New Medical Device

A new member has been added to the Fitbit Charge Family namely the Fitbit Charge 3 with an additional feature of measuring the SpO2. The new version will hit the market in October.  “ With Charge 3, we are building on the success of our best-selling Charge franchise and delivering our most innovative tracker, offering an extremely slim, comfortable, and premium design, along with the advanced health and fitness features our users want. Charge 3 gives existing users a compelling reason to upgrade, while also allowing us to reach new users who want a sleeker, more affordable wearable in a tracker form factor ,” CEO Fitbit James Park said in a statement. The new version claims to identify indicators of allergies, asthma, or sleep apnea with its relative SpO2 tracker which enables the device to assess variations in blood oxygenation levels and spot breathing abnormalities. As included in its Pre-Cert pilot, aiming to develop FDA-monitored software for illnesses like sleep apne...

Designed to assist patients in breathing,  medical ventilators  forever changed the medical world. As medical technology advances, so do these life-saving devices. The Ddu (drugdu.com) team has listed 3 types of medical ventilators to help you decide which would be the smartest buy next time you decide to invest in one. Emergency ventilator In any given emergency situation, time is of the essence. Having the best available  emergency ventilator  is crucial to saving a patients’ life. These devices should be light-weight and portable as well as flexible in use for both adults and children. These ventilators are can also suitable for the ICU, like the  pneumatic driven electrically control ventilator  for both hospitals and ambulances. Paediatric  Medical Ventilator When it comes to the special needs of children,  medical ventilators  specifically designed for the pediatric needs of children is a valuable asset for any clinic, hos...

The demand for novel medical technologies seems to grow continuously. Hence there has been an increasing number of start-ups in order to fill the gaps by providing innovative solutions to persisting health issues. In this article, we will have a brief look at five of the world’s most promising medical device start-ups. Rubi Life This US-based medical device start-up is one of the joint winners of the Digital Health Technology Show’s Start-Up of the Year Award 2018. Rubi Life has earned a good name in the pregnancy device market since it has created the world’s first sensor containing a passive fetal wearable monitor named Rubi that can track fetal movement in the third trimester. Livongo Health This California-based start-up enables diabetic patients to connect to a virtual care team. This company completed a $105m round of funding, which would be further used to support market growth by developing the consumer platform. Day Zero Diagnostics This medical device st...

A new biomarker might possibly furnish new clues required to develop a diagnostic tool for hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF), an LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center study found. There is no current objective diagnostic device for this life-threatening condition, if unchecked. "There is currently no objective way for a health care provider to measure whether a patient has experienced repeated episodes of low blood sugar and therefore may be suffering from HAAF," said David McDougal, Ph.D., assistant professor-research and head of Pennington Biomedical's Neurobiology of Metabolic Dysfunction Laboratory. Researchers at LSU Pennington Biomedical aimed to find ways via which biomedical imaging could present new solutions that enable measurement of occurrence of glucose level collapse. Instead of looking at glucose uptake in the directly in the brain, they focused on the adaptation of the brain after an incidence of crashed glucose leve...

Allotrope Data Format (ADF), a promising standard developed by a conglomerate of pharmaceutical companies is being implemented to export files from laboratories by the newly launched upgraded version of a chromatography data system owned by Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A). The Agilent data system, OpenLab CDS ChemStation Edition, is the first to back the new format, planned to standardize data from different sources. The ADF was designed to standardize the compilation, trade, and storage of analytical data procured in laboratory functions. ADF helps labs to transport and share data across platforms. It also claims to enable amplified automation, minimizing manual errors. " The development of ADF is an important step toward obtaining faster results and more insight from the data collected and produced within pharmaceutical organizations involved in research, development, and production of chemicals and biomolecules ,” said John Sadler, vice president and general mana...

3D printing is seeing constant advances in various fields, including the world of medicine. We have listed three  core uses of 3D printing in the medical domain that are linked with recent advancements: 1. Bioprinting tissues and organoids One of several varieties of 3D printing that is implemented in the medical device field is bioprinting. Bioprinters use a computer-directed pipette to coat living cells, called bio-ink, one above another to produce artificial living tissue in a laboratory. These tissue models or organoids can be utilized in medical research as they imitate organs on a minuscule scale. They also pose as cheaper alternatives to human organ transplants. 2. 3D printing of surgical instruments Forceps, hemostats, scalpel handles, clamps and other sterile surgical instruments can be fashioned with 3D printers. These instruments help operate on minute areas preventing needless extra harm to the patient. Low production cost is one of the main benefits ...

The San Diego-based company NuVasive has announced US-FDA 510(k) clearance for its Pulse spinal surgical automation platform. The platform includes 2D and 3D navigation and smart imaging capabilities, with implemented surgical planning, neuromonitoring, patient-specific rod bending tech and radiation reduction. Dr. Stephen Ryu of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation said,  “Pulse seamlessly integrates multiple intraoperative technologies through an intuitive guided surgical workflow within a single device and footprint in the operating room. Unlike other newer surgical technologies, Pulse enhances the surgeon’s ability and can positively affect outcomes by providing a modular platform of useful intraoperative tools that do not disrupt familiar workflow. Additionally, Pulse provides enhanced support throughout each case be it a simple decompression all the way to complex deformity cases.” The platform has been integrated with a ...

Endometriosis occurs when uterine tissue spreads to other parts of the pelvis. This disease causes severe pelvic pain during sex and menstruation and affects around one in ten young women. Usually, endometriosis-related pain is managed with painkillers, contraceptives, or injectable hormone treatments. But these treatments often don’t work and can trigger side-effects such as moodiness or weight gain, or can be taken only for short a duration due to their effect on bone density. A new therapeutic pill named elagolix will now become available for endometriosis-related pain, after getting approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This newly-approved drug can be taken for longer durations but also has several side-effects like headaches, hot flushes and nausea. The drug slightly reduces estrogen levels which is why it can be taken for up to two years. If estrogen levels are reduced too much, it results in loss of bone density. Elagolix will become a first-line treatmen...

Axiostat, the first US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved wound dressing product from India is a user-friendly, compact pack of 8X8 centimeters which ceases unrestrained bleeding from wounds. When applied on a wound, the patch acts on the blood and forms a clot in a minute and turns into a very sticky adhesive patch. Approved in February this year, the company has until now supplied the product to the Indian army and few of the military and private hospitals. " So far, we have shipped close to 450,000 units. About 18 months ago, we set up our own manufacturing unit (earlier used to outsource) in Ahmedabad with a capacity to make 850,000 units per annum and this we hope will handle demand for the next two years ," says Leo Mavely, founder and CEO of Bengaluru-headquartered Axio Biosolutions. The technology, he notes, being patented in India, is one of the first product globally to have 100 percent active element Chitosan, extracted from shellfish. " It...

AstraZeneca and MSD's neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) drug, selumetinib, a MEK 1/2 inhibitor, receives orphan designation by the EMA. " There is no cure for NF1, and current treatment choices for these patients are very limited ," said Sean Bohen, AZ's Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Chief Medical Office. " The granting of an orphan designation is a positive step forward for children with NF1 and their families ." The promising advantage of selumetinib in NF1 is being studied in the Phase I/II SPRINT trial in pediatric patients with non-surgically treatable NF1-related Plexiform neurofibromas (PNs). PNs are benign tumors on nerve sheaths that occur in 20-50% of patients, and as they persist to grow in number and size and result in mild-to-grave symptoms such as pain, motor dysfunction and deformity. Complete results are expected later in 2018. The NF1 gene gives instructions to develop a protein, neurofibromin, which nega...