XACT Robotics out of Caesarea, Israel won EU approval to introduce its needle steering and insertion system for percutaneous procedures including biopsies and ablations. The robotic device gives physicians a more accurate and precise way of moving needles toward difficult to reach targets. The robot is placed on the patient during a procedure and i (Read more...)
Tag: Ob/Gyn
Affordable Fertility Care from the Glow Fertility Program: Three Perspectives Interview
For couples dealing with infertility, the cost of fertility treatment can be significant. While numerous variables need to be considered when estimating the cost of treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF), estimates put the price on the order of $12,000-$14,000, and sometimes even higher. This does not include the added cost of medication (Read more...)
New Sniper Balloon Occlusion Microcatheters Cleared in Europe
Embolx, out of Silicon Valley, won the European CE Mark for its latest Sniper Balloon Occlusion Microcatheters. The devices are used to help deliver embolic agents in such varying procedures as helping to treat tumors, uterine fibroids, and enlarged prostate. The new family of the devices include features to make them easier to navigate throug (Read more...)
New Smaller Flexible Robotic Surgical System from South Korea
At KAIST, a major South Korean science and technology university, researchers have developed a flexible robotic surgical system that is designed to work on difficult to reach places. The K-FLEX endoscopic surgical robot has arms that are only 3.7 mm in diameter, allowing them to work through standard 4.2 mm internal channels of an endoscope. [&hell (Read more...)
FlexDex Intuitive Laparoscopic Instruments Going on Sale in U.S.
Robotic surgical systems, such as those from Intuitive Surgical and TransEnterix, can be prohibitively expensive for many, if not most, hospitals. FlexDex, a company based outside of Detroit, Michigan, offers a much more affordable alternative for performing many minimally invasive procedures. Unlike existing laparoscopic devices, FlexDex’s t (Read more...)
Sonata Sonography-Guided Transcervical Fibroid Ablation System Now Cleared in America
Gynesonics, a Redwood City, CA firm, won clearance from the FDA for its Sonata (Sonography-Guided Transcervical Fibroid Ablation) System. The device already has the CE Mark clearing it for sale in Europe. The Sonata combines ultrasound visualization with a proprietary ablation device to allow for transcervical, incisionless removal of most int (Read more...)
Luminelle DTx, a Cheap Hysteroscopy/Cystoscopy System Cleared in U.S.
UVision360, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, has announced that its Luminelle DTx hysteroscopy and cystoscopy system is now FDA cleared. The device is designed to give doctors an option to perform hysteroscopy procedures in the office, without having to rely on more expensive OR equipment. “Since the best technology is typically only availab (Read more...)
3D-Printed Placenta-on-a-Chip Mimics Structure of Placental Membrane
Researchers at TU Wien in Vienna have developed a placenta-on-a-chip microfluidic device which uses a femtosecond laser-based 3D-printing method to create a customized hydrogel membrane. The printed membrane is populated with placental cells and mimics the microstructure of the placental barrier. This allows researchers to study how substances, inc (Read more...)
Hologic Unveils Fluent Fluid Management System for Hysteroscopies
Hologic is releasing a new fluid management system specifically designed for hysteroscopic procedures. The Fluent system aims to simplify, make more efficient, and less frustrating fluid management tasks. The setup is simplified with a modern touchscreen interface, there’s only a one waste bag to worry about, the machine is purportedly q (Read more...)
MACH 30 Ultrasound with ShearWave PLUS Elastography Cleared in U.S., Europe
SuperSonic Imagine, a French firm, has announced that its Aixplorer MACH 30 ultrasound has been cleared in the U.S. and Europe. The system works as a traditional high power ultrasound, but also features the company’s elastography technology called ShearWave PLUS that measures tissue elasticity, or stiffness, in 3D. Elastography is now co (Read more...)
Healcerion 300L Wireless Portable Ultrasound Now Available in U.S.
Healcerion, the South Korean firm that introduced truly wireless ultrasound probes that work with smartphones and tablets, is releasing its SONON 300L ultrasound in the United States. The device was cleared last fall by the FDA and Healcerion has been working on manufacturing and preparing it for distribution. The SONON 300L works with most Android (Read more...)
The World’s First Wireless, App-Based Ultrasound: Interview with Dr. Ryu, CEO of Healcerion
Healcerion, based in South Korea, was the first company to receive FDA clearance for a wireless, app-based ultrasound system back in 2015. The groundbreaking work done by South Korean engineers and scientists laid the foundation for the development of an ultrasound transducer that works with most smartphones or tablets. Since introducing the S (Read more...)
SOMAVAC 100, a Battery Powered Wearable Post Surgical Vacuum Pump
Some post-surgical wounds, including following abdominal surgeries and mastectomies, may require suction drainage to prevent post operative complications due to edema and fluid collections. Suction bulbs have been common for the past few decades, since they don’t require external power and are very simple in design. New technologies can signi (Read more...)
New Siemens Acuson Sequoia Ultrasound Beams Through Obese Patients
Siemens Healthineers is releasing a fresh update to its popular ACUSON Sequoia ultrasound system. The device can image deeper than before while maintaining a high quality output, an important capability for those on the front lines of the obesity epidemic. As an example, using the Deep Abdominal Transducer (DAX) that comes with the Sequoia, cl (Read more...)
Photoacoustic Computed Tomography May Replace Mammographies for Breast Cancer Screening
Though mammography helps to provide early detection of breast cancer, it is a modality that suffers from limitations, particularly in dense breasts. A new technology, developed at Caltech, may have the potential to eclipse mammographies for spotting cancerous lesions. The photoacoustic system sends near-infrared laser light into breast tissue and d (Read more...)
Sonavex’s EchoMark Soft Tissue Markers Receive FDA 510(k) Clearance
One year ago, we spoke with Sonavex CEO David Narrow about the Baltimore medical startup’s recent round of investment and ongoing development of its EchoMark and EchoSure products. At the time, David mentioned that the company was, “…preparing to submit our regulatory clearance materials.” This week, the company announced t (Read more...)
At-Home Preeclampsia Testing with a Smartphone, BP Cuff, and Accelerometer
Preeclampsia is a frequent and dangerous complication of pregnancy characterized by an abnormally high blood pressure, coupled with signs of damage to the liver, kidneys, and other organs. While there is a fairly easy way to detect signs of preeclampsia, known as the supine pressor test, it requires patients to visit their doctor, something that [& (Read more...)
FDA Approves Test for Spontaneous Preterm Birth
QIAGEN won FDA’s OK to introduce its PartoSure test for estimating the risk of spontaneous preterm birth to be used for women that are experiencing symptoms of preterm labor. The test identifies the presence of placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1), a pretty good indicator that the fetal membrane has suffered a break. The test has alr (Read more...)
iFertracker Review: An Easy Way to Monitor Basal Body Temp
Getting pregnant is not always as easy as our sex education teachers promised it would be. It can be stressful, frustrating, and heart wrenching. One of the key factors to a successful conception is timing intercourse during the woman’s fertile window – a period of time that includes the five days prior to ovulation and […]
3D Printed Model of Cervix to Train Doctors to Spot Cervical Cancer, Deliver Treatment
In many resource poor areas of the world cervical cancer screenings and related therapeutic procedures are rare due to a lack of training. Students at Rice University, with help from Rice 360° Institute for Global Health and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, have developed an affordable model of the female pelvic region th (Read more...)