News
Study Assesses Impact of Rheumatoid Arthritis on Joint Replacement Surgery Outcomes
June 12, 2013 10:56 am | by Hospital for Special Surgery | CommentsTwo new studies by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have shed light on joint replacement outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One study overturns the common belief that RA patients have worse outcomes after a total knee replacement (TKR) than patients who undergo the operation for osteoarthritis.
Nanofiber Sensor Detects Diabetes or Lung Cancer Faster and Easier
June 12, 2013 10:52 am | by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology | CommentsToday's technological innovation enables smartphone users to diagnose serious diseases such as diabetes or lung cancer quickly and effectively by simply breathing into a small gadget, a nanofiber breathing sensor, mounted on the phones. Il-Doo Kim, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Department at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology...
New Nerve and Muscle Interfaces Aid Wounded Warrior Amputees
June 12, 2013 10:18 am | by DARPA | CommentsSince 2000, more than 2,000 servicemembers have suffered amputated limbs. DARPA’s breakthrough research with advanced prosthetic limbs controlled by brain interfaces is well documented, but such research is currently limited to quadriplegics; practical applications of brain interfaces for amputees are still in the future. In contrast, nerve and muscle interfaces allow amputees to control advanced prosthetics in the near term.
Exercise for Stroke Patients' Brains
June 12, 2013 9:56 am | by University of Southern California | CommentsA new study finds that stroke patients' brains show strong cortical motor activity when observing others performing physical tasks—a finding that offers new insight into stroke rehabilitation. A team of researchers monitored the brains of 24 individuals as they watched others performing actions made using the arm and hand that would be difficult for a person who can no longer use their arm due to stroke.
New Tasks Become as Simple as Waving a Hand with Brain-Computer Interfaces
June 12, 2013 9:51 am | by Michelle Ma, University of Washington | CommentsSmall electrodes placed on or inside the brain allow patients to interact with computers or control robotic limbs simply by thinking about how to execute those actions. This technology could improve communication and daily life for a person who is paralyzed or has lost the ability to speak from a stroke or neurodegenerative disease.
Twenty Patients Implanted in Functional Neuromodulation’s ADvance Study of Deep Brain Stimulation for Alzheimer’s Disease
June 12, 2013 9:07 am | by Business Wire | CommentsFunctional Neuromodulation Ltd.’s ADvance Study has implanted 20 mild Alzheimer’s patients with deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved expansion of the study from 20 to 30 U.S. patients in combination with 20 subjects approved in Canada.
Approval Of Boston Scientific's Watchman Device Will Support Rapid Growth In The Global Heart Defect Closure Device Market
June 12, 2013 8:00 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsAccording to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, the anticipated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Boston Scientific's WATCHMAN device will drive rapid growth in the market for global heart defect closure devices. ...
RTI Biologics Announces Agreement to Acquire Pioneer Surgical Technology
June 12, 2013 7:00 am | by Business Wire | CommentsRTI Biologics Inc., a leading provider of orthopedic and other biologic implants, announced today its intent to acquire privately held Pioneer® Surgical Technology (Pioneer), headquartered in Marquette, Mich. Pioneer is a leading medical technology company that manufactures and distributes metal and synthetic products in the orthopedics, biologics, spine, trauma and cardiothoracic markets.
Class I Medical Device Recall: Symbios GOPump and GOBlock Kits
June 12, 2013 12:00 am | by U.S. Food & Drug Administration | CommentsThe affected products may have excessively high flow rates. As a result, medications could be delivered too quickly from the balloon to the surgical site and cause patient toxicity due to the rapid influx of medication. This can lead to serious illness...
Teleflex Acquires Innovative Technology for Laryngeal Masks and other Airway Management Devices
June 11, 2013 7:30 pm | by Business Wire | CommentsTeleflex Incorporated (NYSE: TFX), a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, today announced it has acquired the assets of Ultimate Medical and its affiliates. Ultimate Medical is a leading supplier and innovator of airway management devices with a portfolio of patented products and a full range of laryngeal mask airways.
St. Jude Medical Announces FDA Approval of High-Voltage Devices with New Safety Features
June 11, 2013 4:05 pm | by Business Wire | CommentsSt. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device company, today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its next-generation Ellipse™ and SJM Assura™ portfolio of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds). The new devices are designed to lower the risk of lead abrasion and to ensure high-voltage therapy delivery.
Seapine Software Launches 2013 State of Medical Device Development Survey
June 11, 2013 2:08 pm | by Seapine Software | CommentsOver the next three months, Seapine Software will be polling medical device developers for its 2013 State of Medical Device Development Survey. The online survey will establish industry benchmarks and identify the challenges facing the development of new healthcare technologies.
Next-Generation Clot Retrieval Technology Improves Patient Outcomes vs. First- Generation Devices, Say Leading Stroke Physicians
June 11, 2013 11:59 am | by Covidien | CommentsCovidien brought together six of the world’s prominent thought-leaders in stroke at the 2013 European Stroke Conference. At a Covidien-sponsored symposium, the stroke experts presented and discussed data underscoring the benefits of endovascular therapy in treating acute ischemic stroke and, particularly, the important role that new devices play when this procedure is performed to remove blood clots from large vessels in the brain.
Study Shows Cardiac MRI Use Reduces Adverse Events for Patients with Acute Chest Pain
June 11, 2013 11:01 am | by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center | CommentsWake Forest Baptist Medical Center doctors have found that using stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in an Emergency Department observation unit to care for patients with acute chest pain is a win-win - for the patient and the institution.
Heart to Heart: Cardiac PET/MR Measures Up To PET/CT
June 11, 2013 10:59 am | by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | CommentsJust a few years ago, integrated positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging was found only in research institutes, but little by little the technology has expanded into clinical practice. This is especially true for cardiac indications, for which the highly sensitive soft tissue contrast of MR and the functional and metabolic imaging of PET are particularly valuable.
