Vapotherm, a company based in New Hampshire, has released the latest version of its Precision Flow Hi-VNI system. The system is used to deliver non-invasive ventilation to spontaneously breathing patients using the company’s Mask-Free NIV technology. The latest version of the system features updated hardware and software, which purportedly improves on reliability and “to comply with […]
Tag: Critical Care
Man Receives World’s First Wirelessly Powered Heart Pump
Heart pumps are electromechanical devices that have all kinds of limitations placed on them. One of those is that the pumps needs quite a bit of energy to augment blood output, so a power cable protruding through the skin has always been a necessity. This point of entry is prone to becoming infected, the patient […]
Man Receives World’s First Wirelessly Powered Heart Pump
Heart pumps are electromechanical devices that have all kinds of limitations placed on them. One of those is that the pumps needs quite a bit of energy to augment blood output, so a power cable protruding through the skin has always been a necessity. This point of entry is prone to becoming infected, the patient […]
Digital Thermography and Machine Learning Team Up to Improve Burn Wound Care
A team at McGill University in Canada and the Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi in Mexico have developed a system for analyzing thermographic scans of burn wounds to improve how they are analyzed and how patients are treated. The team used digital infrared thermography, a non-invasive imaging technique, to study wounds when they were presented […]
Miniaturized Inhaled Nitric Oxide Delivery Units for Use in a Doctor’s Office
Nu-Med Plus, a medtech firm based in Utah, has developed a range of smart delivery devices for inhaled nitric oxide delivery, including a miniaturized unit that can operate in a doctor’s office. The innovation has been possible as parts of the drug patent for nitric oxide have been invalidated, meaning that the cost of the […]
MightySat Rx Cleared by FDA to Measure Breathing Rate from Fingertip
Masimo won FDA clearance for its MightySat Rx fingertip pulse oximeter to be used to spot check the respiration rate. A similar clearance was issued by the European Union regulatory authorities in 2017. These days the breathing rate is still counted manually more often than not. Though there are devices in existence, even contact-free ones, that […]
Patch with Non-Toxic Battery Monitors ECG, Blood Oxygen, Physical Activity
At CES 2019, imec, a Belgian organization, and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, presented their latest vitals monitoring patch. The disposable device has a monitoring lifetime of over a week, but since the battery is made of non-toxic materials there’s not a big environmental impact. The device has a basic ECG built-in, can […]
First Device for Predicting Risk of Pressure Ulcers FDA Cleared
Pressure ulcers are a common malady for bedridden patients, a situation that clinicians have been struggling to improve significantly. There are devices that sense how long a part of a body has been pressed on for too long, beds that deflate and inflate different areas to provide temporary respite, and clinical routines that help to […]
Argos Cardiac Output Monitor Now Available in U.S.
Retia Medical, out of Valhalla, New York, won FDA clearance and is making available in the U.S. its Argos Cardiac Output Monitor. For use in the OR and ICU, the product uses the company’s MBA algorithm to track both fluid and pressor resuscitation with high precision. This gives clinicians the ability to monitor oxygen delivery and […]
GE Healthcare’s New Revolution Apex CT with Deep Learning Image Reconstruction
GE Healthcare unveiled a new CT scanner in its lineup of Revolution family of devices. The Revolution Apex device features the brand new Quantix 160 X-Ray tube and Deep Learning Imaging Reconstruction, a system built on GE’s Edison platform to produce “TrueFidelity” images in challenging cases. GE believes it offers the “industry’s leading spatial resolution, […]
Philips V60 Plus Non-Invasive Ventilator with High Flow Therapy Unveiled
Philips has unveiled and received European CE Mark approval for a new non-invasive ventilator, the V60 Plus, that features high flow therapy. Typically high flow therapy is not available in a non-invasive ventilator, requiring frequent switching in the ICU, slowing delivery of therapy, causing hardship for patients, and eating into clinicians’ time. The Philips V60 […]
Canon’s New Alphenix 4D CT and C-Arm System for Interventional Procedures
Canon Medical is releasing a new high end CT scanning and fluoroscopy configuration for use in the interventional suite. The system combines the company’s Alphenix Sky + C-arm, Hybrid Catheterization Tilt/Cradle Table, and the Aquilion ONE / GENESIS Edition CT scanner. The combined system, known as Alphenix 4D CT provides a complete package for planning therapies, executing them, […]
E-Motion System for Stimulating Esophagus Helps Restart Digestive System, Cleared in EU
E-Motion Medical, an Israeli company, won the European CE Mark for its E-Motion System that stimulates the esophageal peristalsis in order restore failing motor activities of the digestive system. Patients suffering from acute gastrointestinal dysmotility (GID), which includes many, if not most, of the critically ill, require a great deal of care and multifaceted treatment. Complications […]
DNA Origami Nanoparticles to Treat Acute Kidney Injury
DNA origami is a technique for building different shaped molecules out of the four standard nucleotide bases. Various forms can be constructed, such as tubes, pyramids, and cubes, and the shapes of these molecules can significantly affect their functionality. Now they’ve been shown to be useful for treating acute kidney injury (AKI). The DNA origami nanostructures […]
3M’s New Durapore Advanced Surgical Tape for Keeping Tubes in Place
3M is releasing a new surgical adhesive tape that was developed to address special needs for a variety of clinical applications. The 3M Durapore Advanced tape is particularly beneficial when securing critical tubes that have to stay in place without a danger of being moved (chest tubes, JP drains, etc). The new product line adheres […]
Flexible LED Sensor Monitors Blood-Oxygenation Levels Through Skin
Researchers at University of California Berkeley have developed a flexible sensor that can be placed on the skin to measure levels of blood oxygenation over a large area. The device could help in tracking wound healing, or in monitoring oxygenation levels in transplanted skin or organs. “When you hear the word oximeter, the name for […]
TempTraq Stick-On Wireless Temperature Monitor Cleared
TempTraq, a Blue Spark Technologies company, won the European CE Mark for its stick-on wireless temperature monitor. The TempTraq device is about the size of a bandage and is stuck to the patient near the armit. It transmits readings wirelessly to a smartphone, if used at home, or a central system, if as part of a clinical […]
Machine-Learning Can Help Anesthesiologists Foresee Complications
During surgeries, anesthesiologists must monitor the vital signs of patients and administer the proper doses of anesthesia at the right times. While managing these responsibilities in a high-pressure situation, it can be difficult to anticipate surgical complications. One issue that can arise is hypoxemia, a condition in which the blood oxygen levels of the patient […]
Masimo’s High Accuracy RD SET Pulse Oximeters Cleared by FDA
Masimo won FDA clearance for its RD SET sensors that feature the company’s “Measure-through Motion” and “Low Perfusion SET” pulse oximetry. The new disposable oximeters are supposedly twice as accurate than Masimo’s previous offerings for patients over 3 kg, having an accuracy spec of 1.5% at 1 standard deviation, compared to 3% before. The devices […]
Near-Infrared Tech for Minimally Invasive Brain Monitoring: Interview with Philippe Dro, CEO of Luciole Medical
Luciole Medical, a medtech company based in Switzerland, has developed near-infrared sensors that can assess levels of tissue oxygenation as well as cerebral blood flow by measuring oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin. The sensors include a skin patch, which measures brain blood flow and oxygen saturation in patients undergoing surgery, and a minimally invasive probe that […]