Surgical Devices
In-brain monitoring shows memory network
January 30, 2013 10:50 am | News | Comments
Working with patients with electrodes implanted in their brains, researchers in California and Texas have shown for the first time that areas of the brain work together at the same time to recall memories. The unique approach promises new insights into how we remember details of time and place.
Printable “bionic” ear melds electronics and biology
May 1, 2013 5:39 pm | News | Comments
Scientists at Princeton University used off-the-shelf printing tools to create a...
Robot hot among surgeons but U.S. taking fresh look
April 9, 2013 6:10 pm | by Lindsey Tanner, AP Medical Writer | News | Comments
The biggest thing in operating rooms these days is...
MRI-guided laser treatment for brain tumors is promising
April 5, 2013 4:37 pm | News | Comments
The NeuroBlate Thermal Therapy System is a new device that uses a minimally invasive, magnetic...
Telerobotic system designed to treat bladder cancer
April 3, 2013 9:18 am | by David Salisbury, Vanderbilt University | News | CommentsAlthough bladder cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer in the U.S. and the most expensive to treat, the basic method that doctors use to treat it hasn’t changed much in more than 70 years. A research team may soon be changing that dramatically after having developed a prototype telerobotic platform designed to be inserted through natural orifices—in this case the urethra—that can provide surgeons with a much better view, making it easier to remove tumors.
Heart repair breakthroughs replace surgeon's knife
March 24, 2013 4:27 pm | by Marilynn Marchione, AP Chief Medical Writer | News | CommentsHeart care is in the midst of a transformation. Many problems that once required sawing through the breastbone and opening up the chest for open heart surgery now can be treated with a nip, twist, or patch through a tube. These minimal procedures used to be done just to unclog arteries and correct less common heart rhythm problems. Now some patients are getting such repairs for valves, irregular heartbeats, holes in the heart and other defects—without major surgery.
RTI International’s 3D heart catheter receives innovation award
March 11, 2013 10:46 am | News | CommentsAn RTI International-developed prototype catheter that can generate live, streaming 3D ultrasound images from inside the heart has recently received a Cardiovascular Innovation Award at the 2013 Cardiovascular Research Technologies Annual Symposium. Called a live volumetric imaging intracardiac catheter, the technology has the potential to improve catheter-based heart procedures.
Stroke prevention device misses key goal in study
March 11, 2013 9:16 am | by Marilynn Marchione, AP Chief Medical Writer | News | CommentsThe future is unclear for a promising heart device aimed at preventing strokes in people at high risk of them because of an irregular heartbeat. Early results from a key study of Boston Scientific Corp.'s Watchman device suggested it is safer than previous testing found, but may not be better than a drug that is used now for preventing strokes, heart-related deaths and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation over the long term.
Human eye gives researchers vision for new lens technology
November 14, 2012 12:28 pm | News | CommentsDrawing upon nature for inspiration, a team of researchers has created a new artificial lens that is nearly identical to the natural lens of the human eye. Made up of thousands of nanoscale polymer layers, the lens may one day provide more natural performance in implantable lenses. It also may lead to superior ground and aerial surveillance technology.
Getting drugs under the skin
September 14, 2012 8:18 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | News | CommentsIn recent years, researchers working to enhance transdermal drug delivery have focused on low-frequency ultrasound, because the high-frequency waves don’t have enough energy. However, these systems usually produce abrasions in the treated area. In a new study, engineers have combined high and low frequencies to enhance the permeability of skin to drugs, making transdermal drug delivery more efficient.
Laser-powered “needle” promises pain-free injections
September 13, 2012 7:58 am | News | CommentsNeedle injections are among the least popular staples of medical care. A new laser-based system, however, that blasts microscopic jets of drugs into the skin could soon make getting a shot as painless as being hit with a puff of air. The system uses an erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser to propel a tiny, precise stream of medicine with just the right amount of force.
Could FastStitch device be the future of suture?
August 17, 2012 3:55 am | News | CommentsTo cut down on postoperative problems, particularly those involving abdomenal surgery, Johns Hopkins undergraduates have invented a disposable suturing tool to guide the placement of stitches and guard against the accidental puncture of internal organs. Called FastStitch, it’s described a cross between a pliers and a hole-puncher.
The power to heal at the tips of your fingers
August 10, 2012 7:27 am | News | CommentsA international research team has mimicked and recreated the intricate properties of human fingertips using semiconductor devices. The devices, shown to be capable of responding with high precision to the stresses and strains associated with touch and finger movement, may lead to the development of advanced surgical gloves.
Healing bullets fly through tissue
July 5, 2012 7:38 am | News | CommentsMicroscopically small submarines that can swim through our blood to clear out clogged arteries or destroy malignant tumors. Various micro- and nanomachines have already been developed, but a new type of machine introduced by American researchers finally has enough propulsive power to penetrate tissue and overcome cellular barriers.
FDA panel sees little use for metal-on-metal hips
July 2, 2012 6:38 am | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsGovernment health experts said Thursday there are few reasons to continue using metal-on-metal hip implants, amid growing evidence that the devices can break down early and expose patients to dangerous metallic particles. The devices were originally marketed as a longer-lasting alternative to older ceramic and plastic models. But recent data from the U.K. and other foreign countries suggests they are more likely to deteriorate.
Students work on weighty problem for doctors
May 9, 2012 7:07 am | News | CommentsThe best doctors strive to relieve their patients' burdens. A physician in Houston asked Rice University students to help him do so in the most literal way. A team of bioengineering seniors built a prototype device to literally lift the weight from obese patients who, while undergoing surgical procedures, might otherwise have trouble breathing.
Doctor, engineer join to make stronger trauma shears
May 1, 2012 6:00 pm | News | CommentsFrustrated by the flimsy, disposable construction of typical trauma shears, Scott Forman, an emergency room physician, teamed up with Sandia National Laboratories engineer Mark Reece to design a better tool. The result is a shear that handle tough materials like Kevlar without having to be thrown away afterward. And it has a few other cool features as well.
Middle-ear microphone may improve cochlear implants
April 30, 2012 9:26 am | News | CommentsCochlear implants have restored basic hearing to some 220,000 deaf people, but the microphone and electronics can be cumbersome and can prevent them from participating in certain activities like swimming. Engineers have designed a tiny prototype microphone that can be implanted in the middle ear, and its form factor has been tested on cadavers. Tests on live humans are still a few years away.
Laser slices mitotic spindle, unraveling theory of its structure
April 27, 2012 3:31 am | by Mureji Fatunde | News | CommentsThe mitotic spindle is an apparatus that segregates chromosomes during cell division. But following some nanosurgery conducted by Harvard University, its structure may be more complex than the standard textbook picture suggests. Using a femtosecond laser, researchers have shown the true structure of its protein strands.
Technique may help severely damaged nerves regrow and restore function
April 24, 2012 6:10 am | News | CommentsEngineers at the University of Sheffield have developed a method of making medical devices called nerve guidance conduits. Based on laser direct writing, which enables the fabrication of complex structures from computer files via the use of CAD/CAM, the polymer-based material will assist nerves damaged by traumatic accidents to repair naturally.
Students automate process of lengthening children’s limbs
April 24, 2012 6:04 am | by Mike Williams | News | CommentsA team of Rice University students has invented a machine designed to improve the process of correcting bone deformities in children. Typically, bone correction devices are manually operated, which children must remember to use and which introduces the possibility of damaging fragile tissues and nerves. The new automated linear lengthener avoids these risks.
Coating for hip implants could prevent premature failure
April 19, 2012 5:53 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | News | CommentsMore than a million Americans receive an artificial hip or knee prosthesis each year, but tens of thousands of people need early replacements because of loosening joints. To help minimize these operations, a team of chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a thin, layered coating for implants that helps promote bone growth.
Smallest tools could give biggest results in bone repair
February 7, 2012 6:52 am | by David Tenenbaum | News | CommentsResearchers reported at a recent Orthopedic Research Society meeting that orthopedic implants "dip-coated" with modular growth factors can stimulate bone and blood vessel growth in sheep. This new modular approach, the report suggests, might be able to stimulate bone formation without side effects.
'Open-source' robotic surgery platform going to medical research labs
January 12, 2012 7:42 am | News | CommentsRobotics experts at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Washington have completed a set of seven advanced robotic surgery systems for use by major medical research laboratories throughout the United States.
Pacemaker eliminates leads, offers safer cardiac stimulation
November 16, 2011 12:10 pm | Product Releases | CommentsSome of the most important components of a pacemaker are the leads, the series of wires led through key veins into the heart and then connected to electrodes. This critical failure point has been addressed by Cambridge Consultants’ new WiCS system, which uses a leadless electrode powered wirelessly with ultrasonic pulses.
Air Shield keeps bacteria out of open wounds
October 10, 2011 6:48 am | News | CommentsThis spring, Nimbic Systems received Food and Drug Administration clearance for the company's Air Barrier System, a medical device that reduces surgical-incision site contamination. It creates a “cocoon” of highly pure air that keeps away infection-causing microorganisms.
To heal bone, scientists look to wood
August 16, 2011 9:43 am | by Elena Ledda | News | CommentsBoth bone and wood are solid, living elements with an internal structure that is porous. By transforming red oakwood into a charcoal substance that emulates bone, scientists in Europe may have discovered a weight-bearing implant that will help regenerate bone.
New composite may restore damaged soft tissue
August 4, 2011 10:13 am | News | CommentsImplanted biological materials easily mimic the texture of soft tissues, but usually are broken down by the body too fast. Synthetic materials are typically rejected by the body. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have built a new injectable composite material that combines both biological and synthetic molecules in the hopes of overcoming both problems.
Back, neck pain sufferers could find relief with spinal disc implants
August 2, 2011 10:46 am | by Anne Ju | News | CommentsEngineers and physicians at Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College have collaborated on the development of a biologically-based spinal implant that relies on two different forms of polymer, collagen and hydrogel.
