Researchers at Western University, London Health Sciences Centre, and Lawson Health Research Institute, all in Canada, have developed and tested a new 3D ultrasound system. Designed to improve the accuracy of interstitial brachytherapy, a technique in which tiny sources of radiation are placed inside tumors, the new ultrasound may help physicians to significantly improve their […]
Tag: Ob/Gyn
Bloomlife and imec Partner to Create Low Power 5-Channel Fetal ECG
The Belgian research organization imec and Bloomlife, a company that develops pregnancy monitoring technology, has unveiled a new chip capable of tracking five channels of fetal heart rate ECG (electrocardiography) along with mobility of the child inside the womb. The prototype device, dubbed BeatleIC, is capable of detecting fetal ECG as early as 20 weeks […]
CleanCase Device-Specific Smart Sterile Covers Going on Sale
SteriDev, a Lansing, Michigan firm, is releasing the first device-specific sterile mobile device coverings. The CleanCase coverings are FDA-compliant and allow surgeons, technicians, and other clinical staff to use smartphones and tablets even in the operating room (OR). These days, it can be quite a hassle to bring a smartphone in the OR, making it […]
New Device Cleans Blood to Treat Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is one of the most common serious maladies that pregnant women encounter. It is a poorly understood condition with symptoms such as high blood pressure, proteinuria, and headaches, potentially even leading to seizures. The treatment options for preeclampsia are still very limited, mostly confined to hypertension medications, bed rest, and birthing the baby, which […]
Artificial Intelligence Selects Embryos to Optimize In-Vitro Fertilization
Ever since its advent, in vitro fertilization has relied on trained specialists with a keen eye to select which embryos look more viable. This is a great responsibility since roughly only half of IVF procedures are successful. Any improvement of this process would be of great benefit to the expectant parents. Researchers at Weill Cornell […]
INNOVO Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulator for Urinary Incontinence Coming to U.S.
Atlantic Therapeutics, a company out of Galway, Ireland, will soon be releasing its INNOVO transcutaneous electrical stimulator to treat stress urinary incontinence in women. The device was FDA approved late last year as the first transcutaneous stimulator with such an indication. It delivers electric current through the body toward muscles that control the pelvic floor, […]
Butterfly iQ Multi-Purpose Pocket-Sized Ultrasound Now Available in Europe
Butterfly Network, a company based in Connecticut, finally won the CE mark and is releasing in Europe its Butterfly iQ portable ultrasound system. The product consists of a transducer that plugs right into an iPhone or iPad via the Lightning port, and uses a matching app to display live images, change settings, and review previously […]
Maquet PowerLED II Smart Surgical Lights Coming to America
Getinge has announced that its Maquet PowerLED II surgical lights are now available for purchase in the United States. The devices are applicable to general, as well as hybrid operating rooms, offering features that help illuminate all sorts of procedures. The lights are powered by high-end LEDs, which can be tuned to deliver light of […]
Contraceptive Jewelry from Georgia Tech
Contraceptives are very effective, as long as they’re administered on a tight schedule. All too often many women forget or ignore to take the pill, leading to unwanted surprises. Researchers at Georgia Tech, taking into account today’s fashion of wearing unusual jewelry, have developed an earring, necklace, ring, and a wrist watch, each integrating a […]
Fingertip Elasticity Probe Helps Spot Breast Tumors
Our fingertips are incredibly sensitive biomechanical devices. They’re regularly used by physicians to feel out tumors during biopsy or excision surgeries. While reasonably effective, too many patients return for repeat procedures to remove missed bits of target lesions. Researchers at University of Western Australia have been working on giving superpowers to surgeons’ fingers so they can […]
FundamentalVR Integrates HaptX Gloves Into Virtual Reality Surgical Trainer
FundamentalVR, a company that makes virtual reality training tools for medical education, has integrated the HaptX Gloves into its Fundamental Surgery platform. Fundamental surgery can be used on different computers and with a variety of virtual reality headsets and haptic tools. Most systems that can provide a sense of touch have relied on pointer-like tools […]
da Vinci Surgical Robot Given Sense of Touch to Prevent Injury
Intuitive Surgical effectively brought robotics into the operating room with its da Vinci systems. The company now dominates this market and its robots are now used all over the world to conduct all kinds of minimally invasive surgeries. While the da Vincis give surgeons incredible precision when working with tissues deep inside the body, they lack any […]
Scientists Make MRI Practical for Breast Cancer Screening
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Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation for Urinary and Fecal Dysfunctions Cleared for MRI in Europe
Implanting a medical device often means giving up the opportunity to receive MRI scans in the future. This can be particularly true of complex electronic implants that may be negatively influenced by strong magnetic fields. Things are changing, though, as companies are engineering a way out of this dilemma. Axonics, based in Irvine, California, won […]
Philips Unveils New Zenition Surgical C-Arms
Philips is releasing a new mobile surgical C-arm designed to improve efficiency in the operating room. The Philips Zenition sports a tablet-like interface that runs the same Unify software across the various versions of the Zenition and is similar to what appears in some other radiological equipment from Philips, allowing operators to quickly learn to […]
Self-Administered Long-Lasting Contraceptive Patch
Long lasting female contraceptives typically require trained professionals to perform injections and to implant devices, something that’s not always available in low-resource settings. Researchers at Georgia Tech and University of Michigan have created a microneedle patch that can deliver a long lasting contraceptive by simply being pressed against the skin. It has already been […]
DFree Ultrasound Device Sends Notifications of Bladder Status to Your Phone: CES 2019
Urinary incontinence is a common malady, and one that is affecting more people every year due to the growing aging population. There are number of products available to treat urinary incontinence, depending on its cause and type. At CES 2019 we learned of a new ultrasound device that can sense the size of a person’s […]
Philips Shows Off Its Latest Health Tech at CES 2019
Philips is a storied name in the medical device industry, manufacturing some of the more advanced imaging systems, diagnostic monitors, defibrillators, and other products. Those of us old enough also associate Philips with consumer electronics and may know that Philips developed the cassette tape and worked with Sony on creating the compact disk (CD). Today […]
Attain Incontinence Control Device at CES 2019
Incontinence, be it urinary or fecal, is not fun and products to treat it is not something that excites the average consumer. Yet, InControl Medical was at CES 2019 showing off its Attain device, a product for managing urinary and/or fecal incontinence in both men and women. The Brookfield, Wisconsin firm claims that the Attain […]
TransEnterix Wins FDA Clearance for Senhance Ultrasonic Instruments
TransEnterix, maker of minimally invasive robotic surgery systems, received FDA clearance for its Senhance Ultrasonic Instrument System. The instruments are used on the TransEnterix Senhance robitically assisted surgical system. The technology allows for haptic remote control of laparoscopic tools that let surgeons feel what they’re working with, as well as offers 3D visualization of the […]