Detecting bacterial infestations within the GI system, particularly using low cost methods, takes so much time that treatment is often administered too late. Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a particular nasty nuisance that kills many frail patients, and even with a hospital lab it can take up to two days to get the results. Researchers (Read more...)
Tag: Medicine
Tandem’s t:slim X2 Insulin Pump Classified as First Alternate Controller Enabled Infusion Pump
Tandem Diabetes received a brand new classification from the FDA for its t:slim X2 insulin pump. The device is the first in a category known as Alternate Controller Enabled Infusion Pumps (ACE pumps). According to the company, the associated indication is that the pump is “able to reliably and securely communicate with compatible, digita (Read more...)
Vapotherm Releases Latest Precision Flow Hi-VNI Mask-Free Ventilation System
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 purported (Read more...)
Wearable Respiration Sensors Made from Shrinky Dinks
While there are wearable monitors that measure a person’s respiration rate, they can’t track the volume of air that a patient inspires. For people with asthma and other lung conditions, this is an important indicator that can be used to assess the patient’s status. Engineers at University of California, Irvine have now develo (Read more...)
QT Medical’s Personal Cardiac Assistant Lets Patients Conduct Comprehensive ECGs at Home
A variety of health trackers, including the Apple Watch, offer consumers the ability to record their ECG signals. Though the claims about these offerings are mostly accurate, they may be misleading to those that believe these devices mimic the capabilities of in-hospital ECGs. In reality, wrist-worn and other wearable ECG monitors are only single-l (Read more...)
Innovative Pill Attaches to Stomach, Releases Insulin, Makes Diabetics Happy
Insulin injections are a reality for millions of people living with diabetes. Unlike many other drugs, insulin, being a protein, cannot be easily put into the form of a conventional pill. Inhaled insulin (afrezza) is an option that is appropriate for some patients, but it hasn’t caught on very well. A team of researchers from […]
Heart Implant Measures Left Atrial Pressure to Monitor Heart Failure
Vectorious Medical Technologies, a company based in Israel, has announced that it has developed an unusual intra-cardiac monitoring device that has a built-in microchip but no battery. The V-LAP monitoring device allows patients to take measurements of the left atrial pressure at any time, which is done with the assistance of a small external (Read more...)
Google’s Live Transcribe and Sound Amplifier to Make Communications Easier for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Deaf people and others who have trouble hearing are constantly finding themselves in situations in which communicating with other fellow humans is a challenge. Gesturing and writing things down on paper is simple, but slow and frustrating. Google, a part of Alphabet, is hoping to change that with a couple new tools that will be […]
Toilet Seat Automatically Measures Host of Cardiac Parameters to Monitor Heart Health
Getting daily checks of one’s cardiovascular function requires cooperation and commitment on the part of the patient. Monitors have to be put on, the readings recorded, and then shared with physicians or caregivers. While electrocardiogram (ECG) monitors, blood pressure cuffs, and other technologies are readily available for at-home use, they (Read more...)
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 […]
Tyto Care Brings the Doctor’s Visit to Home: Interview with Ophir Lotan
Tyto Care is an on-demand telehealth provider based in Israel that hopes to bring all aspects of a doctor’s visit to the home. Beyond the limits of traditional telemedicine, the platform also allows patients to conduct their own physical exam using a device that combines a camera, stethoscope, otoscope, thermometer, and tongue depressor. The (Read more...)
TestCard, a $4 Urine Test Read by Your Smartphone
Recently announced as one of the Digital Trends’ Top Tech of CES 2019, TestCard is a UK-based company that allows users to turn their smartphones into a clinical-grade urinalysis kit. The process starts with a postcard-like card mailed directly to the consumer. The card costs about $4 and contains three fold-out urine test strips, each [&hell (Read more...)
New Biosensor Accurately Measures Glucose in Saliva
The iQ Group Global, an Australian consortium, has announced that it developed a biosensor capable of accurately measuring glucose in a person’s saliva. The technology, originally acquired from the University of Newcastle in Australia, uses modified organic thin film transistors, which work in combination with glucose oxidase, to measure (Read more...)
Silicon Photonics Device to Screen for Arterial Stiffness: Interview with Roel Baets and Patrick Segers, Imec and Ghent University
Imec, a research and innovation hub for nanoelectronics and digital technologies based in Belgium, in collaboration with numerous partners, has developed a new medical device to screen for arterial stiffness, a risk-factor for cardiovascular disease. Routine screening of arterial stiffness in a doctor’s office is currently impossible, meaning (Read more...)
BD Unveils Nano Pen Needle for Accurate Subcutaneous Insulin Injections
BD is releasing its new Nano pen needle designed for achieving consistent depth during subcutaneous injections, particularly for diabetic patients on insulin. Intramuscular injections can occur when a patient applies too much force to many of the existing injection devices. The new BD Nano compensates for this by spreading the load across the injec (Read more...)
MediPines Gas Exchange Monitor Cleared by FDA for Comprehensive Lung Function Analysis
MediPines, a company based in California’s Orange County, obtained FDA clearance for its MediPines Gas Exchange Monitor. The device is used to measure and monitor a variety of respiratory parameters and indices of patients presenting with lung conditions. It can help to quickly triage patients and make decision making easier by providing (Read more...)
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, th (Read more...)
Handheld Photonic Device Measures Arterial Stiffness
A collaboration between nine different European research organizations, including the medical device giant Medtronic, has developed a prototype device for quick and easy measurement of arterial stiffness. This is an important development, as arterial stiffness is a biomarker for high blood pressure, but there are no reliable ways of measuring it wi (Read more...)
Painless Microneedle Skin Patch Accurately Senses Glucose
Microneedle patches are a promising way to easily and painlessly deliver a variety of drugs into the body. Yet there’s also a lot of potential to use microneedle patches to sense important biochemicals, glucose being probably the most important target. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden have developed a (Read more...)
Diagnostic Blood Tests in Minutes: Interview with Brianna Wronko, Founder and CEO of Group K Diagnostics
We have all had to wait for test results after a doctor’s visit. In cases where a serious disease is suspected, a prolonged waiting period can be one filled with agonizing worry and anxiety. In certain scenarios, receiving medical test results earlier may even positively impact the treatment course – allowing patients to start therapy [ (Read more...)