Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Occidental College have identified and are studying a new way performing surgery using electricity. Some tissues, such as the ears, cornea, and joints, have a collagen-rich extracellular matrix that can be manipulated using an electric current. The idea is that if you deform a piece of tissue, (Read more...)
Tag: Plastic Surgery
Electronic Wound Monitoring Bandage Tracks Lactate, Oxygen Levels
Healing large and complex wounds requires vigilant monitoring and frequent dressing changes. This generally means pain, might require general anesthesia, and can even be emotionally disturbing to patients. A less invasive method of wound monitoring, that lets the wounds remain undisturbed, is badly needed. As wounds heal, the chemical composition o (Read more...)
Electrospinning Gun Protects Wounds with Nanofiber Mesh
An Israeli company called Nanomedic has begun showing off its impressive device for applying an electrospun material to the surface of wounds. Electrospinning involves using electricity to produce extremely fine polymer threads. This technology is almost always used during manufacturing. The SpinCare product is the first portable electrospinning de (Read more...)
Device Helps Make Incisions Along Skin Tension Lines to Reduce Scarring
Surgeons working on delicate areas and visible areas of the body, particularly in plastic and cosmetic surgery, have to keep in mind the direction of skin tension lines. These are formed by collagen fibers that are aligned within the dermis of the skin. If incisions are made against the grain, more visible scars will be […]
Handheld Skin Bioprinter Heals Deep Open Wounds With Patient’s Own Cells
The human organism has a number of physiologic processes that work together to heal skin wounds. Sometimes wounds are so large and difficult that these healing mechanisms simply can’t access damaged tissues. Researchers at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina are now reporting the development of a bioprinter (Read more...)
Digital Thermography and Machine Learning Team Up to Improve Burn Wound Care
A team at McGill University in Canada and the Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi in Mexico have developed a system for analyzing thermographic scans of burn wounds to improve how they are analyzed and how patients are treated. The team used digital infrared thermography, a non-invasive imaging technique, to study wounds when they were pre (Read more...)
Platform Wound Dressing, a Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device Doesn’t Need Gauze or Foam
Applied Tissue Technologies, based in Hingham, MA, won FDA clearance for its Platform Wound Dressing (PWD), the first embossed negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) device that doesn’t require using any foam or gauze. The PWD has an adhesive base and an embossed membrane that keeps the wound isolated from the outside environment. T (Read more...)
iCertainty Contact-Free Perfusion Imaging System Cleared in U.S.
RFPi, a company out of Greenville, North Carolina, won FDA clearance for its iCertainty blood flow and perfusion imaging system. The technology gives clinicians the ability to essentially watch as blood saturates or drains in tissues being worked on, something that typically has to be done using invasive means. The new technology avoids injection o (Read more...)
First Device for Predicting Risk of Pressure Ulcers FDA Cleared
Pressure ulcers are a common malady for bedridden patients, a situation that clinicians have been struggling to improve significantly. There are devices that sense how long a part of a body has been pressed on for too long, beds that deflate and inflate different areas to provide temporary respite, and clinical routines that help to […]
Soliton Acoustic Shockwave Device to Aid in Tattoo Removal
Soliton, a company based in Houston, Texas, has developed an acoustic shockwave device to assist in laser tattoo removal. At present, laser tattoo removal takes a significant number of sessions, with long waits between visits and a significant overall cost. This new device aims to allow numerous laser passes per session, and the company claims [&he (Read more...)
Cynosure TempSure RF Platform Now Available for Aesthetic Procedures in Plastic Surgery, Dermatology, Gynecology
Hologic announced that its Cynosure division is releasing the recently FDA-cleared TempSure RF platform for surgical and non-surgical aesthetic applications. The device provides 300 watts of energy at 4 MHz, allowing for precise work in creating fine incisions in delicate tissues such as eyelids, ears, and even labia! Hologic believes its device ca (Read more...)
EZbra Breast Dressing to Make Post-Op Recovery Easier, Safer
EZbra Advanced Wound Care, a firm based in Tel Aviv, Israel, is releasing in the U.S. its innovative breast dressing for recovery following procedures such as biopsies, lumpectomies, reconstructions, and placement of implants. The company hopes that its EZbra all-in-one device will become a standard of care, as currently there is no universally acc (Read more...)
3M’s New Durapore Advanced Surgical Tape for Keeping Tubes in Place
3M is releasing a new surgical adhesive tape that was developed to address special needs for a variety of clinical applications. The 3M Durapore Advanced tape is particularly beneficial when securing critical tubes that have to stay in place without a danger of being moved (chest tubes, JP drains, etc). The new product line adheres […]
New PICO 7Y Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System to Treat Two Sites at Once
Smith & Nephew is launching its brand new PICO 7Y negative pressure therapy system designed to be able to treat two wounds at the same time. The system uses a single pump that can support two dressings via a special Y extension, helping with cost savings while reducing the amount of gear worn by the […]
FDA Clears DuraSorb Bioabsorbable Surgical Mesh
Surgical Innovation Associates, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, won FDA clearance for its DuraSorb Monofilament Mesh. The bioabsorbable surgical mesh is designed for use in reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries, providing structural support for about a year, eventually being absorbed by the body and disappearing from the surgical site to be rep (Read more...)
MENTOR CPX4 Smooth Tissue Expander for Easier Implantation Post Mastectomy
MENTOR, a J&J company, is releasing a new tissue expander for breast reconstruction surgeries that features a smooth surface. The new CPX4 device, used to make space for a breast implant following a mastectomy, was designed to make it easier to implant and remove due to its smooth surface that glides against tissue as it’s […]
“Spray-On Skin” from AVITA Medical Approved to Treat Serious Burns
AVITA Medical, a Valencia, California firm, won FDA approval for its remarkable RECELL Autologous Cell Harvesting Device for serious burns in adult patients. In preparation for treatment, a small healthy piece of the patient’s skin sample is taken, from which the so-called “Spray-On Skin” preparation is made. The process only take (Read more...)
Wheelchair Cushion with Smart Capabilities Avoids Pressure Ulcers
Engineers at the University of Texas at Arlington have developed a new seat cushion for wheelchairs that works in an intelligent way to prevent the development of pressure ulcers. Decubitus ulcers come about when the same part of the body experiences applied pressure for long periods of time. There are cushions and mattresses made of […]
MolecuLight Coming to U.S. for Easy Fluorescent Imaging of Wounds
MolecuLight, a Toronto, Canada firm, won FDA de novo clearance for its MolecuLight i:X device that can photograph and video record the fluorescence of serious wounds and nearby tissues. The device can capture both regular light images as well as images taken when the scene is illuminated with an excitation light. No contrast agents are […]
Functional Nanofibers Loaded with Antibiotics to Treat Serious Wounds
Researchers at Texas A&M University and Stevens Institute of Technology have been working on developing new materials that could aid clinicians in treating challenging wounds. These polymeric coatings have nano-scale fibers that hold antibiotics and release their cargo when the environment of the wound meets a specific criteria. This makes the (Read more...)