Medgadget » Emergency Medicine

Draeger Infinity Acute Care System Coming to North America

Gene Ostrovsky — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:27:31 +0000

Dräger is bringing its Infinity Acute Care System, an advanced ICU monitoring package, to the U.S. and Canada. The system features a wireless patient monitor that stays attached to the bed, allowing for quick movement of patients between different clinical departments without ever losing live data feeding back to the central console.

The Infinity includes Masimo’s complete rainbow SET noninvasive Pulse CO-Oximetry, interfaces with Dräger’s ventilators, and the “Medical Cockpit” integrates the data with information from the EMR including diagnostic images and patient history.

GE Upgrades Its Portable Vscan Ultrasound

Gene Ostrovsky — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:37:13 +0000

GE Healthcare has unveiled the new and improved version of its popular Vscan pocket-sized ultrasound. The Vscan 1.2 sports a longer lasting battery, a new interface, and improved data export capabilities to help with reporting and sharing info about patients.

Full list of new features in the Vscan 1.2 according to the GE announcement:

Tangent Shows Off NovaCath Secure IV Catheter

Gene Ostrovsky — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:29:29 +0000

Tangent Medical out of Ann Arbor, MI recently unveiled its NovaCath Secure IV Catheter System, a device designed to improve peripheral IV catheter stabilization and reduce the potential for clinicians being exposed to patient blood.

The closed system includes the catheter, high pressure extension tubing, multi-use flow control clamp and stabilization components.

Smiths Medical’s ViaValve Safety I.V. Catheter Coming This Summer to U.S.

Gene Ostrovsky — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:55:11 +0000

Smiths Medical just got approval from the FDA to introduce its ViaValve Safety I.V. Catheter in the US, a device that promises to help prevent blood exposure and needlestick injuries.

Workings of the device according to Smiths:

Spacelabs Introduces qube Patient Monitor and Arkon Anesthesia Delivery System

Wouter Stomp — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:03:03 +0000

Spacelabs Healthcare, a subsidiary of OSI Systems, is introducing the qube patient monitor and the Arkon high-performance anesthesia delivery system. Both devices recently received FDA clearance.

The qube is a portable monitor that is very similar to the company’s XPREZZON patient monitor. Essentially it is a small and lightweight version of the XPREZZON, with long battery life and is purposed for emergency, general and post-anesthesia care units. It is mountable in many configurations and can be quickly detached for transport.

Plasma Flashlight Torches Bacteria

Gavin Corley — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:32:57 +0000

A collaborative team of scientists from several research institutes in China and Australia has developed a hand held, battery-powered plasma flashlight for removing bacteria from skin and other surfaces. The device was designed for use by paramedics or the military when treatment or sterilization is required in remote locations.

The device is self-contained and operates on a 12V battery without the need for an external gas feed or power. It generates a jet of plasma between 20-23°C (68-73.4°F), so that it won’t harm the skin and contains some protection circuitry to prevent overheating.

In Study, Peripheral IV Catheter Shows Promise in Intravenous Therapy (video)

Brian Klein — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:34:50 +0000

The Powerwand peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheter from San Diego–based Access Scientific has been shown to be an effective alternative to central lines and standard PIVs in a recent study. The power-injectable extended dwell catheter achieved high levels of success in patients requiring long-term intravenous therapy in the peer-reviewed study, which was performed by researchers at the Center for Nursing Research at Orlando Health (Orlando, FL). Published in the Spring 2012 issue of the Journal of the Association for Vascular Access (JAVA), the study reported a low overall complication rate including lower thrombosis, catheter occlusion, phlebitis, and infiltration than with other reports of complications from studies on PIV outcomes.

The study also reported that, 95% of the time, the device was successfully placed on the first attempt in a population of patients with a history of difficult IV access.

ITClamp Stops Traumatic Bleeding in Combat Zones

Scott Jung — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:26:53 +0000

Bleeding is the single largest cause of preventable trauma death, and when our armed forces are out in the combat zone, stopping a bleeding wound can be difficult. Dr. Dennis Filips, a retired trauma surgeon from the Canadian Navy and CEO of Edmonton, AB-based Innovative Trauma Care, saw a lot of bleeding while serving in Afghanistan, and wondered if there could be a way to reduce the mortality rate from traumatic hemorrhage other than using tourniquets and hemostatic wound agents, which take time to apply.

Inspired by a simple hair clip, Filips designed a device called the ITClamp. The ITClamp is essentially a sterile, plastic clamp approximately five centimeters in length, with curved needles along the “jaws” of the device. In a trauma situation, the responder clamps the device along the wound. The curved needles and the shape of the ITClamp draw the wound up into the device and anchor it with even pressure, allowing the blood underneath to create a clot around the wound and help stop the bleeding until the victim receives further medical attention.

Stellar Detectors for SOMATOM Definition Flash Coming to U.S. (video)

Gene Ostrovsky — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:49:52 +0000

Siemens has received FDA go ahead to bring the Stellar Detector technology to SOMATOM Definition Flash dual-source tomographs in the U.S. The company makes a bold claim that this is “the first fully integrated detector that virtually eliminates electronic noise.”

The scanner can perform cardiac scanning in a quarter of a heartbeat with a temporal resolution of 75 ms, providing low distortion images of the moving organ, even without breath holding.

Euclid Tier 1 Mini Access System for Precise Needle Placement Cleared in U.S.

Gene Ostrovsky — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:04:03 +0000

Texas-based Houston Medical Robotics received FDA clearance for its Euclid Tier 1 Mini Access System, which looks like a sextant for central venous catheter placement.

It provides a depth scale to adjust where you want it to go and fits standard ultrasound transducers for watching where the needle is heading.