Tiny New Pacemaker Small Enough for Infants
Researchers at Children’s National Health System, working with engineers from Medtronic, have created a pacemaker appropriately tiny enough to implant into infants. Measuring only one cubic centimeter, about the size of a large pill, it allows the device to be implanted inside the child in a minimally invasive fashion.
Currently, because of their size, pacemakers implanted into very small children either remain outside the body or require open surgery with large incision. The new pacemaker is so small that a one centimeter incision is all that’s necessary to place it under the ribcage.
The incision is used not onl...
Source: Medgadget - November 12, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Managing Digital Health Regulatory Uncertainty
Uncertainty abounds when managing digital health regulatory uncertainty regarding the FDA and other international regulatory bodies. For this discussion we'll divide uncertainty into two categories, uncertainty due to a lack of knowledge about the potential regulations on the part of manufacturers and uncertainty about just what various regulatory agencies are doing - or going to do - about new and innovative products that meet the definition of a medical device.
What is a Medical Device?
Let's start with the first category; there is an astounding amount of misinformation and just plain wrong-headedness on the part of many...
Source: Medical Connectivity Consulting - October 24, 2018 Category: Information Technology Authors: Tim Gee Tags: Regulatory Bibliography Standards & Regulatory Source Type: blogs
Anterior STEMI and multiform PVCs with Narrow Coupling Interval. When to give beta blockers in acute MI?
Conclusion of first report:In patients with anterior Killip class II or less ST-segment –elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, early intravenous metoprolol before reperfusion reduced infarct size and increased left ventricular ejection fraction with no excess of adverse events during the first 24 hours after STEMI.Conclusion of 2nd report: In patients with anterior Killip class ≤II STEMI undergoing pPCI, early IV metoprolol before reperfusion resulted in higher long-term LVEF, reduced incidence of severe LV systolic dysfunction and ICD indications, and fewer h...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - October 19, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Using MRI to Create 3D Heart Models to Improve Cardiac Procedures
Researchers at John Hopkins University ’s schools of Engineering and Medicine are using MRI images of human hearts to create 3D personalized models for physicians to identify and eradicate heart tissue that can cause the organ to go into cardiac arrhythmia. Their findings were recently publishedinNature Biomedical Engineering.Typically, cardiac ablation, or the process of locating and destroying tissue associated with errant electrical impulses, involves loose estimations and uncertainty. The conventional procedure requires the physician to thread a catheter to the heart and destroy specific heart tissues using radiofre...
Source: radRounds - October 5, 2018 Category: Radiology Authors: Julie Morse Source Type: blogs
Apple Unveils New Watch with ECG Built-In
Apple just unveiled its latest smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 4, and it has one impressive new medical feature: a built-in single-lead ECG (electrocardiograph).
The FDA has cleared it as a medical device, according to Apple, and we assume the clearance is for detecting certain cardiac arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation.
Previously, the KardiaBand from AliveCor offered the same feature via a small attachment to the Apple Watch. We reviewed that product and were very much impressed by its performance. In principle, a great deal of people that have cardiac arrhythmias may be helped with such technology if only ...
Source: Medgadget - September 12, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Medicine Net News Source Type: blogs
BioSig PURE EP High Resolution Electrophysiology System Cleared in United States
BioSig Technologies, out of Los Angeles, California, won FDA clearance for its novel PURE EP, a system for gathering, analyzing, and manipulating electrocardiographic and intracardiac data during electrophysiology procedures. The company believes that its system can provide a more detailed and nuanced view of the heart during ablation procedures when treating atrial fibrillation and other heart rhythm disorders.
Ablation catheters can create a great deal of electrical background noise, throwing off the signal as viewed on an electrophysiology system. Sometimes the signal is so out of normal bounds that it can’t be di...
Source: Medgadget - August 14, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
PocketECG Cardiac Rehabilitation System Helps to Get Most Out of Rehab Training
Medi-Lynx Cardiac Monitoring, part of MEDICALgorithmics, a Polish firm, won FDA clearance for its PocketECG Cardiac Rehabilitation System (CRS). The device, designed to record electrocardiography signals and to automatically spot cardiac arrhythmias, is intended to be used by patients, both high and low risk, that are undergoing rehab training.
“PocketECG CRS was built on our PocketECG arrhythmia monitoring solution platform, and includes new software and enhancements specifically designed for use during all phases of the cardiac rehabilitation process – from early mobilization during hospitalization to post-disc...
Source: Medgadget - July 23, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Medicine Rehab Source Type: blogs
Fighting Hubris in Medicine
By ANISH KOKA
The weekend started with a tweet about an elderly man with atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is an arrhythmia of the heart that predisposes those who suffer with it to strokes. The strokes are a result of clots being thrown from the heart into the brain. The typical treatment for this condition in those deemed high enough risk is to thin the blood to help prevent these clots from forming, and thus reducing the risk of stroke.
101 year old with a history of a stroke stops his Pradaxa. Only other history hypertension. https://t.co/Ai5z519rcX
— Anish Koka (@anish_koka) June 3, 2018
The pro...
Source: The Health Care Blog - June 7, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: anish_koka Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Eponymythology: Second-degree AV block
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
Eponyms can be confusing and open to misinterpretation. By plotting the historical course of their folksonomic semantic derivation we gain a deeper understanding of the condition, the authors and the eponym.
We review the early development of arrhythmia recording and the contributions of Luciani, Galabin, Gaskell, Wenckebachh, Hay and Mobitz to the current terminology associated with the categorization of Second-degree Atrioventricular block
Current terminology
Mobitz Ty...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - May 24, 2018 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Ben Mackenzie Tags: Eponymythology Atrioventricular block AV block Galabin Gaskell Hay Hay AV Block Luciani Mobitz Second-degree wenckebach Wenckebach AV Block Source Type: blogs
Aerobic training – Cardiology MCQ – Answer
New !!!
Cardiology MCQs from Cardiophile MD – Volume 3: Interactive Kindle Edition
Cardiology MCQs from Cardiophile MD – Volume 3 Paperback
Target heart rate for aerobic training is:
Correct answer: c) 70% of maximum predicted heart rate
Aerobic exercises are those which stresses the oxygen transport system while resistance exercises stress the musculoskeletal system. Target heart rate for aerobic training is 70 percent of the maximum predicted heart rate. Maximum predicted heart rate is 220-age of the individual.
While doing a treadmill exercise test often we aim at above 90% of the maximum predicted heart r...
Source: Cardiophile MD - May 15, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis, MD, DM, FACC, FRCP Edin, FRCP London Tags: Cardiology MCQ DM / DNB Cardiology Entrance Source Type: blogs
Abbott ’s Advisor HD Grid Mapping Catheter, Sensor Enabled Cleared in US
Abbott won clearance from FDA for its Advisor HD Grid Mapping Catheter, Sensor Enabled. The device is used to create detail-rich electrophysiologic maps of the heart based on the signals measured via the multi-electrode array at its distal end coupled with magnetic sensors. It is therefore able to spot sources of arrhythmias and to point to them in the context of the patient’s own anatomy. Following localization of errant signals, ablations are typically performed to remove the offending tissue.
The catheter relies on the company’s EnSite Precision Cardiac Mapping System, which displays the maps, and can be utili...
Source: Medgadget - May 7, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Stretchable Stick-On Ultrasound Patches Image Even on Curved Surfaces
Conventional ultrasound transducers are rigid devices that have to be held against the skin when imaging inside the body. The best results are achieved on smooth surfaces where contact between the transducer and the skin is the greatest. On curvy, moving surfaces, such as the knees, ultrasound visualizations are difficult.
A team at the University of California San Diego have achieved the development of a flexible ultrasound transducer array that can be attached to curvy surfaces and provide 3D views of objects beneath. As a benefit, it doesn’t require any gels or oils to optimize contact with the surface. Though it...
Source: Medgadget - April 4, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Medicine Ob/Gyn Orthopedic Surgery Radiology Source Type: blogs
AtriClip FLEX •V Device for Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion Released in U.S.
Atricure has released its new AtriClip FLEX•V Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) Exclusion System in the U.S. following a recent FDA clearance. The device features a trigger release for deploying the clip and an open-ended design in which the tips of the jaws close earlier than the rest of the clip.
Some of the features of the AtriClip FLEX•V, according to the product page:
One-Handed Application
Suture-Less Clip Deployment
Reduced Fatigue Clip Opening Lever
Small Footprint to Minimize the Interference with Adjacent Structures and Enhance LAA Visualization
Flashbacks: AtriClip PRO•V Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion S...
Source: Medgadget - March 6, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Source Type: blogs
Advisor HD Grid Mapping Catheter, Sensor Enabled, Cleared in Europe to Map Cardiac Arrhythmias
Abbott has announced that its Advisor HD Grid Mapping Catheter, Sensor Enabled, landed CE Mark approval in Europe. The device is used to track down sources of difficult to diagnose cardiac arrhythmias in order to locate targets for therapeutic ablation procedures. It relies on both electrical impedance and magnetic sensing to map out the heart. The catheter connects to the company’s EnSite Precision Cardiac Mapping System, which displays the maps, and can be utilized to work within any chamber of the heart.
The 16 electrode array at the distal end of the catheter has an unconventional, slotted spoon-like shape tha...
Source: Medgadget - January 19, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Radiology Source Type: blogs
Risk factors which can affect the outcome of CABG
(Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting)
Age and gender: advanced age and female gender have less favourable outcome.
Previous cardiovascular events: prior cardiovascular surgery, interventions, myocardial infarction, stroke or transient ischemic attacks.
Cardiovascular variables: left ventricular function, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias.
Diabetes mellitus, chronic renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Complexity of disease: number of vessels involved, severity of associated valvular stenosis or regurgitation and endocarditis if any.
Hemodynamic status and urgency of surgery.
Pulmonary hypertensi...
Source: Cardiophile MD - January 6, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis, MD, DM, FACC, FRCP Edin, FRCP London Tags: Cardiac Surgery Source Type: blogs
