Soft Electronics for Advanced Heart Catheters
Researchers at George Washington University and Northwestern University have developed a new class of soft devices that can provide new functionality for catheters used in cardiac procedures. The new materials are soft electronics, including stretchable sensors and actuators, that when applied to the surface of a catheter system, could greatly assist in diagnosing and treating cardiac conditions.
Catheter-based therapy for conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias is well-established. However, current catheters are quite rigid and do not conform particularly well to the soft tissues in which they are used. This makes it di...
Source: Medgadget - September 8, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Cardiac Surgery Materials Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs
Simplifying Transseptal Access to the Left Atrium: Interview with Terri Burke, CEO of Protaryx Medical
Protaryx Medical, a company based in Baltimore, Maryland, has developed a device to allow for more precise transseptal access to the left atrium during transcatheter procedures. The device provides three-dimensional control and steerability to take the guesswork out of transseptal access to the left atrium, and the company believes that this could improve physician convenience and reduce the chances of complications during such procedures.
Transseptal access to the left atrium is required during several transcatheter procedures, including repair or replacement of mitral valves, catheter ablation therapy, and closure of ...
Source: Medgadget - July 24, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Exclusive Source Type: blogs
Medtronic LINQ II Insertable Cardiac Monitor Cleared in U.S.
Medtronic landed FDA clearance for its LINQ II insertable cardiac monitor that’s indicated for the detection and classification of cardiac arrhythmias and remote monitoring of patients.
The LINQ II features remote programming capabilities, allowing cardiologists to tune the implant settings without the patient having to come into the office. Thanks to secure connectivity, the cardiologist can use an online dashboard to make changes that previously required in-person visits. This must be of particular benefit these days during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The long-lasting battery of the LINQ II allows it to op...
Source: Medgadget - July 13, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Boston Sci ’s Lux-Dx Smart Implantable Arrhythmia Detector FDA Cleared
Boston Scientific has announced winning FDA clearance for its LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM), an implant that can detect hard-to-spot cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, and help diagnose their origin.
The device’s detection algorithm has two separate components, one of which detects a suspect arrhythmia and the other verifies the finding. Once an arrhythmia is confirmed, the wireless device sends a signal to the patient’s cardiologist via an app installed on the patient’s phone. Having a double-checking component within the implant’s brains helps to prevent false positive ...
Source: Medgadget - July 1, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Telemedicine Source Type: blogs
Boston Sci ’s DIRECTSENSE Ablation Monitoring Tech Coming to U.S.
Boston Scientific is releasing in the United States its DIRECTSENSE Technology for live monitoring of cardiac tissue during radiofrequency ablation procedures. The capability is designed for use on the company’s RHYTHMIA HDx Mapping System along with the INTELLANAV MiFi Open-Irrigated ablation catheter and it works by measuring the change in electrical impedance of the tissue around the catheter as it is being irradiated.
It is currently very difficult to create sufficient lesions that alleviate cardiac arrhythmias while also minimizing unnecessary damage to surrounding tissues. Physicians have to perform a good ...
Source: Medgadget - June 2, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Difficult calls in cardiology : Be ready for DC cardioversion during pregnancy !
This report from Taiwan reassures there is no adverse effect by measuring umbilical artery flow (Yu-Chi Wang European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 126 (2006) 268–274)While we consider DC shock during pregnancy is safe for the fetus, still, shock pads close to the abdomen, amniotic fluid being a good conductor of electricity at least one mother showed a sustained contraction of the uterus and fetal distress. This was possibly attributable to DC shock Eleanor J. Barnes BJOG 2003 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1471-0528.2002.02113.
Final message Most cardiac arrhythmias in pregnancy ...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - May 11, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: dr s venkatesan Tags: cardiology women Pregnancy and heart Uncategorized amiodarone verapamil in pregnancy avnrt avrt during pregnancy cardioversion during pregnancy dc shock during pregnancy fetal distress during dc shock peripartum cardiomyopathy vt vpd managem Source Type: blogs
Commonest cause of SCD due to cardiac arrhythmia – MCQ – Answer
Commonest cause of SCD due to cardiac arrhythmia – MCQ – Answer
Commonest cause of sudden death due to cardiac arrhythmia – Correct answer: d) Coronary artery disease
Though all the rest are primary electrical disorders of the heart with high risk of arrhythmic death, their prevalence is quite low compared to coronary artery disease. Hence ventricular fibrillation secondary to acute myocardial infarction/ischemia and previous myocardial infarction with scar related re-entrant ventricular arrhythmia together contribute a much larger number of sudden arrhythmic deaths in the community.
Back to question (Source: Cardiophile MD)
Source: Cardiophile MD - April 8, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Medicine MCQ - CVS Source Type: blogs
Invasive diagnostic test for cardiac arrhythmia – MCQ
Invasive diagnostic test for cardiac arrhythmia – MCQ
Invasive diagnostic test used in the assessment of cardiac arrhythmia:
a) Coronary angiography
b) Ambulatory ECG
c) Electrophysiology study
d) Swan-Ganz catheterization
Post your answer as a comment below (Source: Cardiophile MD)
Source: Cardiophile MD - April 1, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Medicine MCQ - CVS Source Type: blogs
Common indication for echocardiography – MCQ – Answer
Common indication for echocardiography – MCQ – Answer
Which of the following is not a common indication for echocardiography? – Correct answer: d) Analysis of cardiac arrhythmia
Analysis of cardiac arrhythmia is better done using an ECG.
In patients with cardiac arrhythmia, echocardiography is useful in looking for underlying structural heart disease. Echocardiography can be used to assess arrhythmias in fetus when ECG is not feasible. But it is not very accurate and is quite cumbersome, time consuming process.
Back to question (Source: Cardiophile MD)
Source: Cardiophile MD - April 1, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Medicine MCQ - CVS Source Type: blogs
BardyDx Patch for Ambulatory Cardiac Monitoring: Interview with Chief Commercial Officer Ken Nelson
Many cardiac arrhythmias are episodic and only detectable after continuously monitoring the heart’s rhythm for several days or weeks. In particular, atrial arrhythmias can be a diagnostic challenge due to the difficulty in clearly visualizing the P wave on an ECG. The two main monitoring options are either Holter monitors, which capture high-quality signals but are highly uncomfortable, or patch monitors, which can be worn more comfortably but that provide a lower-quality signal.
Bardy Diagnostics hopes to bridge the gap. The company’s Carnation Ambulatory Monitor (CAM) Patch is a non-invasive, ambulatory cardia...
Source: Medgadget - March 31, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Cici Zhou Tags: Cardiology Exclusive Source Type: blogs
Digital Twins and the Promise of Personalized Medicine
Can you guess the percentage of patients with Alzheimer’s on whom medication is ineffective? What about those with arthritis? Or cardiac arrhythmia? In fact, you don’t have to guess as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already has the answers: 70%, 50% and 40% respectively. The percentage of patients for whom medications are ineffective range from 38-75% for varying conditions from depression to osteoporosis.
The main cause is because of the very genetic makeup of every individual. The latter is so different and their interaction so unique that therapies for the “average patient” might very well no...
Source: The Medical Futurist - March 19, 2020 Category: Information Technology Authors: Prans Tags: Future of Medicine Personalized Medicine digital health technology healthcare data digital twin technology design Source Type: blogs
Stereotaxis Genesis Robotic Magnetic Navigation System Cleared in U.S.
Stereotaxis, with offices in St. Louis, MO and the Netherlands, has won FDA clearance for the Genesis RMN System, a new generation of the company’s robotic navigation systems for the delivery of magnetic ablation catheters to address cardiac arrhythmias. The system can access all chambers of the heart and coronary vasculature, and can also be used within the neuro and peripheral vasculature.
The company’s robotic magnetic navigation (RMN) technology allows for precise control of a catheter tip as it is guided toward ablation target sites within the heart. The firm claims that over 100,000 patients have alrea...
Source: Medgadget - March 12, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Radiology Source Type: blogs
Imricor ’s MRI-Compatible Ablation Catheters Cleared in Europe for Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment
Imricor Medical Systems, based outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has won the European CE Mark for its Vision-MR Ablation Catheter and Vision-MR Dispersive Electrode. These devices allow for cardiac ablation procedures to be performed within MRI-equipped operating rooms, thereby utilizing the accuracy of intraoperative MRI to target sources of arrhythmias.
The Vision-MR ablation catheter is a 9 French-sized open irrigated catheter that looks and works like a traditional ablation catheter but it is used with the company’s Advantage-MR EP Recorder/Stimulator System. It can be seen in real-time under MRI and may ...
Source: Medgadget - January 29, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Radiology Source Type: blogs
VivaLNK Wearable, Reusable ECG Now FDA Cleared
VivaLNK, a company out of Silicon Valley, has announced FDA clearance for its reusable multi-vital patch and a compatible software development kit. The device is stuck to the skin to record ECG waveforms, respiratory rate, heart rate, RR interval, and patient movement, and so has promise in helping to detect cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. Weighing in at only .26 ounces (7.5 grams), it has all the electronics of a single lead ECG, an accelerometer, a rechargeable battery, and wireless connectivity. It was cleared in the EU just last month.
Being reusable should help make this wearable patch more att...
Source: Medgadget - January 23, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiology Informatics Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 20th 2020
This study provides strong evidence that following a healthy lifestyle can substantially extend the years a person lives disease-free."
Commentary on Recent Evidence for Cognitive Decline to Precede Amyloid Aggregation in Alzheimer's Disease
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/01/commentary-on-recent-evidence-for-cognitive-decline-to-precede-amyloid-aggregation-in-alzheimers-disease/
I can't say that I think the data presented in the research noted here merits quite the degree of the attention that it has been given in the popular science press. It is interesting, but not compelling if its role is ...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 19, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
