Once cartilage is damaged, there is little that can be done to repair it. Unlike many other tissues, cartilage doesn’t heal well and consequences of injuries and disease can last a lifetime. Now researchers at Texas A&M University have developed an unusual new class of materials that may give cartilage a way of repairing itself. [… (Read more...)
Tag: Orthopedic Surgery
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 i (Read more...)
ON-Q* with Bolus Pump Cleared in U.S. for Pain Management
Opioid pain killers taken postoperatively are a common way for people to get on the road to becoming drug addicts. Targeted solutions that avoid exposing patients to opioids in the first place may do a great deal to avoid the onset of drug dependency. Avanos Medical, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, has been making a popular […]
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 […]
FluoroShield Reduces Radiation Exposure from Fluoroscopes, Gets FDA Clearance
Radiation reduction continues to be an important goal in electrophysiology labs, cath labs, and other interventional rooms. To advance this mission, the FDA just gave clearance to Omega Medical Imaging, a company out of Sanford, Florida, for its FluoroShield radiation exposure reduction system. The FluoroShield uses a very fast collimator coupled w (Read more...)
New 3D Printing Technique Makes Custom Implants Mimicking Real Bone Tissue
The articular cartilage, which forms the outer, smooth surface of the ends of bones, is often damaged during injuries. These osteochondral injuries are exceedingly common in athletes, often leading to an unexpected end of a sports career. Researchers at Rice University have now developed a way to 3D print scaffolds on top of which bone […]
The iovera° Cryoanalgesia Device: Interview with Tim Still, CEO of Myoscience
Myoscience, a medtech company based in California, has developed the iovera° cryoanalgesia device. The device was FDA cleared in 2013, with an additional clearance in 2017 for knee pain, and uses cryotherapy to freeze peripheral nerves to reduce pain without affecting nearby tissues. The company claims that the device is a useful alternative to (Read more...)
Mobilett Elara Max X-ray Cleared in the United States
Siemens Healthineers won clearance from the FDA for its Mobilett Elara Max X-ray system. The mobile device can be wheeled from room to room while the cables are safely hidden inside and the antimicrobial coating prevents the transfer of pathogens. The firm touts the system’s IT security features that help to maintain patient privacy whil (Read more...)
Alternative Orthopedic Fixation Company Ossio Developing Absorbable Fixation Devices
Ossio, a medical device company with offices in Caesarea, Israel and Woburn, Massachusetts, recently announced a $22 million Series A venture investment round led by LA-based OCV Partners. This brings the company’s total venture funding to $35 million. This technology received FDA 510(k) clearance in January 2019. Ossio has developed the (Read more...)
Alternative Orthopedic Fixation Company Ossio Developing Absorbable Fixation Devices
Ossio, a medical device company with offices in Caesarea, Israel and Woburn, Massachusetts, recently announced a $22 million Series A venture investment round led by LA-based OCV Partners. This brings the company’s total venture funding to $35 million. This technology received FDA 510(k) clearance in January 2019. Ossio has developed the (Read more...)
SafeOp Automated Neuromonitor Cleared to Find Nerves, Assess Their Health
Alphatec, out of Carsbad, California, won FDA clearance for the SafeOp automated neuromonitoring system for use in real-time intraoperative nerve location and assessment. The system relies on somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) and and electromyography (EMG) as the two complementary modalities, one for evaluating the functionality of ne (Read more...)
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 (Read more...)
Knee Implant Sensor Generates Its Own Electricity
Total knee arthroplasties can be very effective at restoring comfortable, pain-free walking in many patients. One of the downsides of such procedures is that the implants that are used tend to wear out over time, particularly when exposed to too much use. While there are sensors able to provide information about the status of a […]
Arbutus Medical’s New Low-Cost Surgical DrillCovers: Interview with CEO Lawrence Buchan
Arbutus Medical is a company that aims to improve access to surgical power tools for surgeons around the world. Their flagship product, the DrillCover, is a sterilizable enclosure that allows surgeons to use an off-the-shelf hardware drill for orthopedic surgery. Four years ago, we interviewed Lawrence Buchan, Arbutus’ co-founder. We caught u (Read more...)
Medtronic Releases Mazor X Stealth Edition Robot for Spinal Surgeries
Medtronic, having recently acquired Mazor Robotics, an Israeli spinal surgery firm, just announced the launch of the Mazor X Stealth Edition in the United States. The system provides planning, workflow, procedural execution, and confirmation capabilities to accurately place instruments and tools during spinal surgeries. “It is rare that (Read more...)
Nevro High Frequency Neurostimulation for Pain Control: CES 2019
Electrical neurostimulators may look alike and even work similarly to each other, but differences in how their energy is delivered can have significant effect on a therapy’s effectiveness. Nevro, a Silicon Valley company, has developed a high frequency spinal cord stimulation technology that avoids some of the common problems associated with (Read more...)
Implantable Knee Shock Absorber Embedded in First Patient in U.S.
A total knee replacement is usually the result of the cartilage within the joint wearing out due to arthritis. Such surgeries are difficult to perform, require a good deal of rehabilitation, and too often result in sub-optimal outcomes. An implantable shock absorber has now been implanted for the first time in the United States to […]
Materialise and Carestream to Release Browser-Driven Pre-Op and 3D Printing Software
Materialise, a company that 3D prints millions of unique medical parts every year, has partnered with Carestream Health to release a browser-driven pre-operative planning solution. The product will give orthopedic surgeons the ability to plan surgeries and order custom surgical guides and other 3D printed parts from just about any in-hospital compu (Read more...)
Portable, Battery-Powered X-ray for Imaging Anywhere
Turner Imaging Systems announced it will be releasing its Smart-C X-ray device, which is a tiny C-arm designed for imaging the extremities at the point of care. The device can be used inside clinical offices, surgical suites, and even taken in the field for help with disaster relief. The Smart-C weighs in at only 16 […]
Cold Plasma Treated Biodegradable 3D Printed Ortho Implants
Orthopedic implants used to repair damaged and diseased bones and joints typically have a complex structure below the surface that helps native tissues grow into and secure the implants. In addition to this, surface treatments are often applied to even further improve the effectiveness of the implants. These surface treatments, just as the name imp (Read more...)