At Texas A&M University researchers have developed a therapeutic hydrogel for injecting into bleeding wounds that can significantly speed up the hemostasis. The new injectable hydrogel material consists of nanosilicates, which are nanoparticles made from common minerals, and a thickening agent used in food preparation called kappa carrageenan. It can be produced for pennies per […]
Tag: surgery
Stretchable Stick-On Ultrasound Patches Image Even on Curved Surfaces
Conventional ultrasound transducers are rigid devices that have to be held against the skin when imaging inside the body. The best results are achieved on smooth surfaces where contact between the transducer and the skin is the greatest. On curvy, moving surfaces, such as the knees, ultrasound visualizations are difficult. A team at the University […]
Ferromagnetic FMsealer Laparoscopic Shears for Faster Vessel Sealing with Fewer Side Effects
Domain Surgical out of Salt Lake City, UT, which is part of OmniGuide, itself based in Lexington, MA, is releasing new laparoscopic shears based on its ferromagnetic technology. The FMsealer Laparoscopic Shears, unlike bipolar electric devices, do not release electric current into the tissues when transecting and sealing. And unlike ultrasonic shears, a lot less heat […]
AeroForm Tissue Expander for Breast Reconstruction: Interview with Scott Dodson, CEO
Breast reconstruction is a frequent consequence resulting from a fight with breast cancer. Women trying to become whole again have to undergo an implantation of a saline bag followed by regular, sometimes painful injections that gradually expand the size of the bag. There is another option, cleared by the FDA last year and in Europe […]
First FDA Clearance for Software to 3D Print Patient Specific Anatomical Models
Materialise, a company specializing in 3D printing based in Belgium but with offices around the world, won FDA clearance for its Mimics inPrint software to be used for 3D printing of anatomical models for diagnostic applications. The software allows hospitals to print one-to-one reproductions of individual patient anatomy, thereby helping surgeons to understand the unique […]
Scal-Pal Makes Replacing Scalpel Blades a Snap
Scalpel blades are typically changed by exposing them from a package and handling them directly. Students at Georgia Tech have designed a simple device to make scalpel blade exchanges easier and safer. It works similar to automatic shaving blade dispensers, but applied to scalpel blades. To use the Scal pal, as the device is called, […]
MAMMOMAT Revelation Mammography System with Automatic Breast Density Measurement
Siemens Healthineers has just received FDA clearance for its MAMMOMAT Revelation. It is the first mammography system capable of automatic breast density measurement during the exam itself, as opposed to during review of the images. The system performs tomosynthesis scans with an angle range of 50 degrees, the widest on the market, which helps to […]
Philips Unveils First Live Tele-Ultrasound System
Philips, in a partnership with Innovative Imaging Technologies, a company out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is releasing the first telemedicine system that transmits live ultrasound images during scans performed by a paramedic or nurse to a physician’s smartphone, tablet, or computer. Audio and video are shared as well, allowing physicians to have a clear sense of […]
Samsung Unveils RS85A, a New Premium General Ultrasound
Samsung received FDA clearance and is unveiling its new RS85A general purpose premium ultrasound system. It features the company’s technologies such as MV-Flow, which lets clinicians see flow through micro vascularized structures and help diagnose cancer in many cases, and S-Shearwave Imaging (shown above), a shearwave elastography technique which quantifies tissue elasticity, particularly useful when […]
Convesaid, a Hemostat Powder Spray That Can’t Cause Embolisms
Team Consulting, a firm based out of an old barn in Cambridge, UK that develops medical devices, one being the EpiPen, has now come up with a hemostat powder sprayer that cannot cause embolisms. When spraying a powder onto a leaking vein, the air that pushes the powder can enter the exposed blood flow and […]
Diamond-coated 3D Printed Materials for Improved Medical Implants
Scientists at RMIT University in Australia have developed a new technique that allows them to coat 3D printed titanium objects with a layer of diamonds. The coating results in improved properties for medical implants, such as reduced bacterial attachment, enhanced proliferation of mammalian cells, and increased integration with living bone tissue. 3D printing is hugely […]
Virtual Reality Brings Groups of Med Students Into Live OR
Teaching medical students the workflows of complex surgeries and other invasive procedures requires them to be close to the action, but you can only stuff so many people into an OR that’s already optimized not to waste space. At the University of Virginia School of Medicine clinicians are using cheap, readily available virtual reality technology […]
The Magseed Injectable Marker: Interview with Eric Mayes, CEO of Endomag
Endomag, a medical technology company based in Cambridge, UK and Austin, Texas, has developed the Magseed, a magnetic injectable marker that can be implanted by a radiologist during an imaging procedure, such as during ultrasound or X-ray mammographic procedures. The marker can then assist surgeons to find features of interest in soft tissues. Originally intended […]
Fujifilm Reveals ASPIRE Bellus II Multi-Modality Mammography Diagnostic Workstation
This weekend Fujifilm will be showing off its brand new ASPIRE Bellus II mammography diagnostic workstation at the National Consortium of Breast Centers, having received FDA clearance for it last September. The ASPIRE Bellus II workstation provides a multimodality view that can be used to analyze 2D and tomosynthesis scans against each other. Various DICOM standards are supported […]
Lens-Free Fluorescent Microscope for Imaging Deep Inside Body
Microscopes are a ubiquitous tool in the life sciences and their applications extend into clinical practice. Doctors use them to peer into the eye, examine tissues for signs of cancer, and to help perform surgeries. But, microscopes are bulky, so it’s impossible to use them to image many of the areas deep inside the body. […]
Hemafuse for Autotransfusion of Blood from Internal Hemorrhage
Treatment of serious internal bleeding requires replacing lost blood with fresh donor blood, but this is not always an option. In poor areas and those with a lack of healthcare infrastructure donor blood may simply be unavailable. A new device is being launched by Sisu, a young company based in Baltimore, Maryland, that lets clinicians […]
Philips Ingenia Elition 3T MRI Scanner Unveiled
Philips has unveiled a new 3 Tesla MRI scanner, the Ingenia Elition. The device was designed to help speed up all sorts of exams without sacrificing image quality, in certain cases doing so in half the time of competing devices. The system features the firm’s dStream digital broadband tech, as well as Compressed SENSE and 3D […]
Endomag Magseed Wins FDA Clearance to Localize Tumors in Any Soft Tissue
Endomag, a company with offices in Cambridge, UK and Austin, Texas, won the first FDA clearance for a wire-free localisation system that uses an implant that can be placed in any soft tissue and remain there indefinitely. The Magseed device is used to mark tumor tissue identified during imaging exams, be it ultrasound or X-ray. […]
HydroPICC Anti-thrombogenic Central Line Catheter Cleared by FDA
Access Vascular, a company based in Bedford, MA that makes a novel material for preventing the clogging up of catheters, won FDA clearance for its HydroPICC catheter. The company’s “bulk-hydrophilic” material is rich in water and carries a neutral surface charge, which helps to prevent proteins and other biomaterials from sticking. According to the company, […]
3D Printed Clip Turns Smartphone into Powerful Microscope
Modern smartphones feature incredible image sensors that are much better than professional equipment from only a few years ago. They’re great for microscopy and simple attachments in front of the lens can give great views of blood, cells, and other specimens. The only problem is that the sample has to be illuminated and having LEDs […]