Working with the University of Swansea, Calon Cardio, a Welsh firm, has created the first UK-developed Left Ventricluar Assist Device (LVAD). The MiniVAD is scheduled to begin a 50 patient clinical trial in late 2018, with a full clinical rollout planned for 2020. Calon Cardio’s miniature implantable heart pump is used to treat advanced chronic heart […]
Tag: Cardiology
Pulsed High Intensity Ultrasound Removes Calcified Buildup from Prosthetic Heart Valves
Prosthetic heart valves that fit inside failed natural valves have now been used for years to treat thousands of patients. As time passes following implantation, the man-made valves tend to accumulate calcified debris over their leaflets. This slowly degrades their functionality and eventually requires revision procedures that may involve replacement of the prostheses, or valve-in-valve procedures […]
Medtronic’s Tiny Micra Pacemaker Going on a Space Flight
These days astronauts are some of the healthiest and physically robust individuals that NASA can get a hold of. But one day we may see all kinds of people going to space, even those with heart conditions. Shelbi Klingsporn, a Nebraska high school student had the idea to test whether an existing pacemaker is able […]
FDA Clears MAGNETOM Vida 3 Tesla MRI with BioMatrix Technology
Siemens is reporting that the FDA has cleared its MAGNETOM Vida 3 Tesla MRI scanner. The device features the new BioMatrix technology from Siemens that takes into account individual patient anatomy, physiology, and even the differences in MRI operators to produce optimal image quality. Essentially, the scanner’s table has a built-in sensor that detects respiration, a parameter […]
Tiny Forward Facing Ultrasound Drill to Bust Through Blood Clots
Intravascular ultrasound devices are used on a regular basis to break up blood clots. These devices deliver high frequency ultrasound energy from a side facing transducer, shaking up clots and opening up blood vessels. Because of engineering limitations that have resulted in ultrasound being emitted laterally, the clots don’t break up as well as they […]
BIOTRONIK’s Pacemakers Get 3 Tesla MR-Conditional Approval in Europe
BIOTRONIK won European regulatory approval allowing its Edora, Evity, and Enitra series of pacemakers to be safe for 3 Tesla full body scans, as long as certain precautionary measures are taken. This approval will allow more patients to take advantage of the high quality imaging that the more powerful MRI scanners offer, as previously these […]
OrbusNeich Is Bringing Its Sapphire PTCA Balloon Catheters to U.S.
OrbusNeich, a company based in Hong Kong, is releasing in the U.S., following FDA clearance, its Sapphire II PRO and the Sapphire NC Plus PTCA balloon dilation catheters. Both devices are indicated for dilation of coronary artery or bypass graft stenoses in cases of ischemia, and for opening up coronary artery occlusions following an infarct. The […]
AliveCor and Microlife Detected 67% and 83% of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
A study from The University of Hong Kong in a primary care setting showed that the AliveCor Heart Monitor and Microlife WatchBP Office AFIB demonstrated less than expected sensitivity. 2052 patients (mean age = 68 years old) with hypertension and/or diabetes were screened for atrial fibrillation using these two automated devices and their algorithms. The reference diagnosis was […]
BIOTRONIK Releases in U.S. Its Compact Edora Line of MR Conditional Pacemakers
BIOTRONIK is releasing in the U.S. its Edora line of pacemakers that come with the firm’s MRI AutoDetect technology. MRI AutoDetect, which makes the Edora SR-T the smallest MR conditional device on the market, is a setting that is enabled by a physician up to fourteen days prior to an MRI scan. When the patient […]
Magnets and Nanoparticles for On-Demand Leaky Vessels
Scientists at Rice University have developed a method to open gaps between the endothelial cells that line blood vessels using a magnetic field and iron oxide nanoparticles. The gaps close by themselves after the researchers remove the magnets. They hope that the concept could be used to help deliver larger therapeutic molecules like proteins to […]
Eko DUO, a Novel Mobile Stethoscope with ECG Capability Unveiled
Eko, the company that’s responsible for the Eko CORE digital stethoscope we highly praised, is now releasing an interesting new device that provides ECG and auscultation capabilities in a mobile package. The Eko DUO looks a bit like a cell phone from the 1990’s, but with only three buttons on its body. When held against the chest, […]
EasyOne Air Portable, Calibration-Free Spirometer from ndd Medical
ndd Medical Technologies, a company with offices in Andover, MA and Zurich, Switzerland, is releasing a new professional spirometer for primary care physicians. The EasyOne Air uses the company’s TrueFlow ultrasound technology that does not require any calibration or maintenance, allowing it to be used for years. It has a rechargeable battery that’s replenished when connected […]
Scientists Keep Bits of Hearts Alive Under High Speed Cameras to Study Arrhythmias
Detecting the source of errant electric signals in the heart that cause cardiac arrhythmias, as well as understanding what causes them, has been a notoriously difficult challenge for both physicians and researchers. This is because the heart is difficult to study, but researchers at Ohio State University have come up with a new technique that […]
Third Pole’s On-Demand Portable iNO: Interview with Dr. Warren Zapol
Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) relaxes blood vessels in the lungs and is an important and life-saving treatment for pulmonary hypertension. Current iNO delivery solutions are estimated to cost $2,800 per day and rely on compressed gas delivery which limits accessibility and applicability of this technology worldwide. Dr. Warren Zapol and team, led by his son David […]
Edwards SAPIEN 3 Cardiac Valve FDA Approved for Mitral and Aortic Valve-in-Valve Procedures
Edwards Lifesciences received FDA approval for its SAPIEN 3 transcatheter prosthetic heart valve to be used for valve-in-valve procedures. Indicated for placement within both the aortic and mitral valves in patients at risk of undergoing open heart surgery to remove an existing valve, the SAPIEN 3 can reside within a previously implanted bioprosthetic valve that has […]
Tiny Wirelessly Powered Pacemaker Can Reside Heart and Double as Defibrillator
While there are already pacemakers on the market that are so small that they fit inside the heart thus eliminating the need for electrode leads, these devices still depend on a battery that has a limited lifetime. Such implants require explantation and replacement eventually, procedures that can be difficult on patients, create additional cost, and […]
Tiny Wirelessly Powered Pacemaker Can Reside Heart and Double as Defibrillator
While there are already pacemakers on the market that are so small that they fit inside the heart thus eliminating the need for electrode leads, these devices still depend on a battery that has a limited lifetime. Such implants require explantation and replacement eventually, procedures that can be difficult on patients, create additional cost, and […]
Sentinel Cerebral Protection System for Preventing Strokes During Transcatheter Valve Repairs Cleared by FDA
While transcatheter aortic valve repair (TAVR) procedures can help avoid open heart surgeries in many fragile patients, there is a substantial risk that embolic debris is released from the calcified valves. The brain is particularly in danger, as the dislodged material can block blood vessels feeding it and result in strokes. Claret Medical out of Santa Rosa, […]
Video Demonstration and Update of Spectranetics’ Bridge Occlusion Balloon
More than 7 million patients worldwide live with pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). These devices are connected to the heart through leads. In some cases, such as lead infection, failure, or recall, it becomes necessary to extract the leads and replace them with new ones. At this time, 15,000 to 20,000 lead extractions are […]
3D Printed Pediatric Stents That Grow With Patient’s Vessels
Sadly, it is not only old people that receive cardiac stent implants. Often young children with certain cardiovascular conditions can benefit significantly from stent implantations and conduits, but because vasculature grows along with the rest of the body, the stents’ benefits can be short lived and not fully realized. Now researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology […]