Tag: Orthopedic Surgery

microMend, a Novel and Time-Saving Wound Closure Device

Sutures and staples are the usual options for closing wounds postoperatively, but they can be painful and require surgical skills. The microMend Skin Closure Device, produced by Seattle-based KitoTech Medical, provides a potentially better alternative. The design of the microMend is conceptually similar to a bandage, like Steri-Strip. The device is (Read more...)

Mazor X Robotic Spinal Surgery System Cleared in Europe

Mazor Robotics, an Israeli firm, announced that its Mazor X Surgical Assurance Platform has received the European CE Mark of approval. The system, used to perfect spinal surgeries, is being co-marketed by Medtronic, which just invested $40 million into Mazor Robotics. The Mazor X consists of a pre-op software package that helps to establish a (Read more...)

LessRay Radiation Reduction System for ORs Using Fluoroscopes

NuVasive, a company based in San Diego, California, is now making available its LessRay radiation dose-reduction system. It consists of a computer cart that connects to an operating room’s fluoroscopy system. The fluoroscope can be set to a lower level of X-ray exposure, and the LessRay, using its proprietary software algorithms, then correct (Read more...)

UPRIGHT GO Posture Trainer: A Medgadget Product Review

Everyone knows that posture can affect one’s physical health, but who would have thought it can also impact one’s emotions and psychological wellbeing? Studies show that maintaining a slumped posture for extended periods of time can decrease one’s energy, foster a sense of helplessness, and ultimately lead to a depressed mood. On (Read more...)

Magnetic Fields to Destroy Bacteria on Artificial Joints

Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a new technique using high-frequency alternating magnetic fields to heat artificial joints in the body and destroy bacterial films on their surfaces. Bacterial infections on artificial joints used in knee and hip replacements are a common and serious complication. The bacteria tend to (Read more...)

Smart Undergarment to Prevent Back Pain

Engineers at Vanderbilt University have developed a smart undergarment that supports the back during lifting tasks, to reduce the risk of back injury. The team recently unveiled the technology at the Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics in Brisbane, Australia. “I’m sick of Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne being the only ones (Read more...)

New Joint Implant Coating to Prevent Bacterial Infections

Much too often artificial joints become infected after implantation and revision procedures are common. Antibiotic-enriched bone cement is often positioned within an infected joint after removing the implant and allowed to do its thing for a number of weeks before a new implant is introduced. The problem is that the bone cement is limited in i (Read more...)

PET Tracer to Directly Detect Blood Clots

Researchers in Germany have developed a fluorine-based tracer compound that can bind with high affinity to small clots, allowing doctors to image them using positron emission tomography (PET). Blood clots can cause heart attacks and strokes. Doctors often need to find clots using imaging techniques, so that they can treat them or identify where thr (Read more...)