated […]
New Software Diagnoses Cardiac Arrhytmias from ECGs Better Than Cardiologists
Stanford researchers claim to have developed an algorithm that “exceeds the performance of board certified cardiologists in detecting a wide range of heart arrhythmias from electrocardiograms [ECG] recorded with a single-lead wearable monitor,” according to a study published in arXiv. The team used the Zio patch from iRhythm Technologies, a San Francisco, CA startup, which allowed them […]
Nokia Launches Portfolio of Digital Health Products: Interview with VP Nokia Digital Health, Cedric Hutchings
Nokia announced its re-entry into the consumer market in late June by launching a portfolio of digital health products ranging from elegant activity/sleep trackers to smart scales and a home air-quality monitor. As the largest line of connected consumer health products on the market, they are now available for purchase on their website and at many retailers […]
CathVision: A Smoother Look at Cardiac Electrograms
CathVision is a Danish company that aims to reduce noisy electrogram signals during cardiac arrhythmia ablation procedures. With cleaner signals, cardiologists can better locate the areas that generate arrhythmias and ablate them. For example, with a higher signal-to-noise ratio, cardiologists can have higher confidence when probing the low-voltage areas of the heart. This is important because cardiac […]
Medtronic’s Micra Pacemaker Survives Flight to Space
This is an update to a recent story of ours on the first pacemaker in space. The Medtronic Micra is the smallest pacemaker currently available. It’s so small that it’s delivered via a catheter and attached to the endocardium of the heart, where its internal battery paces the heart for years. It’s certainly an incredible piece […]
Edwards INSPIRIS RESILIA Aortic Valve Now Approved in U.S.A.
Edwards Lifesciences has announced that the FDA has issued approval for its INSPIRIS RESILIA prosthetic aortic valve, which is based on the popular Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT device. Cleared in Europe just under a year ago, the INSPIRIS RESILIA features flaps made from RESILIA material, a tissue developed by Edwards that helps maintain the integrity of the valve […]
3D Printed Patient Cardiovascular Anatomy to Guide Replacement Heart Valves
In cases of heart valve replacements, surgeons have different sizes and options to choose from, each prosthetic device having its unique qualities and limitations. Predicting the best replacement heart valve for patient’s specific morphology may soon be easier to figure out thanks to the use of 3D printing. Researchers at Georgia Tech are printing models […]