Finnish orthopedic device manufacturer Bone Index said it has won Medicare and Medicaid coverage for its Bindex point-of-care osteoporosis measurement device for ambulatory surgical and outpatient settings. Bindex measures the cortical bone thickness of the tibia and an algorithm calculates the density index, a parameter that estimates bone mineral density at the hip as measured
Smithwise helps startup find its focus
August 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment
After Basil Leaf Technologies won the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize in 2017, founder Dr. Basil Harris needed help figuring out how to bring this almost-all-in-one diagnostic tool to market. Basil Leaf’s mobile platform DxtER includes a group of non-invasive sensors that can wirelessly communicate with a smart device as they collect data on vital signs, body
ElectroCore launches gammaCore Sapphire migraine treatment device
August 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment
ElectroCore announced that it has launched its gammaCore Sapphire non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator in the U.S. The device is the first non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator device to be cleared by the FDA for acute treatment of pain from migraines and episodic cluster headaches. The gammaCore Sapphire device is portable and easy-to-use and can be self-administered
How blood tests could diagnose brain injury
August 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Researchers at the University of Rochester are studying a blood test that will help doctors determine if patients could have a traumatic brain injury following a blow to the head. Currently, physicians rely on subjective markers like headaches, nausea and light sensitivity to determine if there is bleeding or bruising in the brain. They made
The 10 most innovative medical devices of 2018
August 6, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The nominees for the best medical technology of 2018 were recently announced for the 12th Annual Prix Galien USA Awards. The host of the awards, The Galien Foundation, awards the Prix Galien Award annually to examples of outstanding biomedical and technology product achievements that are designed to improve human condition. Before the candidates can qualify
Medtech stories we missed this week: August 3, 2018
August 3, 2018 By Leave a Comment
From Esaote launching its new ultrasound device to Nipro’s Infraredx launching in Japan, here are seven medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning. 1. Esaote launches new ultrasound devices Esaote announced in an Aug. 2 press release that it has launched its new MyLab X7, MyLab X6 and MyLab X5 ultrasound systems.
Endomagnetics’ device could help ID cancerous lymph nodes
July 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The FDA has approved Endomagnetics Inc.’s magnetic device system for guiding lymph node biopsies in breast cancer patients undergoing a mastectomy. The Sentimag Magnetic Localization System detects magnetic seeds or a magnetic drug to identify the specific lymph nodes to which cancer cells are most likely to spread from the original tumor. A biopsy of
NIH gives cancer detection a gigantic image boost
July 23, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made public more than 32,000 annotated cancer lesions identified on CT images to help radiologists improve their cancer-detection accuracy. Large enough to train a deep neural network, the DeepLesion database could enable the scientific community to create a large-scale universal lesion detector with one unified framework, according to
Medtech companies raised more than $738 million in Q2
July 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Venture capital firms invested more than $738 million during the second quarter of 2018, $1 million less than the first quarter of this year, according to the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and CB Insights. There was a total of 61 deals during Q2, an increase from the 48 that the industry saw during Q1.
8 crowdfunded health devices you need to know
July 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Companies including 3M and Aura Medical are turning to the popular websites Kickstarter and Indiegogo to get their ideas crowdfunded by people who want them to come to life. The idea behind a crowdfunding website is that if you back the project and donate a certain amount of money, you’ll get something in return, oftentimes
This bioprinter could screen bacterial infections in minutes
July 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Stanford researchers are developing a bioprinter that, when paired with an advanced bacteria scanner, could speed up screening for bacteria infections. The bioprinter consists of acoustic pulses that shoot through blood samples of a patient. The pulses push individual blood droplets onto a piece of paper. Tens of millions are printed on the final print,
National Guideline Clearinghouse to live on despite feds bowing out
July 18, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The nonprofit that has run the recently shuttered National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) for 20 years plans to replace the website and run it privately. Funding to support the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) clinical practice guideline website ended on July 16. ECRI Institute, which developed and maintained NGC since its inception in
3D color X-rays could help diagnose cancer, heart disease and more
July 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment
New Zealand scientists performed the first-ever 3D, color X-rays on a human, using technology that could improve medical diagnostics in oncology, cardiology, neurology and orthopedics. Based on traditional black-and-white X-ray technology, the scanner incorporates the Medipix3RX detector chip, a particle-tracking technology developed for the CERN Large Hadron Collider. It was developed by the Medipix3 Collaboration, which
Band-aid-like patch boosts fluorescence brightness in diagnostic tests
July 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have created a high-tech metal nanostructure patch that increases fluorescence intensity by 100 times in medical diagnostic tests. Fluorescence-based biosensing and bioimaging technologies have been used to detect and image different biological species. It is convenient to use, but they have poor sensitivity. For example, the fluorescent signal
Medtech stories we missed this week: July 13, 2018
July 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment
From Angiodroid receiving CE Mark approval to Masimo launching its vital signs app, here are seven medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning. 1. Angiodroid wins CE Mark for Angiopulse IABP Angiodroid announced in a July 11 press releasethat it has received CE Mark approval for its AngioPulse intra-aortic balloon pump
