Emergency Medicine Archives

Analogic Releases New BK Medical Ultrasounds

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 8, 2012 •

analogic new devices Analogic Releases New BK Medical UltrasoundsAnalogic has announced the worldwide launch of three new ultrasound systems from its subsidiary BK Medical, the Pro Focus UltraView 800, the Flex Focus 800, and the Flex Focus 500.

All three models sport the company’s “Quantum Technology” that provides high resolution visualization of the tissues.

Quantum Technology offers image quality enhancements including improved contrast resolution, as well as new gray scale maps and new image pre-sets, making it easier and quicker to obtain the highest quality images. In addition, the new technology includes a unique Vector Flow Imaging (VFI) mode*, enabling angle independent visualization of blood flow, and an advanced color Doppler mode, enabling superb spatial resolution. Key benefits also include advanced harmonic imaging when imaging all patient types, even the extremely difficult-to-image patient.

Compatible with all of BK Medical’s transducers, the fully featured, premium performance systems are ideally suited for surgery, including robotic-assisted surgery, general imaging and high-end urology imaging. The UltraView 800 system also has contrast imaging capabilities**, and both the UltraView 800 and Flex Focus 800 systems have a HistoScanning*** ready option. The Flex Focus 500 is the mid-range system in the BK Medical family incorporating Quantum Technology. This portable system is powerful and well suited for a busy practice utilizing ultrasound for urology and general imaging needs. All of the new systems also have VFI* as an option.

Press release: Analogic Launches Three New BK Medical Ultrasound Systems With Innovative Quantum Technology

Product pages: Pro Focus UltraView 800; flex Focus 800; flex Focus 500

Emergency Medicine / Military Medicine

U.S. Army’s New Standard Issue Individual First Aid Kit

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 3, 2012

The U.S. Army has been trying to improve first aid medical response of soldiers in the field, and has developed the latest Individual First Aid Kit, or IFAK, to meet the unique needs that presented themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the IFAK is bulky and gets in the way of other equipment, so developers at Natick Soldier Systems Center have completely redesigned the pack to store it in the small of the back while making it easily accessible from either side by the soldier injured or another trying to help him.

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Anesthesiology / Cardiac Surgery / Emergency Medicine / Medicine / Neurological Surgery / Ob/Gyn / Orthopedic Surgery / Plastic Surgery / Surgery / Thoracic Surgery / Urology

Cardinal Health Releases Smart-Seal Surgical Mask

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 2, 2012

Cardinal Health has made available its Smart-Seal surgical mask that improves both its fit and reduces interior fogging while providing a high level of filtration and resistance to liquids.

From the announcement:

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Cardiology / Critical Care / Emergency Medicine / Medicine / Military Medicine / Telemedicine

Hidalgo Unveils Equivital EQ02 LifeMonitor

by Gene Ostrovsky on Jan 19, 2012

Hidalgo out of Cambridge, England has released its new wireless Equivital EQ02 LifeMonitor that can continuously record ECG, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and activity levels in patients.  Data is analyzed using special software for PCs, web and mobile devices and can provide real-time results that can be immediately acted upon by clinicians.

Hidalgo’s technology has already been in use by UK’s Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, Addenbrooke’s hospital, and the US Marine Corps in Iraq where wireless, mobile, and easy to use devices save the day.

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Cardiac Surgery / Emergency Medicine / Military Medicine / Surgery / Thoracic Surgery / Vascular Surgery

Nanotech Coating Could Stop Bleeding within Seconds

by Brian Klein on Jan 17, 2012

A nanoscale biological coating could prevent battlefield deaths by halting bleeding nearly instantaneously. Developed by engineers at MIT with the assistance of Ferrosan Medical Devices A/S (Soeborg, Denmark), the coating includes thrombin, a protein involved in blood clotting that has been used clinically for decades for topical hemostasis and wound management. The coating also contains tannic acid, a molecule found in tea.

In a recent study, the researchers developed a biological coating consisting of two alternating layers sprayed onto a material, such as a sponge. The coating forms a film containing a high level of functional thrombin. According to the researchers, sponges coated with the material can be stored stably and carried by soldiers or medical personnel to treat the wounded. Similar sponges could also prove useful in civilian hospitals.

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Emergency Medicine / Military Medicine / Surgery / Vascular Surgery

Ex-Army Physicians Develop Tourniquet to Slow Abdominal Bleeding in Soldiers

by Gavin Corley on Jan 13, 2012

Two emergency physicians with some impressive war-time credentials, from Georgia Health Sciences University and Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, have developed a device to prevent severe abdominal bleeding in soldiers. According to the inventors, when a soldier is shot in the abdomen severe bleeding occurs due to rupturing of the major vessels in this region, making it a common target for insurgents and a difficult fix for the field medics. Due to the shape and size of the abdomen, it is difficult to apply a tourniquet or effectively apply external compression.

To overcome this problem, the physicians have come up with an inflatable, wedge-shaped bladder embedded into the abdominal aortic tourniquet. The device is wrapped around the body at the navel level,tightened and inflated into the abdomen until it occludes the aorta and stops the bleeding, hopefully increasing the chances of survival.

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Critical Care / Emergency Medicine / in the news... / Military Medicine / Surgery

First App to be Registered as Class I Medical Device in the UK

by Stanley Darma on Jan 12, 2012

A couple of months ago we mentioned Mersey Burns, an app which enables a quick, accurate calculation of the amount of fluids to be administered after burn injuries. Now this software is the first app to have received approval as a medical device from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Mersey Burns was created by Chris Seaton from the University of Manchester: it was developed further within the Mersey Plastic Surgery Unit. The app is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. To calculate the fluid protocol, the app requires input of the areas that are burned and patient information such as weight, height and age. Down below you can see a video on how the app works.

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Anesthesiology / Cardiology / Critical Care / Emergency Medicine / Medicine / Ob/Gyn / Ophthalmology

Company Claims Optical Blood Pressure Monitor Breakthrough

by Gene Ostrovsky on Jan 3, 2012

Tarilian Laser Technologies, a Hertfordshire, UK firm claims it has developed the “greatest technological advance in blood pressure measurement for 130 years”  Unlike direct pressure measurement that every other BP meter does, the company’s Sapphire device uses an optical sensor to continuously measure blood pressure at the wrist. Keeping the Sapphire stationary will provide beat-to-beat readings and Tarilian says the device can effectively be used to detect white coat hypertension (raised blood pressure due to patient being in a clinical setting).

The company believes this technology can be translated for non-contact measurement of intraocular pressure, fetal heart monitoring, and for blood pressure monitoring using small mobile devices at different spots on the body.

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Emergency Medicine / Neurological Surgery / Neurology / Radiology

Ultrasound System for Treatment of Ischemic Stroke Receives CE Mark Approval

by Jan Sinnige on Jan 3, 2012

Cerevast Therapeutics, Inc. from Redmond, Washington received CE mark approval for the Clotbust ER, a SonoLysis system used to treat ischaemic stroke in emergency settings. The device has been designed to non-invasively deliver therapeutic ultrasound energy to occluded blood vessels in the brain, together with standard intravenous thrombolytic therapy. The energy of the ultrasound beam is transformed into energy of fluid motion, also known as acoustic streaming. At very low pressures this streaming inside the brain will cause a mild “stirring” action in which additional fibrin binding sites are exposed to plasmin. This new method will enhance the clot lysis potential of conventional rtPA treatment.

Integrated software controls the delivery of consistent therapeutic levels of energy required to attain acoustic streaming, which makes the device operator independent and doesn’t require an experienced ultrasound specialist.

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