Archive for the 'Devices and Technology' Category
December 15th, 2010 by admin
Electronic cigarettes are nicotine-delivery devices that include a heating element that vaporizes chemicals in replaceable plastic cartridges. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside recently evaluated five e-cigarette brands and, finding design flaws, lack of adequate labeling, and several concerns about quality control and health issues, concluded that e-cigarettes are potentially harmful and urged regulators to consider removing e-cigarettes from the market until their safety is adequately evaluated.
Continue reading ‘FDA Loses Battle in War Against e-cigarettes’
December 14th, 2010 by admin
MedGadget blog tells us about a new dry powder inhaler that, according to Cambridge Consultants and India’s Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC), delivers an even drug dose deep into the lungs no matter how strong the patient’s inhalation.
Continue reading ‘Dry Powder Inhaler Stays Strong Even if Breath is Weak’
December 9th, 2010 by admin
Nobody ever planned on a short-lived TV series having such a lasting impact on society, but it has. And this is true whether you like Star Trek or not. It doesn’t matter that the show’s medical devices looked like scavenged pieces of plastic the Desilu studio prop department glued together on a low budget. Star Trek is part of our collective mythology. And in the endless loop of life imitating art, many of the futuristic technologies introduced on the show are now a reality. That’s why we decided to compare some of today’s medical breakthroughs with those envisioned by science fiction TV writers, producers and actors more than 40 years ago.
Continue reading ‘Four Star Trek Medical Technologies We use Today’
December 8th, 2010 by admin
The Scottish government finds that the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch offer the best fit among Apple mobile devices with the National Health Service. And although Apple’s encryption scheme comes up short in the study, researchers give a nod to the devices for their potential as a tool for clinicians.
Continue reading ‘iPhone, iPad OK for UK Health System’
December 1st, 2010 by admin
While the pharmaceutical industry is cutting jobs left and right, two medical device makers this week announced hiring plans. Utah-based Merit Medical Systems plans to hire 75 employees at its Virigna site and invest $1 million more in its business over the next 18 months. The company, founded in 1987, markets interventional and diagnostic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology and gastroenterology, according to DeviceSpace. “We are excited to expand our operations in Chesterfield County, where we have found highly-skilled employees and great access to the East Coast,” said Merit CEO Fred Lampropoulos. “Our business there is thriving even in these uncertain economic times.”
Continue reading ‘L.H. and Merit Plan Medical Device Hirings’
November 23rd, 2010 by admin
Handheld devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the iPod Touch are prevalent among doctors. However a recent study shows that these devices may be particularly useful for emergency radiologists, who in the near future, may be able to use them for teleconsultation and emergency procedures, according to a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Continue reading ‘Handheld Medical Devices Show Promise in Radiology’
November 18th, 2010 by admin
The Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital recently implanted a patient with two of the smallest experimental ventricular assist devices (VADs) currently available for study in humans. VADs are designed to assist either the right (RVAD) or left (LVAD) ventricle, or both (BiVAD) at once. This is the first time that two Heartware™ VADs have been implanted in the left and right ventricles anywhere in North America — a “game changer” in the realm of heart assist devices according to Patrick M. McCarthy, MD, chief of the hospital’s Division of Cardiac Surgery and director of the hospital’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.
Continue reading ‘Small Assist Device Used in Emergency Case as Twin, Heart Booster Pumps’
November 10th, 2010 by admin
Research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals that a group of researchers based in Germany have developed a retinal implant that has allowed three blind people to see shapes and objects within days of the implant being installed.
Continue reading ‘Retinal Implant Enables Blind People to See’
October 25th, 2010 by admin
University of Utah (U of U) medical researchers have made an important step in diagnosing autism through using MRI, an advance that eventually could help health care providers indentify the problem much earlier in children and lead to improved treatment and outcomes for those with the disorder.
Continue reading ‘Diagnosing Autism with MRI’
October 19th, 2010 by admin
Third Rock Ventures and Prospect Venture Partners have partnered on a $33 million Series A for NinePoint Medical, a Cambridge, MA-based startup that is developing new technology that can be used to examine gastrointestinal tissue for precancerous and cancerous cells.
Continue reading ‘Diagnostic Startup Receives $33M from Partners’
