Archives: 8/2011

in the news... / Rehab

Teenager Asks and Receives Branded Bionic Hand from Mercedes F1 Team

by Wouter Stomp on Aug 16, 2011 • 10:42 am

wgfu0p9w Teenager Asks and Receives Branded Bionic Hand from Mercedes F1 TeamA U.K. teenager who was born without a left hand asked Ross Brawn, boss of F1 team Mercedes GP Petronas, for a bionic hand in exchange for putting the company logo on it. And, as they say, fortune favors the bold, so he got his hand. Although the team did not directly fund the bionic hand, they helped out raising the funds and worked with Touch Bionics, to design a customized version of their i-LIMB Pulse.

The i-LIMB Pulse, which we have written about before, is one of the most advanced bionic hands available and is controlled by electrodes on the inside of the socket that detect muscular impulses. Each finger is powered by an individual motor, which allows the digits to move independently. It can be connected to a computer through Bluetooth to analyze strength and movements, and supports loads up to 90 kg. It, among other things, enables patients to write and draw, tie shoe laces and catch a ball. The version received by the kid has a see-through outer-shell and will get a little Mercedes badge by the wrist. Meanwhile, after touring the Mercedes factory and meeting Michael Schumacher, he now hopes to pursue a career as an engineer with F1.

The Telegraph: F1 fan receives bionic hand from Mercedes team…

Flashback: i-LIMB Pulse, the Bionic Hand Improved

Cardiac Surgery

Mitroflow Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve with Phospholipid Reduction Treatment Gets EU OK

by Gene Ostrovsky on Aug 15, 2011 • 5:03 pm

gbj23fdidkdk Mitroflow Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve with Phospholipid Reduction Treatment Gets EU OKSorin Group received the European CE Mark approval for the Mitroflow Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve with PRT.

The Phospholipid Reduction Treatment (PRT) of the valve is intended to reduce the calcification of the device and hopefully make it durable as the years wear on.

From the announcement:

Research has demonstrated that phospholipids play a key role in the calcification process of biosprotheses.

PRT has been shown to decrease phospholipid content in the pericardial tissue, which leads to a reduction of up to 99% of calcium uptake in the treated pericardial tissue.

The addition of PRT to the Mitroflow bioprosthesis will help mitigate potential calcification and possibly further improve the tissue valve’s clinically proven outstanding durability.

Press release: Sorin Group Receives CE Mark Approval For the Mitroflow Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve with Phospholipid Reduction Treatment …

Radiology

Canon’s New Portable Wireless DR System

by Gene Ostrovsky on Aug 15, 2011 • 2:08 pm

fv029jfpwe Canons New Portable Wireless DR System
Canon has released its first compact wireless digital radiography system, the CXDI-80C Wireless.  Weighing in at around 5.5 lbs (2.5 Kg) and coupled with its small size, the system is meant for easy positioning of the scintillator in a variety of cases.

The system will be presented for the first time at the 2011 American Healthcare Radiology Administrators (AHRA) Exposition in Dallas, Texas.

Features from the product page:

  • Portable and Battery powered
  • Around 2.5 kg weight
  • 27.4cm x 35cm imaging area
  • High sensitivity Cesium Iodide Scintillator
  • 125 micron pixel pitch
  • 6.1 mega pixels Resolution
  • Preview image time in 3 sec, full image in 5 sec
  • 140 images with a fully charged battery
  • CXDI-Control Software NE

Product announcement: First Look at Canon’s First Compact Wireless Digital Radiography System at the 2011 AHRA Meeting and Exposition …

Product page: Canon CXDI-80C Wireless …

Nuclear Medicine

Tiny Nuclear Medicine Blood Sampler Unveiled

by Gene Ostrovsky on Aug 15, 2011 • 1:25 pm

77rf2elkj Tiny Nuclear Medicine Blood Sampler UnveiledSwiss companies CSEM and Swisstrace have unveiled a new nuclear medicine blood sampler for monitoring the time-course of radioactivity in whole blood.

The firms claim that the Twilite device is smaller than any other similar component and supposedly is the only sampler designed for use in combination PET/NMR devices.

From the press release:

PET uses specific short-lived radioactive tracers to measure metabolism or other parameters in target tissue. To obtain quantitative images, the level of radioactive tracer in the blood must often be monitored in real time. Current solutions for monitoring are large, inconvenient and inappropriate in many clinical situations especially in the presence of high external radiation (electromagnetic interference with other devices). This is why Twilite is so important. Not only is it smaller and more compact than existing systems, it also shows excellent sensitivity, linearity and signal-to-noise ratio. To improve PET’s diagnostic accuracy it is often used in conjunction with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scanners, but the high magnetic field of NMR scanners renders most electronics unusable. Twilite‘s unique design makes it insensitive to magnetic fields and ideal for use with NMR scanners.

Standard samplers use scintillating crystals and light detectors in a single bulky housing which must be shielded with lead. The resulting instruments are bulky, extremely heavy and incompatible with many environments including NMR scanners and animal experimentation.

The beauty of Twilite is that it converts the radioactive tracer’s signal into an optical signal which is carried by liquid light guides to the data logging and signal processing system. This result in a much smaller measuring head made from special materials that are 100% compatible with NMR, and places the electronics and other hardware at a convenient distance from the monitoring head and the patient.

Press release: SwissTrace launches Twilite, an innovative product to help in the diagnosis of diseases, in drug development and basic research …

GI

UK Firm Debuts World’s First Biodegradable Esophageal Stent

by Gene Ostrovsky on Aug 15, 2011 • 1:22 pm

jvj3jjd UK Firm Debuts Worlds First Biodegradable Esophageal Stent
Yorkshire-based UK Medical recently unveiled its biodegradable esophageal stent, the BD Stent. The company claims this is the world’s first of its kind device that dissolves in about three months after implantation.

The firm hopes that the BD Stent, made of Polydioxanone (PDS) material, will provide a more comfortable and patient-friendly option over repeated balloon dilation procedures in patients with achalasia and peptic, anastomotic, and caustic strictures.

Press release: Sheffield healthcare company delivers world’s first …

Product page: BD Biodegradable Stent …

BD Stent brochure… (.pdf)

in the news...

MIT Lincoln Lab Researchers Develop DRACO, a New Technique for Attacking a Broad Range of Viruses

by Gavin Corley on Aug 15, 2011 • 12:07 pm

gj1q938r MIT Lincoln Lab Researchers Develop DRACO, a New Technique for Attacking a Broad Range of Viruses
Researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory have developed a new antiviral technique for the treatment of a large number of viruses. DRACO Fig1 MIT Lincoln Lab Researchers Develop DRACO, a New Technique for Attacking a Broad Range of VirusesCurrently, most available antiviral therapies are highly specific for one virus, can be ineffective against resistant strains of the virus, or can have adverse effects for the patient. The new technique, called DRACO (Double-stranded RNA [dsRNA] Activated Caspase Oligomerizer), was designed to overcome these limitations.

DRACO selectively triggers apoptosis in cells containing viral dsRNA (double-stranded RNA), rapidly killing infected cells without harming uninfected ones. Consequently, the researchers anticipate DRACO should be effective against virtually all viruses, rapidly terminating a viral infection while minimizing adverse effects to the patient.

The team has already published initial results in the journal PLoS ONE showing the effectiveness of DRACO against 15 types of viruses. DRACO was not only demonstrated to be non-toxic in mice but was also shown to save mice infected with a lethal dose of H1N1 influenza.  Currently the team is testing the technique on additional viruses in mice.

This technology could potentially revolutionize antiviral therapies in the future and it will be interesting to see how this promising technology will progress from these impressive initial results.

Lab announcement: MIT Lincoln Laboratory researchers develop a technique to cure a broad range of viruses …

Full article in PLoS ONE: Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Therapeutics

Anesthesiology / Cardiac Surgery / Critical Care / Diagnostics

Masimo Reintroduces Pronto 7 Finger Sensor After Recall

by Paul Pisklak on Aug 15, 2011 • 11:29 am

00234fjewrj1 Masimo Reintroduces Pronto 7 Finger Sensor After RecallWe reported on the introduction of Masimo‘s Pronto 7 back in June 2010. To review, this handheld, noninvasive device provides a spot-check of hemoglobin (SpHb), SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index.  Since then, Masimo voluntarily recalled the sensors associated with this device due to problems with reliability of data at low ambient temperatures.  The company has subsequently redesigned the sensors and re-validated the data with thousands of patients.

With the new sensors validated, Masimo has initiated international availability of Pronto-7 in Europe, Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia (except for countries requiring clearance, such as Japan). As far as the U.S. is concerned, FDA 510(k) clearance is pending at this time.

Masimo Founder and CEO, Joe Kiani, stated: “We take the integrity of our design and our promises to our customers seriously. We worked through the recall until we had redesigned the sensor for Pronto-7 so that it would perform as intended in the broadest range of likely ambient temperatures. We are delighted to re-introduce the Pronto-7…”

Noninvasive pulse oximetry changed the way anesthesiology was practiced when it was introduced  - let’s hope that technologies like this can continue to improve the way we care for our patients going forward.

Press release: Masimo Introduces Pronto-7â„¢ Internationally and Lifts Voluntary Recall …

Product page: Pronto-7 …

Sports Medicine

Wellcore Corporation Launches the NewYu Fitness Monitor

by Gavin Corley on Aug 15, 2011 • 11:25 am

fitness tracker1 Wellcore Corporation Launches the NewYu Fitness MonitorWellcore Corporation has launched its NewYu Fitness Monitor. The device weighs less than an ounce and tracks activity levels using motion detection and analysis for a variety of activities such as walking, running, daily living tasks, as well as gym exercise on various aerobic machines. The NewYu logs and reports this data to an online or Android-based dashboard where users can track their number of steps, calories burned and activities performed. Wellcore Corporation has also partnered with Calorie King to allow users to track their calorie consumption.

The NewYu activity monitor seems to be predominantly targeted at the fitness industry and connects to a social networking community called Connect Yu which allows users to share progress, browse forums and join workout groups. The device will retail at $99.99 and is expected to be available this September.

The press release is very scant on the technical details or accuracy of the device. It is largely a calorie counting / energy expenditure tracking device by the looks of things, presumably with some kinematic sensor built in.

Press release: INTRODUCING THE NEWYU FITNESS MONITOR: REDEFINING FITNESS TRACKING SO THAT EVERY MOVE COUNTS …

(hat tip: Mobihealthnews)

Dermatology

Psoria-Light Phototherapy Device Uses Deep UV LED to Target Skin Conditions

by Brian Klein on Aug 15, 2011 • 10:44 am

Psoria Light Psoria Light Phototherapy Device Uses Deep UV LED to Target Skin Conditions
UV photo-therapy specialist Psoria-Shield Inc. has launched its Psoria-Light™ system in the United States, which can be used to treat skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis, and vitiligo. The patent-pending device relies on deep ultra-violet light emitting diode (UV LED) technology originally developed for photoelectron-generation applications for space agencies and the U.S. military.

The device can emit either UVA or narrow-band UVB light making it versatile enough to be used for a variety of phototherapy treatment options.

The system is now available for dermatologists and other qualified healthcare providers.

Product page: Psoria-Light…

Press release: New Tampa, Fla. manufacturer launches deep UV LED medical device for treating psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo …

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