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Medical Technology
Below are the latest entries in the Medical Technology channel.
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Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:55 AM
Last Thursday Southern California conducted perhaps the largest earthquake drill in history. As part of the project, an online game was created that issued missions to people and asked for feedback on how the emergency management was performed.
From Wired:
Aftershock, run by the Institute for the Future and Art Center College of Design, is based on a 300-page U.S. Geological Survey scenario report that details the extensive damage that Southern California could experience in the aftermath of a 7.8-magnitude quake on the San Andreas Fault. The game began on Thursday and will run for three weeks, prompting users to complete real-world missions — and submit content based on them to the gaming community.The new game is part of the largest earthquake preparedness drill ever attempted, the USGS-run Great Southern Californian Shakeout. At 10 a.m. local time Thursday, millions of Californians crawled under their desks in response to an imaginary major earthquake.
More from Wired...
The Great Southern California Shakeout...
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:54 AM
The FDA has given Innocoll's (Dublin, Ireland) CollaRx® Gentamicin surgical implant fast track designation to speed through Phase III clinical trials. The device, thought to decrease risk of surgical site infection in patients with diabetes and obesity, has already received EU marketing approval.
From the product page:
CollaRx® Gentamicin Surgical Implant is a peri-operative surgical implant comprised of a lyophilized collagen matrix impregnated with the broad spectrum antibiotic, gentamicin (as the sulfate salt). The product utilizes Innocoll's fully biocompatible and biodegradable CollaRx® sponge technology to deliver the gentamicin to the site of the infection or one at risk of infection.CollaRx Gentamicin Surgical Implant achieves very high local concentrations of drug far in excess of the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) for gentamicin susceptible micro organisms (~ 4 μg/ml), yet maintains systemic levels while below the toxicity threshold (10 to 12 μg/ml). Gentamicin's antibacterial action is concentration dependent and there is evidence to support that such high local concentrations (typically orders of magnitude above the MIC for the first 12 to 24 hours) can eradicate bacteria normally considered gentamicin resistant such as MRSE and MRSA. In addition to its antibacterial action, CollaRx Gentamicin Surgical Implant also benefits from the natural haemostasis and wound healing benefits of the fibrillar collagen sponge matrix.
And here's what the company says about the clinical experience involving its implant:
We have been working closely with the FDA to establish the clinical program for this product, and following a pre-IND meeting in 2007, the product was immediately progressed to phase III based on the significant body of data that has been established in Europe, where the product is already marketed. The clinical program includes two phase III trials; the first in cardiac surgery patients at higher risk of surgical site infection. The design of this first phase II trial in diabetic and/or obese patients undergoing cardiac surgery is based upon a recently published 2,000 patient clinical trial demonstrating that the Company's Gentamicin Surgical Implant reduced the incidence of sternal wound infection (SWI) by 53% for all patient populations when used as an adjunct to standard infection prophylaxis. Sub-population analysis of known high risk groups showed even greater treatment effect, most notably a 68% reduction in SWI for patients with diabetes. The second phase III trial is being conducted in patients undergoing colorectal surgery, which is an approved and well established use of the product in Europe. Several such studies have been published, including one prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial in over 200 patients. The results of this trial showed a 70% decrease in surgical site infections from 18.4% in the control group to 5.6% in the patients treated with the Gentamicin Surgical Implant in conjunction with systemic therapy.
Product page: CollaRx® Gentamicin Surgical Implant - US ...
Press release: Innocoll Receives Fast Track Designation for Gentamicin Surgical Implant ...
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:53 AM
At the University of Massachusetts Medical School, researchers are developing a device that can noninvasively detect signs of peripheral hypoperfusion, presumably offering in the future a new method to diagnose and monitor the circulatory shock.
MIT Technology Review explains:
Traditionally, patients in critical condition are continuously monitored for changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and pulse oxygen saturation. But the body has mechanisms to compensate for massive blood loss and systemic infection, keeping those parameters steady even while the patient's status deteriorates. "When the blood pressure starts to drop, it's too late," says spectroscopist Babs Soller, who developed the new device along with colleagues at the UMass Medical School. "The patient is already going into shock." The new device instead measures the levels of oxygen, pH, and hematocrit--the proportion of red blood cells in the blood--in a patient's muscle tissue.Soller's device beams near-infrared light through the skin over an arm or leg muscle, where it travels through fat and reflects off muscle tissue and back to the monitor. Based on the spectrum of the reflected light, computer algorithms determine the oxygen, pH, and hematocrit levels. Unlike similar infrared biomeasurement devices, the new monitor automatically compensates for differences in skin color and fat thickness between patients to optimize the results.
Full story from MIT Technology Review...
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:52 AM
Here's another interesting story from MIT Technology Review which is profiling three new imaging modalities that can help physicians diagnose mild brain damage that is typically invisible to standard CT and MRI scans:
Scientists hypothesize that mild head trauma damages the brain's white matter--the long projections, called axons, that ferry messages between neurons. White matter is invisible to CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). One of the most promising techniques for detecting subtle brain injury, called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), is a variation of MRI that tracks water molecules in the brain's white matter. In research presented this week at the Society for Neurosciences conference in Washington, DC, Brody and his colleagues found that DTI analysis of brain-injury patients revealed signs of white-matter damage not visible with normal MRI. The damage seemed to correlate with cognitive deficits, including slowed reaction time.A second variation of MRI, known as magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI), can analyze the spectral frequencies of chemicals in the body. Andrew Maudsley and his colleagues at the University of Miami have used new advances in MRI technology, including higher-power magnets, to develop MRSI methods that can measure concentrations of two chemicals in the brain: n-acetylaspartate (NAA), a marker of white-matter density, and choline, which has been linked to injury. Previous MRSI methods yielded information only about specific brain regions, but the new technique can measure chemical concentrations across the whole brain. The researchers found decreases in NAA, possibly due to damaged axons, and increases in choline in a group of 25 patients with traumatic brain injury. "We see widespread metabolic changes, even in those with the mildest injuries," says Maudsley, who presented the work at the conference.
A third study presented at the conference found that changes to slow-wave activity, which have been previously linked to traumatic brain injury, are likely caused by damage to the white matter. Mingxiong Huang and his colleagues used magnetoencephalography (MEG), which measures the magnetic fields produced by the electrical activity of nerve cells, to pinpoint the source of abnormal brain activity, and they discovered that it often overlapped with the location of damage detected using DTI.
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:50 AM
Philips has recently unveiled its new cardiograph featuring 16 leads and the company's proprietary DXL signal analysis algorithm.
From the press release:
Confirming Philips’ commitment to develop technologies and solutions for women’s health, the DXL Algorithm applies new gender, age and lead-specific STEMI (ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) criteria to detect acute MI in women as well as men. A widespread pattern of ST depression often reflects global ischemia due to left main coronary obstruction, multi-vessel obstructions, or microvascular disease, which is more prevalent in women. The DXL Algorithm incorporates new criteria for these conditions and provides a Critical Value of "Global Ischemia" to highlight that prompt intervention may be needed. The new algorithm also builds upon Philips’ long use of gender and age-specific criteria left ventricular hypertrophy and prolonged QT interval.Unveiled at this year’s AHA, the PageWriter TC70 cardiograph not only incorporates the new DXL Algorithm, but also improves workflow and enables faster clinical decision making. ECG reports are quickly taken and transferred to the TraceMasterVue ECG management system with the click of a single button. Bedside decision making is enhanced with the automatic retrieval of the previous ECG, allowing for immediate clinical serial comparison.
The new PageWriter TC70 includes technologies that are especially useful in the Emergency Department, where ECG reports can highlight test results that may warrant immediate clinical attention. When used with the DXL 16-Lead Algorithm, the PageWriter TC70 provides a powerful tool to reduce a hospital’s door-to-balloon times.
There is increasing interest within the Emergency Department to manage STEMI often seen in the early stages of a heart attack. Incorporating new criteria based on recent scientific discoveries, the Philips DXL Algorithm’s STEMI-CA criteria examine the lead distribution of ST elevation to determine the artery that is most likely to harbor an obstruction (the culprit artery). Patented ST Maps which show the spatial orientation of STEMI provide an easier perception of the ischemic areas. Using these data, clinicians can quickly decide on the next appropriate management steps for the patient.
Press release: Philips sets a new standard with the first-of-its-kind technology to improve detection and identification of heart disease ...
Product page: PageWriter TC70
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:49 AM
KitsuneYume is the nom de guerre of a dedicated gamer with physical disabilities who hacked together a multi-device controller for his Sony PlayStation 3. Kitsune used video game interface devices from Broadened Horizons out Maple Grove, Minnesota.
Here's KitsuneYume demonstrating his rig and showing off his gameplay:
More from KitsuneYume's original post at PlayStation.com...
Broadened Horizons video gaming devices...
(hat tip: Gizmodo)
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:47 AM
haemospect® is a new hand held blood and tissue analyzer from MBR Optical Systems GmbH & Co. KG of Wuppertal, Germany. According to the company, the device, now on display at Medica 2008 in Düsseldorf, can measure noninvasively the following parameters: total hemoglobin (tHb), oxygenated haemoglobin (HbO2), deoxygenated haemoglobin (Hb), tissue haemoglobin (tHb), oxygenated tissue haemoglobin (tHbO2), deoxygenated tissue haemoglobin, water content (% per g of tissue), mean vascular radius (capillaries, arterioles, veins), and more. The haemospect® shines light through the skin of the patient, measures the frequency of the light reflecting from within, and applies embedded algorithms to decipher the results.
From the device page:
Especially in the care of premature neonates, the regular measurement of oxygen content in the blood and tissues is tremendously important for the implementation of correct and rapid therapies. Up to now, it was quite difficult and painful, to extract a sufficient amount of blood for a laboratory test from a premature baby. haemospect® represents a major advancement here - and continuous measurements pose no problems either.haemospect® is a mobile, robust hand-held device that can be used easily and effectively in any number of applications. It comprises a battery-driven measurement device, a measurement probe and a holder in which the device is recalibrated before each measurement.
Benefits at a glance:
Painless measurement of haemoglobin values without the need to draw blood
Measurement results in seconds
Documentation of the measured values in the device
Hygienic, easy, reliable operation
Rapid application of results for therapy
Mobility and versatility through battery-powered operation
No consumables, no laboratory
Extremely attractive economic benefits, rapid amortisation of investment cost Principle of operation
A sensor head placed on the skin projects a white light into the underlying tissue via a waveguide. Some of the projected light is absorbed by the various components of tissue, while some of it is reflected. Another waveguide transmits the light reflected as a result of the physical conditions back to the device. A spectrometer breaks the light down into its separate wavelengths and an electronic evaluation unit connected to the system analyses it.
The resulting data is then processed using an algorithm developed by MBR and visualised on the display of the device in the form of quantitative values measured for the parameters described above.
Abstract: Measurement of Transcutaneous Hemoglobin Concentration by Noninvasive White-Light Spectroscopy in Infants PEDIATRICS Vol. 116 No. 4 October 2005, pp. 841-843
Device page, including video demonstrating the haemospect®...
Article about the device in SPIEGEL ONLINE... (Google translation)
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:46 AM
Riverain Medical out of Miamisburg, Iowa just announced that it has received European and Canadian approvals for the company's two software image analysis products designed to assist radiologists with analyzing chest X-rays. OnGuard is a tool for identifying suspicious instances of early stage tumors in the lungs, while SoftView is a separate package that enhances overall x-ray image clarity.
From the press release:
Riverain's OnGuard Chest X-ray CAD works in conjunction with the reading of standard digital chest X-rays to quickly and comprehensively identify solitary pulmonary nodules that may be early-stage lung cancer. In Europe and Canada, lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to cancer. Lung cancer accounts for 20 percent of all cancer deaths in Europe and 27 percent in Canada.(1) When detected in its earliest stages, the survival rate for lung cancer patients more than triples. Unfortunately, few lung cancers are detected at this early stage.(2)"Throughout the world, lung cancer continues to kill people at an alarming rate as patients often go undiagnosed with the disease until it has progressed to an advanced stage," said Diane Hirakawa, Chairman and CEO of Riverain
Medical. "Riverain is excited to provide the clinical community and patients in Europe and Canada with the OnGuard technology, allowing radiologists across the globe to better detect lung cancer at an earlier stage."Riverain's SoftView technology creates an enhanced soft tissue image of the chest by suppressing bone on a standard chest X-ray. SoftView increases image clarity to help radiologists better detect and diagnose medical conditions such as pulmonary nodules, pneumothoraces and improperly placed lines and tubes.
The OnGuard has received FDA PMA approval in the United States.
Softview product page... SoftView brochure... OnGuard product page... OnGuard brochure...
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Friday 21st of November 2008 10:56:45 AM
Have you ever heard of a disposable plastic laryngoscope? Neither have we. But that is exactly what the Australian company Yeescope Pty Ltd. is displaying at Medica 2008. The device comes in MAC 3 and MAC 4 sizes, and features an interesting handle hook that "allows the user to lift the lower jaw with more balance in the load, and minimises the tendency to lever on, and damage the upper front teeth as may occur with the standard laryngoscope." The company believes that by changing to a totally disposable system, you and colleagues can save some dough by reducing inventory costs of "multiple handles and blades, and bulbs and light guides." We are not swayed. In our humble opinion, the device will more likely be useful to those that do office based anesthesia, as no one likes to carry around the dirty blades.
Product page: Yeescope...
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
Thursday 20th of November 2008 11:37:55 PM
OKI Printing Solutions, a Tokyo based company, is showing off its video kiosks at the ongoing Medica 2008 conference in Germany. The company believes the touch screen devices can provide an increased level of efficiency in handling patients at hospitals and clinics.
From the press release:
Realized in partnership with the Protonia IT Foundation and FIRMENNET Thiel GmbH, a systems/network provider, eGis is a comprehensive solution based on an exceptionally user-friendly kiosk concept developed by OKI. This electronic healthcare information system, the first practical application of the kiosk terminal, allows doctors, hospitals and other caregivers to provide their patients with easy access to all types of useful information regarding health and medicine, while at the same time creating an interactive communication channel. For example, patients can use the kiosk terminal to research the contra-indications and side effects of specific medicines, to find out new medical products and services available on the market, or to set up a medical appointment. Moreover, the patient can use an electronic health ID card (eGK) to easily input a wide range of personal medical data into the system.
Press release: OKI Printing Solutions to Showcase New Healthcare Solutions at MEDICA 2008 in Germany ...
From medgadget.com Research This Blog Entry
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