At TEDMED 2009, Craig Venter spoke of the work his research group has been doing to catalog the DNA of animal life on our planet and the steps they’re taking to bring synthetically derived life to reality.
Link: TEDMED Videos…
Archives: 1/2010
Link: TEDMED Videos…
Princeton and Caltech researchers have developed special silicone rubber sheets with embedded nanorods that, when bent, generate electricity with impressive efficiency. The technology is projected to be used as a power source for implantable devices like pacemakers by harnessing energy from moving organs like the thoracic cage.
The Princeton team is the first to successfully combine silicone and nanoribbons of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a ceramic material that is piezoelectric, meaning it generates an electrical voltage when pressure is applied to it. Of all piezoelectric materials, PZT is the most efficient, able to convert 80 percent of the mechanical energy applied to it into electrical energy.
Fabrication starts with the researchers producing PZT nanoribbons — strips so narrow that 100 fit side-by-side in a space of a millimeter. In a separate process, they embedded these ribbons into clear sheets of silicone rubber, creating what they call "piezo-rubber chips." Silicone, which is used for cosmetic implants and medical devices, already is biocompatible. "The new electricity-harvesting devices could be implanted in the body to perpetually power medical devices, and the body wouldn’t reject them," McAlpine said.
In addition to generating electricity when it is flexed, the opposite is true: The material flexes when electrical current is applied to it. This opens the door to other kinds of applications, such as use for microsurgical devices, McAlpine said.
Full story from Princeton: Energy-harvesting rubber sheets could power pacemakers, mobile phones…
Abstract in Nano Letters: Piezoelectric Ribbons Printed onto Rubber for Flexible Energy Conversion
GeoSKeeper Personal Tracker Helps Keep Eye on Elderly, Children, and People That Wander Off
by on Jan 29, 2010 • 9:43 am
Aerotel Medical Systems of Holon, Israel has partnered with EcoTec of Tampere, Finland to bring the GeoSkeeper personal tracker and communication system to Finnish consumers. The watch-like device has GPS and mobile phone functionality to allow users to send their coordinates if they are calling for help. The device can be programmed remotely, allowing family members or caretakers to set phone numbers into memory and predefine a geographic area, the breach of which will trigger an alarm call. The technology in the device should work just about anywhere there is any kind of cell phone signal due to the quad band mobile chip inside. Additionally, the press release of the announcement mentions text messaging as a feature, but it’s hard to see how six buttons and no screen can make that possible.
Product page: GeoSkeeper…
Press release: Aerotel and EcoTec Launch New Personal Telecare Service in Finland…
(hat tip: eHealthEurope)
Toshiba recently released Infinix VF-i/BP, a new vascular X-ray system that features mid-size (12” x 12”) and large size (12” x 16”) flat panel detectors, and a new level of ergonomics and speed of usability to make it easier on doctors and technicians to perform complex multiplane studies. According to the company, Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta is the the first customer in the US to purchase the system.
Advanced biplane imaging
With its comprehensive positioning and image review capabilities, the Infinix VF-i/BP accommodates a wide range of procedures. Advanced conventional and 3D imaging technologies provide unprecedented imaging with unique tools to enhance both diagnostic and interventional procedures. These powerful imaging and processing tools enhance clinicians overall treatment planning capabilities.
3D-Angio
Easy setup and execution of mask and arterial phase are used to create bone or device fusion.
Unparalleled patient access meeting the needs of all physicians
The Infinix VF-i/BP is designed to provide superior access to the patient – an important point of distinction in the imaging landscape that now often requires the attention of a wide range of specialists. In hybrid procedures that may require a full complement of specialists including surgeons, neuroradiologists and anesthesiologists, the Infinix VF-i/BP is at its best.
Sequential Navigation
Infinix VF-i/BP is equipped with Sequential Navigation for physicians to quickly “navigate” through an exam (e.g., carotid, renal or runoff). Infinix VF-i/BP executes the preferred angles, projections, and acquisition parameters, all from memory. One touch of a button enables navigation through the routine settings for each exam type. Operators have the freedom to change any parameter throughout the procedure without disrupting Sequential Navigation.
Product page: Infinix VF-i/BP…
Press releases: TOSHIBA INTRODUCES THE INFINIX VF-i/BP VASCULAR X-RAY SYSTEM WITH LARGE AND MID-SIZED FLAT PANEL DETECTORS…; PIEDMONT HOSPITAL INSTALLS FIRST TOSHIBA VASCULAR X-RAY SYSTEM WITH 12″ X 12″ MID-SIZED FLAT PANEL DETECTOR…
Life Technologies of Carlsbad, California has released its latest genome sequencing device, the SOLID 4 System. The company promises sequencing of 100 gigabases at a cost of $6,000 and an optional upgrade later this year that will drop it down to $3,000. The system is already selling like hot cakes with an order for 100 units coming in from Ignite Institute, a new non-profit that is building North America’s largest sequencing facility.
The company introduced the Applied Biosystems SOLiD(TM) 4 Sequencing System, the most advanced next-generation genomic analysis sequencing system on the market, generating up to 100 gigabases of mappable sequence data per run at a cost of $6,000 per genome. The system, which leverages proprietary advances in sequencing chemistry, will be available as an upgrade for all SOLiD installations in the first quarter of 2010. The company also announced that in the second half of the year, the SOLiD 4 System can be upgraded with the SOLiD 4hq package, which will generate up to 300 gigabases of mappable sequence data per run and deliver unprecedented accuracy of 99.99 percent, enabling customers to sequence the highest quality whole genome for a cost of $3,000.
Concurrent with the launch of the SOLiD 4 System, researchers will also be able to reduce overall sequencing costs by automating their workflow through the introduction of the Applied Biosystems EZ Bead(TM) System. The EZ Bead System dramatically improves the efficiency of sample preparation and reduces hands-on and turnaround time by as much as 90 percent.
Features from the SOLID 4 product page:
Scalable system – 100 GB today, extendable to 300 GB with the SOLiD™ 4hq System upgrade Superior accuracy – More than 80% of the bases have quality values >30 for higher confidence in your results Uniform coverage – Total Precision reagents improve coverage to enable the discovery of rare variants in difficult (GC/AT-rich) regions of the genome for fewer false negatives Expanded application support – Barcoded paired-end sequencing that detects somatic mutations, novel splice variation, and fusion transcripts with less input material Automated sample preparation – 80% reduction in hands-on time
Press releases: Life Technologies Brings Genomic Sequencing Closer to the Clinic…; Life Technologies and Ignite Institute Partner to Create Largest Next Generation Genomic Sequencing Facility in North America…
Product page: SOLiD™ 4 System…
Drägerwerk AG has just announced the release of a new anesthesia machine, called Dräger Zeus Infinity Empowered (IE), that features a combination of options to conduct either inhalational or intravenous based techniques, or both at the same time. Furthermore, for those who are looking on some savings when it comes to delivery of desflurane (and to a lesser degree isoflurane or maybe halothane), the machine offers a closed circuit system design. And as far as blower is concerned, the machine is based on a popular Dräger Evita Infinity V500 ventilator.
Dräger Zeus IE provides all options of anaesthetic techniques: From inhalation to (total) intravenous anaesthesia – all these applications can be utilised in the closed circuit system of the Dräger Zeus IE. Thanks to its closed circuit system, the device consumes even less gas than in the low flow or minimal flow mode – and that fully automated. In addition to the manually controlled fresh gas dosing also oxygen, carrier gas and volatile anaesthetics can be controlled automatically and targeted accurately (TCA = target controlled anaesthesia). The device also compensates potential leakages automatically. The haemodynamic monitoring, which can be integrated as an option, is operated via the high-definition 17" screen of the medical cockpit, the Infinity C500. Via this cockpit, the clinician can also control the ventilation parameters. By this, all OR information is fed to the integrated patient data management system, thus also simplifying the work procedures.
Even in the operating room, adult patients, children and neonates benefit from the differentiated ventilation in intensive care quality. The turbine allows for spontaneous breathing at any time, which can shorten the recovery time for the patient. Up to four syringe pumps (Fresenius Module DPS), which can be controlled via the system, and the integrated medication database, which includes pre-configured default values and dosing limits for numerous pharmaceuticals, ensure an optimal intravenous anaesthesia.
In the operating room and the intensive care unit, nomenclatures and principles of use should be identical. The concept of the IACS, into which the Dräger Zeus IE can be integrated, provides exactly this. The user interface, nomenclature and parts of the hardware employed correspond to those of other IACS components, such as the Dräger Evita Infinity V500 ventilator. USB ports for storing and loading device and profile settings enable the clinician to transmit settings within a very short period of time to any number of Zeus IE systems. The uniform, intuitive user interface and a more efficient service concept are intended to support the operator.
Product announcement: Dräger Zeus Infinity Empowered: The next generation of anaesthesia devices by Dräger…
First Aid Corps, an organization working on helping the public respond to sudden cardiac arrests, has unveiled an iPhone app that can pinpoint the location of the closest automatic external defibrillator (AED) within seconds.
Currently the database is just beginning to fill up but First Aid Corps has partnered with The Extraordinaries, a volunteer organization, to have people locate and photograph AED’s in their community.
The app is free and you can download it and get started mapping AED’s and maybe help save someone’s life.
Here’s a promo video for the project:
Demo of the AED Nearby app:
AED Nearby iTunes link…
Flashbacks: AED Location Database Points to Nearest Life Saving Device; Do You Know Where Your AED Is At?
Drägerwerk AG is releasing a new software package to help manage and predict the progress of intraoperative anesthesia (general and MAC), including modeling drug interactions and taking into account the unique nature of individual patients’ physiology. Looks like the software is designed to model narcs, barbs and benzos, but not inhalational agents:
Dräger SmartPilot View is an assistance system, which supports anaesthetists in making decisions, but does not make decisions for them. The software is based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic patient models, which calculate and visualise the effects of analgesics (opioides) and sedatives (hypnotics). Up to now, it was not possible to visualise the interactions between these two substance groups and to show the anaesthetist at which stage of the anaesthesia the patient is and will be. In addition, the SmartPilot View gives an answer to the question: "What would happen if …". The software provides a preview of the calculated course – before the pharmaceuticals are applied to the patient. The program also displays the effects of the relaxants included in the anaesthesia with the corresponding time of occurrence.
SmartPilot View displays all information required for controlling the anaesthesia at a glance: In addition to the measured parameters, for example pulse rate and blood pressure, the software also displays the chronological sequence of the applied pharmaceuticals and their effects in a two-dimensional representation. The idea of this representation is based on the cockpit of an aeroplane. This means that the anaesthetist sees precisely – like a pilot – at which calculated stage of the anaesthesia the patient is just now and what the prediction for the immediate future will be.
SmartPilot View can support anaesthetists in previously detecting and preventing under dosing and overdosing – even if the anaesthesia is initiated intravenously, but then continued with volatile agents. In this scenario it would not even make a difference if the anaesthesia had been initiated manually via an injection. Event markers such as intubation, incision or repositioning enable the anaesthetist to document important events during the course of the anaesthesia…
In clinical routine, the SmartPilot View operates with Dräger anaesthesia systems (Primus/Primus IE, Zeus/ZeusIE) and Dräger monitoring systems (Infinity Delta, Infinity C700 for IT and Infinity Explorer). In combination with specified syringe pumps (B. Braun Space or Dräger IVenus), the anaesthetist can use the full functionality of the software.
Press release: Anaesthesia pilot…
The next iteration of Abiomed‘s Impella heart assist pump may be getting an optical pressure sensor built by Opsens of Quebec, Canada. A partnership just announced between the two companies includes plans to integrate Opsens’ fiber optic sensors into the Impella to help clinicians monitor intracardiac/intraarterial pressure in real time.
From the press release:
Through this latest enhancement, Opsens’ fiber optic sensors will be integrated into the Impella catheter and will allow for further improvements in set-up time, as well as provide a high-quality pressure monitoring capability that can eventually be used to help automate the control and operation of the Impella pump. Unlike current fiber optic sensors used on other cardiac assist devices today such as certain Intra-Aortic Balloons (IABs), Opsens’ fiber optic sensor is designed to provide longer-term accuracy and reliability.
Features and benefits of the pressure technology from an Opsens brochure:
High fidelity pressure measurements with no hysteresis, motion artifact, and signal drift High frequency response preserves signal integrity and prevents damping of signal Lesser invasive catheterization practices with catheter size reduction Increase functionality with immunity to MR, RF, MW, EM and electro surgery environments Easy integration without complicated wire harness leads to manufacturing cost reduction and high production yield
Press release: Abiomed Announces Partnership with Opsens to Utilize Sensor Technology for Impella…
Link: Opsens’ cardiovascular blood pressure monitoring technology…
Opsens’ fiber optic pressure sensor brochure…
Impella flashbacks: Video of Impella 2.5 Heart Assist Pump Used in Minimally Invasive Procedure; Abiomed Reports New Positive Impella 2.5 Results; Impella 2.5 Heart Pump Performs Well in a Feasibility Trial; Impella 2.5 Heart Pump Given Green Light in US; Impella Percutaneous VAD to be Studied for Acute MI Patients
