Long-term medical wearables are often limited by the adhesives that are used to stick them to the skin. The skin needs to breathe and glues can prevent that, remaining in the skin’s pores even after removal of a bandage or stick-on ECG electrode. The materials have to be biocompatible and non-irritating, as well as avoiding […]
Tag: Pediatrics
Miniature Bioengineered Vessels to Study Progeria Therapies
Progeria is a rare but deadly disorder that is commonly known as an early aging disease, bringing forth conditions in children that are normally only reserved for older adults. To better study how to fight progeria, a disease that significantly affects the cardiovascular system, researchers at Duke University have developed a way to grow tiny […]
Automatic Heart Analyzing CADence System Cleared by FDA to Help Primary Care Physicians
AUM Cardiovascular, a company out of Northfield, Minnesota, won FDA clearance for its CADence system, which is a novel combination of a stethoscope and ECG in one device. The CADence is intended to be used by primary care physicians to help spot suspicious cardiac murmurs that should be referred to cardiologists. The physician places the device […]
3D Printed Models Help Surgeons Work on Kids’ Slipped Femurs
Individual patients undergoing hip surgeries have unique anatomies that demand personalized attention by the surgical team. In children, the level of detail is greater and it’s even more crucial to achieve optimal results since the patients will want to run, jump, and swim for many years to come. Teens and pre-teens, and particularly boys, can […]
Dehydration Monitoring System to Help Prevent Common Cause of Death in Young Children
Dehydration is so dangerous that in the developing world it is one of the most prevalent causes of mortality in young children. The summer heat can be particularly brutal, but preventing dehydration is fairly easy as long as parents and caretakers are aware that a child needs to be attended to. To help detect that […]
Robotic Training System Improves Walking Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy
Many children with cerebral palsy exhibit what is known as a “crouch gait,” a walking style that involves an unusually great deal of bending of the hip, knee, or ankle joints. This makes walking difficult and often exhausting, effectively limiting the activities that a child can participate in. At Columbia University a new robotic system […]
New, More Effective Flu Vaccine Delivered Using Dissolvable Microneedle Patch
Researchers at Georgia State University have developed a more effective way of delivering influenza vaccines thanks to a dissolvable microneedle array and a special formulation of the vaccine. The microneedle device is made of a biocompatible polymer, the needles of which are tightly packed with the vaccine. The vaccine works well thanks to a novel […]
Embrace Neonatal MRI System Cleared to Stay Inside Neonatal ICUs
The FDA has just cleared Aspect Imaging‘s Embrace Neonatal MRI System, the first dedicated neonatal MRI system to receive a regulatory green light in the U.S. It’s intended to be used to image the head and brain, and to remain inside of neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Currently, these fragile little patients have to be […]
Zika: Check All Potentially Exposed Infants for Eye Damage
Eye abnormalities may be the only sign of Zika virus exposure in infants and may be present even in those without microcephaly or other central nervous system abnormalities, a new study has found. Medscape Medical News
Masimo’s EU Approved Super Sensor Monitors Variety of Physiologic Parameters
Masimo just announced receiving European approval for its new rainbow Super DCI-mini sensor, a pulse oximeter that can simultaneously monitor arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), hemoglobin (SpHb), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO), methemoglobin (SpMet), pleth variability index (PVi), index of perfusion (Pi), and pulse rate (PR). This is the first non-invasive fingertip sensor capable of monitoring all these parameters, indicated […]
A Pill to Replace Needles: Interview with Mir Imran, Chairman and CEO of Rani Therapeutics
Operating within InCube Labs, a multi-disciplinary life sciences R&D lab based in Silicon Valley, Rani Therapeutics is developing a novel approach for the oral delivery of large-molecule drugs such as basal insulin, which is currently delivered via injections. By replacing painful injections with a painless, easy-to-take pill, the technology has the potential to drastically improve […]
Needle-Free Viscous Drug Injections: Interview with CEO of Portal Instruments
High viscosity biologic drugs generally require syringe injections, but many patients are extremely uncomfortable around long needles and injection times can create a great deal of anxiety. Portal Instruments, a company out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has developed a nearly automatic needle-free injector that reminds us of something doctors in science fiction movies would use. We […]
Self-Administered Microneedle Patch to Make Flu Vaccine More Accessible
These days flu vaccines are administered using needles and in some pediatric applications via a nose spray. Needles in particular can create quite a bit of anxiety and for many people even the idea of a visit with a medical professional keeps them from being vaccinated. A new flu patch developed at Georgia Tech, that […]
Wrist Worn Wearable Measures Glucose, Cortisol, and Interleukin-6 from Sweat
Researchers at University of Texas at Dallas may have revolutionized diabetes management thanks to a remarkable new wrist-worn sensor that is able to continuously and accurately monitor glucose, cortisol, and interleukin-6 in perspired sweat for up to a week. These days, blood has to be drawn and levels of cortisol and interleukin-6 can only be measured once in a while […]
Strollair, The First True Outdoor Pollution Filter by Blue Skies (Interview)
Blue Skies, a Harvard Innovation Lab startup, has launched the first true outdoor pollution filter to keep you and your family safer (available for pre-order via Indiegogo). It is described by the company as the first and only thin filter capable of removing the three most common outdoor pollutants (particulate matter (PM), and chemical gases […]
Medtronic’s MiniMed 670G Hybrid Closed Loop Insulin Delivery System Now Available in U.S.
Medtronic, having received FDA approval last year, is now introducing its MiniMed 670G hybrid closed loop insulin delivery system to the U.S. market. The first such system to become available, the MiniMed 670G utilizes Medtronic’s SmartGuard HCL algorithm to deduce when and how much insulin to deliver, yet allowing the patients themselves to make changes […]
Nitrite Sensor to Help Asthmatics Detect Onset of Airway Inflammation
The presence of relatively high concentrations of nitrite (NO2−) in exhaled breath may be indicative of the presence of inflammatory processes within the airways, and so measuring it may be an effective way of performing early detection of the onset of the symptoms of asthma and other respiratory conditions. Devices that are able to measure […]
Vision Impairment Among U.S. Preschoolers a Growing Problem
A growing number of U.S. children may develop vision problems before they reach kindergarten, according to a study that suggests eye screenings will become increasingly important for the preschool set. Reuters Health Information
Non-Contact Respiratory Rate Sensor Built Into a Cotton T-Shirt
At the Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada, researchers have developed a respiration sensor built into a t-shirt that can be sampled by a nearby radio device. The idea is that patients in a hospital would wear a lightweight, comfortable shirt that doesn’t have any wires, while their breathing rate would be discreetly monitored in real-time. The […]
iGlucose Glucometer with Built-In Cellular Connectivity and API Interoperability
Smart Meter Corporation, a New York firm, won both FDA clearance and European CE Mark approval for its iGlucose system, a blood glucose meter that features built-in cellular connectivity. Diabetics using the iGlucose will have the convenience of seeing their readings automatically uploaded to the company’s web portal, from where their doctors and caretakers can […]