Most modern blood pressure cuffs use the oscillometric technique, in which the cuff measures one value (mean arterial pressure) and an algorithm calculates systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings. However, this indirect method can produce inaccuracies, and single-point measurements lead to an inaccurate hypertension diagnosis in 30% of patie (Read more...)
Tag: Emergency Medicine
AI Device Listens for Coughs and Sneezes to Monitor and Forecast Pandemics
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a portable AI device that can listen for coughs and sneezes and count the number of people present in public places to make predictions about levels of flu-like illnesses. The system, called “FluSense,” could be useful in the current COVID-19 pandemic in helping resea (Read more...)
EchoNous Receives EU Approval for Kosmos AI Ultrasound Platform
EchoNous announced that it has received the Eurepean CE Mark of approval for its Kosmos platform, an ultrasound and AI-based software system that helps physicians obtain diagnostic imaging and make clinical decisions at the bedside. The Kosmos platform consists of an eight-ounce ultrasound device, the Kosmos Torso, which also has ECG and digital au (Read more...)
Robots to Greet, Triage Incoming Coronavirus Patients
Because of the COVID 19 situation, clinical facilities are currently faced with the issue of trying to keep interactions between potential patients and staff at a minimum. Face masks and other precautions help, but modern technology is allowing some tasks to be completely performed without human staff. Wegree, a company based in Poland, makes human (Read more...)
Intel’s Chip Learns to Sniff for Hazardous Chemicals
Researchers at Intel Labs and Cornell University have utilized an unusual “neuromorphic chip” to quickly learn the signature smell of ten different hazardous chemicals and spot their presence quicker than ever before. The Loihi chip, as it is called, mimics how our brains classify and identify unique smells that our noses detect, retain (Read more...)
Everlywell Utilizes Telemedicine and At-Home Lab Testing to Diagnose COVID-19
One of the biggest hurdles for America in its fight against the growing COVID-19 pandemic is a massive shortage of tests to diagnose for the virus. To help in the battle, one of the nation’s leading at-home lab testing companies, Everlywell, has developed an in-home test for COVID-19 that also utilizes telehealth consultations with board-cert (Read more...)
Masimo Receives FDA Approval for Continuous RRp Monitoring
Masimo announced that it received FDA clearance for continuous RRp (respiration rate from the photoplethysmograph) monitoring with its with Rad-97, Radical-7, and Radius-7 Pulse Co-Oximeters. Usually, monitoring respiration rate involves manually counting breaths with a timer or using chest straps that need to be fitted. The newly-approved Mas (Read more...)
Table-Top Robot Uses AI to Make Blood Draws, Insert Catheters
Researchers at Rutgers University have developed a robot that utilizes artificial intelligence, along with near-infrared and ultrasound imaging, to automatically make blood draws and insert catheters in small blood vessels. The device could take the guesswork out of blood draws, which are frequently challenging when performed manually, and reduce t (Read more...)
RESPMETER Opioid Overdose Detector Wins FDA Breakthrough Device Status
Altair Medical recently announced that it received FDA Breakthrough Device status for its RESPMETER wearable biosensor. The biosensor is a chest-worn wireless sensor that can detect Opioid Indused Respiratory Depression (OIRD), a common and often fatal side effect of using opioid drugs. The biosensor monitors respiratory patterns and analyses them (Read more...)
Aiber In-Flight Medical Emergency Response System
MIME Technologies, a startup originating at Aberdeen University in Scotland, unveiled the Aiber in-flight telemedicine system designed to be used by flight attendants to help stricken passengers. Using a tablet computer, flight attendants can communicate with physicians on the ground, transmitting observable symptoms, but also streaming data from s (Read more...)
New HydroPICC Prevents Clogged Central Line Catheters
Access Vascular, based in Bedford, Massachusetts, won FDA clearance for the latest version of its HydroPICC anti-thrombogenic central line catheter. As with the original, which was cleared two years ago, the new device features Access’s unique “bulk-hydrophilic” material that prevents clogging by being rich in water while carrying (Read more...)
VistaScan Ultrasound Probes for Your Smartphone Cleared by FDA
Emagine Solutions Technology, a startup based in Tucson, Arizona, won FDA clearance for its VistaScan mobile ultrasound system. The product includes ultrasound probes that can interface with a clinician’s own smartphone or tablet, and the company’s app is used to display and manipulate live images produced by the probes. The company dev (Read more...)
Device Prints Scaffolds Inside Wounds to Replace Lost Tissue
3D printing of artificial scaffolds intended to replace injured tissues has become a ballyhooed technology that’s yet to prove itself in clinical practice. One issue that complicates things is that the scaffolds have to match the volume that they’ll be replacing, in both shape and the direction in which cells will have to grow. To [&hel (Read more...)
World’s First Portable MRI Cleared by FDA
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized medicine, but MRI scanners are so demanding that access to them is still a challenge. MRI machines typically require specially built rooms with magnet quench vent pipes, entry systems that check people for metals attracted to magnets, and specific protocols to ensure safety. Patients, therefore, h (Read more...)
First AI-Guided Ultrasound Gets Green Light from FDA
Caption Health, a company based outside of San Francisco, CA, won the first authorization from the FDA for an ultrasound software that guides clinicians at capturing images of the heart. The Caption Guidance software should work with any number of ultrasound system from different manufacturers, but currently it can only be used with a diagnostic [& (Read more...)
Robotic Phlebotomist Draws Blood, Automates Hematology Analysis
Engineers at Rutgers University have developed a robot that autonomously draws patient blood and immediately performs hematology analysis. Such technology may help to speed up patient care, free clinicians to do other tasks, and even reduce the number of failed IV starts. The device was recently tested in a clinical trial for the first time [&helli (Read more...)
Wireless Lumee Oxygen Platform Cleared in EU
The European Union cleared Profusa’s Wireless Lumee Oxygen Platform, a system designed to measure tissue oxygen levels in patients with diseases such as peripheral artery disease and critical limb ischemia. The wired version of the Lumee was cleared in Europe back in 2016 and the new device fundamentally works the same. It consists of a [&hel (Read more...)
New Membranes to Make Extracorporeal Oxygenation More Effective
When lungs fail because of acute respiratory distress and cannot be used to deliver oxygen to patients via conventional ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has to be employed. ECMOs remove carbon dioxide from whole blood and replace it with oxygen thanks to a membrane oxygenator. While such artificial lungs are effective for sho (Read more...)
Mindray’s New High End Point of Care Ultrasound
Mindray is releasing a new point-of-care ultrasound system, the TE7 ACE. The device, intended for a variety of applications including emergency, critical care, and anesthesia, features a large color touchscreen, fluid management features, needle guidance toolkit, and electronic medical records connectivity. The company claims that the fluid measure (Read more...)
Portable Nanoplasmonic Imager Detects Sepsis Biomarkers
Sepsis is an incredibly dangerous condition, typically occurring within hospitals. According to a recent study nearly 20% of all deaths worldwide are caused by sepsis, as it is a disease that quickly gets out of control if not treated early and properly. At present, there is no easy way for clinicians to quickly provide a […]