The new Vacuette branded Safelink tube holder facilitates quick and easy blood collection. The tube can be used in combination with all medical products that have a standard female luer lock connection, such as winged cannulae. Above all, it stands out thanks to its simple handling. The luer lock feature sets the Vacuette Safelink apart from the conventional Greiner Bio-One tube holders and makes…
People who underwent larynx surgery face a necessity of a voice prosthesis implantation, but such artificial windpipes are only produced abroad. Scientists at the South Ural State University (SUSU) are developing a Russian analogue of such an apparatus which will be several times cheaper than the imported products. The problem of vocal rehabilitation after larynx is removed has been an issue ever…
Diabetes is a disease that can cause a host of accompanying problems, for example nerve dysfunction that can lead to diabetic feet. John Giurini, DPM, Chief of Podiatric Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, talks about where these complications come from and what can be done to deal with them.
New accelerator-based technology being developed by the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University aims to reduce the side effects of cancer radiation therapy by shrinking its duration from minutes to under a second. Built into future compact medical devices, technology developed for high-energy physics could also help make radiation therapy more…
More than 100 million Americans have potentially deadly fatty liver disease and most do not even know it. Overeating and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol this holiday season could put someone with the disease on the fast track to liver failure. “There are no symptoms associated with fatty liver disease and no pain, so most people never get checked or treated for it and, over time, if it is…
Hip and knee joint surgeries are among the most common procedures in orthopaedics and trauma surgery and complications can occur. Rare, but serious, among these is periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), which causes high costs in healthcare and stress for patients. PJI is caused by microorganisms that form a biofilm on the surface of the implant and, in this sessile state, they are difficult to…
For patients who take medication to treat hypothyroidism, being treated with too much medication can lead to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder associated with stroke, a new study of more than 174,000 patients has found. The findings were presented by researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City at the American Heart…
Back in 1987 Meyer-Haake GmbH introduced the first high-frequency surgical device with an output power in the megahertz range. Due to the high-frequency it was possible to conduct surgery with minimal heat development, resulting in less thermal damage and tissue shrinkage. Thus, the firm’s devices were quickly bought. For its latest models – radioSURG 2200 ‘PT’ and ‘PTA’ –…
STARLED5 NX, surgical lamp with LED technology boasts an excellent light quality, the specialist manufacturer ACEM reports. ‘The special optics of its LEDs generates a shadow-less, clear and homogeneous light assuring visual comfort and best working conditions for surgeons and medical staff.’ The lamp, under every condition, generates an IR-free light, excellent colour temperature and a…
Results after suturing are not always aesthetic. Wound treatment with tissue adhesives offer a quick healing process, good tolerance and low scarring. Among these, EPIGLU is an especially fast polymerising product, an Ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate with good closure properties even for injuries that are under tension, Meyer-Haake GmbH Medical Innovations reports: ‘The product, which has been on the…
A UK company that specialises in the development and manufacture of ‘zero pressure’ technology is showing its full range of mattress solutions at Medica this year. Over the last few years, Rober Ltd of Chesterfield, has invested heavily in R&D to develop a complete range of pressure ulcer mattresses that cater for a variety of needs, including patients who are immobile, bariatric or have…
United Kingdom manufacturer Paraid is demonstrating its latest version of the IBEX ambulance chair, used by ambulances throughout the UK. This easy-to-use patient transport chair is designed for use across all terrains including restricted, spiral and narrow staircases, the manufacturer reports. ‘The innovative product features a plastic seat and backrest with harness, which allows patients to…
Cold light, long life and low energy consumption – these assets are offered by the Starled3 NX lamp from Italian firm ACEM, for many uses including surgery. The homogeneous and shadow-less light is due to special LED optics created by the firm, which directs light beams according to need. ‘The visual area is perfectly illuminated assuring both excellent visual comfort and working…
Designing medical imaging systems for surgical, ophthalmology and microscope-mounting applications, Ikegami Tsushinki Co. Ltd, from Tokyo, Japan, is showing the latest additions to its range of medical cameras and medical-grade displays. ‘The new MKC-X800 is a progressive-scan camera with an ultra-high-sensitivity 4K-native CMOS imager,’ Ikegami reports. ‘Measuring just 34 x 40 x 40 mm, the…
Yet again the lighting manufacturer ACEM, based in Bologna, Italy, has produced a new and valued medical lighting system – the focusable ACEMSO15F – aimed for use in diagnostics, minor surgery, intensive care and more. Physically, the round, functional, wall, ceiling or trolley mounted ACEMSO15F is easy to grip and move and, for sterilisation, the handle is removable. The optional ABPS…
Language difficulties become even greater when a patient is foreign and in need of medical care. To improve communication between international patients and medical staff, a new translation app – Medicospeaker – is undergoing its first in-hospital tests at Muenster University Hospital (UKM) in Germany. The system aims to translate dynamic conversation processes, explained Lukas Fortmeier, CEO…
Virtual Reality (VR) technology is aiding trainee surgeons to practise complex procedures in a simulated setting, rather than learning skills on real patients. VR is also helping to demystify neurosurgery in that it enables medical students and patients to ‘enter’ and experience a neurosurgical operating theatre. Alex Alamri, a trainee neurosurgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, UK,…
On April 29th 2011, a car accident injured Tian-Zong’s spine and since then he has not been able to feel his legs and couldn’t to stand or walk again. His visual field has shrunk from 180 cm standing height to 110 cm when sitting on his wheelchair. At the time when the accident happened, he was only 36 years old and the scheduled wedding was forced to be cancelled. Sitting on a wheelchair,…
Whilst acknowledging that state-of-the-art bioengineering approaches are being applied in preventing Medical Device Related Pressure Ulcers (MDRPUs), Professor Amit Gefen, from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University, believes there are gaps in knowledge and technology in this area and therefore more must be done to improve patient care and avoid additional healthcare…
Hip and dental implant operations are routine. But not entirely risk-free. They may result in infection that is difficult to control with oral or intravenous antibiotics. In such cases, the implant will probably need to be replaced. Fraunhofer researchers can now apply a precisely matched drug directly to the replacement implant while significantly increasing the effectiveness of the antibiotic…
Researchers have developed laser-activated nanomaterials that integrate with wounded tissues to form seals that are superior to sutures for containing body fluids and preventing bacterial infection. Tissue repair following injury or during surgery is conventionally performed with sutures and staples, which can cause tissue damage and complications, including infection. Glues and adhesives have…
The CRISPR genome editing technique promises to be a "transformative leap" in genetic engineering and therapy, affecting almost every area of medicine. That includes plastic surgery, with potential advances ranging from prevention of craniofacial malformations, to therapeutic skin grafts, to new types of rejection-free transplants, according to a paper in the November issue of Plastic…
The complex structure of breast tumours makes treatment a medical challenge. A promising, novel selenium-based breast cancer nanoparticle therapy by the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) together with other partners in the EU-project Neosetac could change that: It has proved to boost the active agent delivery and assure it's active only in the target tissue while also bringing…
New research indicates that many kidneys obtained for transplantation from deceased donors are not being used because of biopsy findings despite their unreliability and reproducibility. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN) and will be published at ASN Kidney Week 2018, may suggest an urgent need to re-examine the…
Researchers have developed techniques to detect Lyme disease bacteria weeks sooner than current tests, allowing patients to start treatment earlier. The new techniques can detect an active infection with the Lyme bacteria faster than the three weeks it takes for the current indirect antibody-based tests, which have been a standard since 1994. Another advantage of the new tests is that a positive…