Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong have developed a face mask containing laser-induced graphene that can kill bacteria and has demonstrated potential in deactivating coronaviruses. The graphene layer has antibacterial properties and can generate heat when exposed to sunlight, which may underlie its ability to deactivate coronaviruses. (Read more...)
Tag: Public Health
LG Air Purifier Mask Makes Breathing Easy
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, companies around the world have been working on solutions to improve how the world responds to the crisis. LG, the giant South Korean electronics manufacturer, has just announced that it has developed a face mask that is an air purifier that cleans the air and makes it easy to breathe […]
Remote Control of Ventilators for COVID Patients Protects Clinicians from Infection
When dealing with patients infected by a contagious disease and that are suffering from acute respiratory distress, protecting clinicians is critically important. However, much of the bedside equipment that interfaces with patients in the intensive care unit has to be directly controlled, putting staff in close proximity with those infected. Now, a (Read more...)
Pivoting to PPE – A Plastic Manufacturer’s Response to the Covid Pandemic: Interview with Jay Baker, President, Jonestown Plastics
Businesses across industries have felt and reacted to the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While many have faced challenges to their traditional business models, some have taken those challenges in stride and turned their responses into opportunities for new growth or strategic pivots. Jamestown Plastics, a family-owned, New York-based d (Read more...)
UV Disinfection of Medical Equipment: Interview with Jeremy Starkweather, President of UV-Concepts
With the COVID-19 pandemic set to continue for the foreseeable future, efforts to deal with the virus in healthcare facilities are of the utmost importance. Reducing viral transmission will protect patients and clinicians alike. A key part of this is disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, including those of portable medical equipment such as whe (Read more...)
Robotic Clinicians for Taking Nasal Swabs During Covid Pandemic
A cornerstone of the world’s response to Covid-19 has been mass testing of as many people as possible for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The very act of taking a nasal swab can put a clinician performing it, or one nearby instructing the patient on how to do it, at risk. Now, a new robot has been […]
PulseNmore At-Home Tele-Ultrasound for Pregnant Women
During these trying COVID days, patients have been limited in the care they receive because clinics have been limiting access and because patients themselves have been wary of visiting medical facilities. Pregnant women are a particularly vulnerable group and require frequent office visits, including receiving ultrasound exams. A new device has jus (Read more...)
Nihon Kohden Releases Video Laryngoscope in U.S. for Faster Intubation During COVID
Critical care facilities around the world are on the front lines of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Intubation is necessary to maintain many critical patients in the ICU, but too often obtaining an airway proves to be challenging. In some patients, intubation can take over a minute or more, potentially leading to serious consequences. Now, Nihon [&h (Read more...)
Augmented Reality Telemedicine Shown to be Effective for Battlefield
A team of researchers from Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Medicine has recently developed and now demonstrated, in realistic simulations, a telemedical augmented reality system that can be used in very difficult and stressful situations. Called System for Telementoring with Augmented Reality (STAR), it allows remote clinicia (Read more...)
Vagus Nerve Stimulator Gets FDA Emergency OK for Asthmatics with COVID
People stricken with COVID-19 exhibit a wide range of symptoms. Some are barely affected while others suffer dire consequences. People with asthma are in particular danger, as SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that can make breathing even more difficult. Now, the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the gammaCore Sapphire CV non-invasi (Read more...)
Vitls Platform Cleared in U.S. for Remote Patient Monitoring
Vitls Inc., a company out of Houston, Texas, won FDA clearance for its Vitls Platform, a combination of a vitals monitoring patch, cloud storage, and an app that lets clinicians monitor multiple patients wearing such a patch at once. The patch, which is called Tégo, keeps track of a patient’s heart and respiration rates, heart [&hellip (Read more...)
UV-C Enclosure to Disinfect Medical and Personal Protective Equipment
UV-Concepts, an Englewood, Colorado firm, is unveiling a new product that uses ultraviolet light to disinfect all kinds of portable medical equipment. The UV-C Enclosure (UVE) is a large reflective chamber inside of which anything from wheelchairs to mobile nurse computer stations can be disinfected within about a minute. The UVE relies on fluoresc (Read more...)
Reusable N95 Face Mask is Easily Sterilized
Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed an N95 face mask made from silicone rubber, which is reusable and is easily sterilized. The researchers hope that the mask could help with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as masks are in high demand and supplies are low. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen […]
Synthetic Melanin Protects from Radiation Damage
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a new biomaterial, selenomelanin, that can help protect people from radiation. The new substance, chemically synthesized and produced by bacteria, helps protect cells from radiation more effectively than other forms of melanin. One day, it may be used in sunscreens, medical treatments, or for lo (Read more...)
Patients to Draw Their Own Biomedical Sensors Using Pencil and Paper
Wearable bioelectronic devices that stick to the skin and measure things such as temperature, heart rhythms, and other vitals are typically complex devices that use modern materials to do their job. They tend to be difficult to manufacture, expensive, and fragile, and so are still not widely available. Incredibly, researchers at the University of M (Read more...)
Thinklabs One Electronic Stethoscope Helps Physicians Stop Spread of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the implementation and use of telemedicine and telehealth platforms and devices as part of current day-to-day standards of care in many hospital and healthcare systems. In this era of social distancing, doctors on our frontlines are at the most risk when diagnosing patients, and it’s therefore important to min (Read more...)
ivWatch Monitors IV Placement Sites for Leakage, Now Cleared by FDA
ivWatch, a company based in Newport News, Virginia, won FDA clearance for its SmartTouch sensor that detects peripheral IV infiltration and extravasation events. Though somewhat rare, these can be difficult to notice and a late response can lead to grave consequences. The SmartTouch sensor can warn physicians that something is wrong, sometimes hour (Read more...)
Air Filter Traps and Kills SARS-CoV-2 Virus
A group of researchers, including those at the University of Houston, has developed an air filter that can instantly kill SARS-CoV-2 viral particles that pass through it by heating them to 200 degrees C (392 F). The technology may help to destroy the particles within busy indoor spaces, such as hospitals, reducing the risk of […]
Kyocera Helps Develop Wearable for Remote Rehab Monitoring During COVID Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a slew of new challenges for clinical facilities, including how to deliver as much care as possible at a distance. The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) Medical Hospital is working with Kyocera to be able to deliver rehab therapy to patients while closely monitoring (Read more...)
Electric Anti-Viral Face Masks
As the wearing of face masks has become ubiquitous in public places, people end up reusing these devices as they go from place to place. Pathogens get deposited on the exterior of the masks and within the fabric. Considering that many pathogens, including that which causes COVID-19, can reside on surfaces for a long time, […]