Medical technology

From experience - to experts

The Accutron HP-D - the first dual head contrast media power injector for angiography, intervention and computed tomography.

WHO's FRAX incorporated into Hologic's bone densitometers

Led by Professor John Kanis, the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, at Sheffield University Medical School, UK, developed FRAX. This algorithm is based on individual patient models that integrate the risks associated with clinical risk factors as well as bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck to calculate a patient's 10-year fracture risk.

Mammography: What really counts?

The fact that the female breast is one of the most radiation sensitive organs in the human body is a major driver for all those searching for low radiation alternatives - one of these routes lies in photon counting.

Two for one - and one for two

Philips and Steris join forces to provide hybrid surgical rooms: a flexible environment for optimal imaging during open and minimally invasive cardiovasculare procedures that will optimise workflow and streamline room planning.

Further increase in number of exhibitors

The COMPAMED, the leading specialist international trade fair for suppliers to the medical manufacturing market, is held parallel to the MEDICA, the world's largest medical trade fair, each year and showcases the dynamism and innovative power of the medical technology sector. The COMPAMED 2008, High tech solutions for medical technology, will, with around 500 exhibitors from 30 nations, once…

Communication is Everything

It´s MEDICA time again: A top theme is the rapidly progressing networking process of the agents in the health care system thanks to new applications, in particular in the field of medical IT.

Radiofrequency Ablation: Minimally invasive and flexible

Tumour ablation - and Radiofrequency (RF) ablation in particular - is getting more and more important in oncology. The therapy option offers benefits in terms of costs, ease of set-up and flexibility so that experts see the need to expand the applications of it.

Techniken für ein eigenständiges Leben Daheim

Trotz der Einschränkungen, die ein hohes Alter mit sich bringt, eigenständig und selbstbestimmt leben: Der Kombination modernster Technik, Pflegedienstleistung und Hilfpersonal macht dies möglich. Die geschickte Verbindung von Pflegedienstleistungen, Hilfspersonal und moderner Technik bietet vielfältige Chancen, derartige neue Wohnkonzepte und Versorgungsmodelle zu…

Carestream Health Unveils First Wireless, Cassette-Size DR Detector

Carestream Health, Inc., recently announced the industry`s first wireless DR detector that is the size of a standard cassette and can be used with existing wall stand or table-based Buckys. The CARESTREAM DRX-1 System, currently a work in progress, is expected to be available in many parts of the world during the first quarter of 2009.

On scandinavian tracks

The World of Health IT 2008 Conference & Exhibition is an innovative and forward-thinking event designed to deepen the understanding of specific healthcare ICT markets in Europe.

Suffering from regulatory problems

Patient monitoring technology offers enormous benefits for the patient. But reimbursement is insufficiently regulated all over Europe. Therefore, telemedicine generates a loss for the physicians although it can very well cut costs for all parties involved and improve the quality of care.

Computer-assisted diabetes risk management

Optimal treatment of diabetes is very difficult to achieve since many obstacles have to be overcome such as expensive treatments, poor patient compliance or insufficient datac. With these challenges in mind, a new research project titled "Computerassisted Diabetes Risk Management (CDRM)" was put in place to examine how eHealth solutions can improve diabetes care.

New concept in the treatment of aortic valve disease

Transapical aortic valve implantation (TA-AVI) is a new therapeutic strategy, which has been implemented successfully into clinical practice in several hundred patients suffering symptomatic aortic stenosis and an increase perioperative risk during the past two years. The Edwards SAPIEN™ prosthesis has been used.

First image of a single heart cycle

The Acuson SC2000 volume imaging ultrasound system - reported to be the first system in the world to acquire non-stitched real-time full-volume 3-D images of the heart in one single heart cycle - is launched at the ESC meeting in Munich.

Intima media thickness to measure the thickness of artery walls

Intima media thickness (IMT) is a valuable research tool that can be used as surrogate end points in clinical trails, says Professor Stefan Agewall.

Laparoscopy in urology

Laparoscopy is playing an increasingly important role in urology and centres of excellence have been established to provide training in urological laparoscopic surgery.

Molecular imaging software tailors therapy planning and response monitoring

Atlanta-based Velocity Medical Solutions launched VelocityAI, its new molecular imaging software, at the 2008 American Association of Physicists Medicine (AAPM) in July.

High-res cardiac images available at peak stress

While treadmill exercise stress testing is essential to detect cardiovascular disease, gaining clear cardiac images at peak stress level are not easy to gain using standard testing procedures. Now, however, researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Centre have designed equipment to provide high-resolution cardiac images at a critical testing stage, with results in under one hour.

ProSound a7

`High performance systems need not be large,´ says Aloka, manufacturer of the new compact ProSound a7, which produces high-resolution images yet can be used in areas with little spare space. `Broadband Harmonics provides high sensitivity and penetration that is comparable to fundamental-frequency imaging resulting in a significant improvement above standard harmonic imaging,´ Aloka reports.

The 1st tele-ultrasound via satellite

The first robotised tele-ultrasound examination has been performed by participants in the European Mobile And Robotised Tele-echography (MARTE) project, in collaboration with Robosoft, specialist in the development and production of service robot systems.