Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington, in collaboration with Shani Biotechnologies, a local firm, have created a point-of-care device that can accurately measure hemoglobin levels and perform pulse oximetry in individuals with dark skin. At present, methods to determine hemoglobin levels at the point of care, such as pulse oximetry, a (Read more...)
Tag: Military Medicine
Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat
Researchers at UCLA have developed a fingertip sensor that can rapidly provide data on the levels of lithium in the body. Used as a treatment for bipolar disorder and depression, lithium requires very accurate and sensitive dosing, with too little providing no therapeutic benefit but slightly too much potentially leading to unwanted side-effects. A (Read more...)
Fabric Makes Electricity from Movement to Power Wearables
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, have created a wearable fabric that generates electricity from our body movements. The fabric could assist in powering medical wearables and other mobile diagnostic or therapeutic devices. The fabric contains stretchable polymers that generate electricity when bent, pressed, or brushed, bas (Read more...)
Wearable Uses Microneedles to Track Metabolism
A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego created a wearable device that uses a disposable microneedle patch to continuously sample and analyze interstitial fluid. The wearable can measure glucose, alcohol, and lactate levels, all of which could be useful information for patients with diabetes. The disposable patch is attached (Read more...)
Hemostasis on Contact: Interview with Joe Landolina, CEO of Cresilon
Cresilon, a New York-based medtech company, specializes in developing hemostatic technology. Its co-founder and CEO, Joe Landolina, created a plant-based hemostatic gel that can stop bleeding very rapidly when applied to a wound. Landolin developed the gel when he was just seventeen, and has spent the years since building the company to bring it an (Read more...)
Laser Kills Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria for Wound and Blood Decontamination
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed an ultrashort-pulse laser that can kill multidrug-resistant bacteria and their spores, and without damaging human cells. The laser works by vibrating and breaking protein structures within the bacterial cell, resulting in biochemical disruption and eventual death. Th (Read more...)
Face Mask Detects SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the Harvard Wyss Institute and MIT have developed a face mask that can detect SARS-CoV-2 in a wearer’s breath. The mask employs freeze dried molecular components including CRISPR-based technology, and a lateral flow assay strip to detect the virus and alert the wearer. To initiate the test, the wearer simply presses a button [& (Read more...)
Hydrogel Wound Treatment Kills Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed an antibacterial hydrogel that can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The material is conceived as a wound dressing, and is composed of antimicrobial peptides which are naturally produced by the immune system. The gel binds the peptides together and protects them, yet allows (Read more...)
Microfluidics and AI Microscopy for Hemoglobin Measurements
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science and SigTuple Technologies, a company based in Bengaluru, India, have developed a method to inexpensively measure hemoglobin levels in small-volume blood samples. The technique combines a microfluidic chip and an AI-powered microscope. The researchers hope that the technology will help streamline hemogl (Read more...)
Body Sensors Printed Directly on Skin at Room Temperature
Biomedical sensors typically perform their best when they’re placed in close proximity to the body. While wearables, such as wrist-worn heart rate monitors, are common these days, they are very limited by where they can be placed on the body, have poor signal quality, and are often uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. Now, researchers (Read more...)
At-Home Clinical ECG: Now and After The Pandemic – Interview with Dr. Ruey-Kang Chang, CEO, QT Medical
Many fields of medicine are undergoing a transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as patients are kept away from clinics as much as possible. Patients are now regularly visited by their doctors over video calls, are asked to perform certain procedures on their own, and are prescribed medical devices that would normally be used by […]
Jet Suit Paramedic Reaches Stricken Hikers in Seconds
Arriving as quickly as possible to the site of a medical emergency is a critical goal for any paramedic. It may be easy enough in urban and even rural areas, but when someone is stuck high up a mountain there are often no expedient options. Drones may offer help in certain cases, such as delivering […]
Drawing Biomedical Electronics Directly Onto Skin
Wearable biomedical devices hold the promise of allowing for continuous, remote patient monitoring in all kinds of settings. A variety of vital signs, including heart rate and its variability, body temperature, and the amount of sweat produced, can be measured. The problem is that a lot of these measurements are not particularly accurate when using (Read more...)
Augmented Reality Telemedicine Shown to be Effective for Battlefield
A team of researchers from Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Medicine has recently developed and now demonstrated, in realistic simulations, a telemedical augmented reality system that can be used in very difficult and stressful situations. Called System for Telementoring with Augmented Reality (STAR), it allows remote clinicia (Read more...)
Revolutionizing IV Access With TournIQ: Interview With Jonathan Ilicki, Co-Founder of Ortrud Medical
IV access is one of the most common clinical procedures in healthcare, with over 300 million hospitalized patients in the United States receiving a peripheral venous catheter every year. However, as many have painfully experienced, catheter insertion isn’t always successful on the first attempt. Often times, we place the blame on dehydration, (Read more...)
Sweat Sensor Gathers Large Samples for Accurate Analysis
Sweat excreted by the skin contains important biomarkers for a number of diseases, as well as being a critical parameter in athletic performance, overall body function, and even an early warning indicator of an oncoming illness. Measuring sweat output and its chemical composition, in an accurate and easily administered way, has been a challenge. At (Read more...)
Flexible Sensors Measure Vitamin C Levels in Sweat
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed flexible sensors that can be worn on the skin to sensitively track vitamin C levels in sweat. The devices could be useful in helping wearers to maintain optimal levels of the vitamin, which is important for a healthy immune system, and could be particularly useful […]
Butterfly TeleGuidance for Remote Ultrasound Exams During COVID Pandemic
Telemedicine has been around for over a decade in various forms, but the COVID-19 epidemic has turned a convenience into a necessity. Clinical practices that never seriously considered using telemedicine are now performing virtual house calls with their patients. However, although it’s possible to do a lot through a video call, many procedure (Read more...)
Reusable Textiles to Repel Viruses
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a coating that can be used to create textiles that repel viruses, along with bodily fluids such as saliva and blood. Interestingly, the coated textiles are reusable, and can be washed and scrubbed repeatedly without losing their virus-repelling properties. These characteristics may make the (Read more...)
MIT’s Comfortable Shirts Loaded with Body Sensors
MIT engineers have developed a way of creating shirts and other clothing items that are embedded with tiny electronic sensors capable of measuring the heart and respiration rates, temperature, and movement. Other vital signs can be added by utilizing additional sensor types. The technology will allow physicians to monitor their patients closely thr (Read more...)