Researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a miniaturized chemical heater that can precisely heat biological samples during diagnostic tests, but does not require electricity or any specialized equipment to work. The low-cost technology is based on the exothermic reaction that occurs when lithium encounters water, and the precise shape (Read more...)
Tag: Medicine
VitalConnect Introduces Remote Arrhythmia Detection Using VitalPatch
In a world where cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death (with an estimated 17.9 million annual deaths globally, according to the WHO), the need to accurately and reliably monitor patients following cardiac procedures is ever-growing. This need is highlighted by the frequency of complications that occur following such procedures. For (Read more...)
VOCSN 5-in-1 Portable Ventilator: Interview with Chris Kiple, CEO of Ventec
Ventilators are used by patients who lose lung function due to complications from a variety of diseases such as spinal cord injuries, COPD, stroke, pneumonia, and ALS. In addition to dealing with a debilitating situation, patients tend to be hooked to several machines that perform mechanical ventilation, oxygen delivery, cough assist, suction, and (Read more...)
Beddr SleepTuner: Medgadget’s Review of The Novel Sleep Tracker
Sleep trackers are no stranger to Medgadget. Over the years, we’ve looked at various gadgets that monitor your “ZZZ’s” from your wrist, on your mattress, and even within your pajamas. With a growing interest in methods of maximizing work and life productivity (particularly among millennials), an ever-increasing number of fin (Read more...)
Surfacer FDA Cleared for Unusual Dialysis Central Venous Access
The right internal jugular vein is typically the ideal access point for performing hemodialysis via a central venous catheter. Yet, in close to half of patients there’s an obstruction that makes this either a serious challenge or an impossibility. Now, a device called the Surfacer Inside-Out Access Catheter System has been cleared via the FDA (Read more...)
COSMED Q-NRG+ Metabolic Monitor Cleared in U.S.
The FDA has cleared COSMED’s Q-NRG+ metabolic monitor, a device that uses indirect calorimetry to measure a patient’s energy demands. Q-NRG+, made by COSMED, a company based in Rome, Italy, can help to prevent malnutrition in seriously ill patients without relying on traditional, and often inaccurate, measures such as age, gender, weigh (Read more...)
Electronic Bandage Delivers Drugs, Leaves No Scar
Chronic wounds, such as those associated with diabetes, can be incredibly difficult to manage. Even the process of accessing and medicating the wound can be detrimental to healing. Researchers from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Harvard Medical School, and University of Connecticut are now reporting on having developed an electronic bandage that c (Read more...)
Smartphone With Laser and Thermal Cameras to Screen Passersby for Fever
The current coronavirus infecting thousands of people in China (COVID-19) is making public health authorities around the world responsible for screening millions of people going through airports, returning from cruises, and crossing borders by land. The number one tool is the thermometer and checking is usually done by placing it against the forehe (Read more...)
Chip Recreates Blood-Brain Barrier to Study Delivery of Drugs to Brain
The blood-brain barrier is one of the greatest challenges that modern medicine has to overcome if we want to be able to fight neurological diseases using drugs. Animal models serve a purpose, but they’re not very good at replicating the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) as results often don’t translate during clinical trials. A better way (Read more...)
SmartTab Wireless Pill for Targeted Drug Delivery: Interview with CEO Robert Niichel
Velóce Digital Health is working to make pills smarter. The Denver, Colorado company is developing the SmartTab, an ingestible capsule that can be wirelessly controlled via a smartphone to release its contents at precise locations within the gastrointestinal system. “The idea is that [with] the smart capsule, you will have precision me (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...)
BioSticker FDA Cleared for Month-Long Vitals Monitoring
BioIntelliSense, a Silicon Valley firm, won FDA clearance for its BioSticker wearable sensor and the company is also releasing its Data-as-a-Service platform. The BioSticker can track heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature, body position, sleep status, and activity levels, as well as provide a high-resolution gait analysis, fall detection, (Read more...)
4D Printing to Make Barbs for Microneedle Arrays
Microneedle arrays are promising as a way to help heal wounds, administer drugs, and sense a variety of biomarkers of health and disease. Because of their tiny size and smooth surface, microneedles don’t stay put in the tissues they’re attached to and tend to fall off if not kept in place by some means. Now, […]
Plasma Protein Levitation Technique Could Provide New Diagnostic Tool
Researchers at Michigan State University have developed a technique to levitate plasma proteins using a magnetic field. The technique provides very accurate information on the density of the proteins, and could reveal signatures of disease, potentially allowing clinicians to diagnose various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, more easily. The (Read more...)
Patch Automatically Delivers Insulin as Blood Glucose Rises
New technology has been making an impact on how diabetics control their blood sugar levels. A combination of a wearable glucometer and insulin pump, connected via a smart control mechanism, can function as an artificial pancreas, but researchers at University of California Los Angeles, University of North Carolina, and MIT have created and now test (Read more...)
Flashing Light Into Eyes Lowers Buildup of Alzheimer’s Amyloid Plaques
A few years ago scientists discovered that directing flashing light at 40 Hertz (cycles per second) into the eyes and noises into the ears of mice with Alzheimer’s disease led to a marked decline in amyloid plaques in their brains. The mechanism making this happen was pretty much a matter of speculation, so researchers at […]
Serenno System Unveiled for Continuous Kidney Monitoring
Serenno Medical, an Israeli firm, has unveiled its Sentinel automatic device for monitoring and detecting kidney damage. Designed for use within the hospital, the Sentinel works by continuously measuring urine output and volume to help detect cases of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). These days, nurses typically manually measure the amount of urine a pat (Read more...)
MIT Researchers Prove Non-Invasive Glucose Sensing Possible
Measuring blood glucose concentrations still requires direct access to blood, whether through a finger prick or via a continuous glucometer. MIT scientists working with colleagues at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in South Korea are reporting that they’ve developed a non-invasive blood glucose measurement device that may finally tur (Read more...)
Wearable Monitor Provides Continuous Blood Pressure Data
Researchers at Monash University in Australia have developed a wearable device that can continuously monitor blood pressure during a variety of activities including while exercising and during sleep. The technology does not require uncomfortable inflatable cuffs or invasive measurements, and uses continuous wave radar and photoplethysmogram sensors (Read more...)
CapMedic Measures Lung Function, Makes Sure Inhalers Used Correctly
The FDA has cleared the CapMedic device that helps to make sure that metered dose inhalers (MDIs) are properly used, even by young patients. MDIs are most commonly employed to deliver asthma medications deep into the lungs, but to work effectively they have to be used correctly and on a consistent schedule. The CapMedic snaps […]