Archive for April 2016
Improved Healthcare Worker Eye Protection Can Help Reduce System Occupational Infection Risk
TIDI Products, LLC, a leading manufacturer of clinically differentiated, single-use, infection-prevention products, today cited the presentation of important scientific research at the annual meeting of the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) in San Antonio, Texas. IAHCSMM is a professional association of more than 23,000 members dedicated to protecting employee and patient…
Read MoreAbbott Labs Intends to Spend $19.3 Billion to Buy St. Jude Medical
Abbott Laboratories will spend $19.3 billion to buy St. Jude Medical Inc. in a cash-stock deal that aims to strengthen the medical device maker’s stake in cardiovascular care. Shares of North Chicago, Illinois-based Abbott plunged, while St. Jude soared Thursday morning after the companies announced the deal. The combined company will offer devices in nearly…
Read MoreEach Hour of Sedentary Time Linked to Increased Coronary Artery Calcium
One reason being sedentary is so bad for health may be that it promotes “hardening” of the arteries with calcified deposits, a new U.S. study suggests. Research with middle-aged volunteers found that each additional hour of sedentary time was linked to 12 percent higher odds of having calcium buildup in the coronary arteries, an early…
Read MoreDrone Delivery of Medical Supplies Takes Off
Although the convenience of having packages delivered directly to our doors within hours of purchase is still a ways away, on-demand delivery of medical supplies is becoming a reality. Earlier this month, Google was awarded a patent for a dispatch system that would fly lifesaving medical equipment to where it was needed on the spot.…
Read MoreFirst paralyzed person to be ‘reanimated’ offers neuroscience insights
A quadriplegic man who has become the first person to be implanted with technology that sends signals from the brain to muscles — allowing him to regain some movement in his right arm hand and wrist — is providing novel insights about how the brain reacts to injury. Two years ago, 24-year-old Ian Burkhart from Dublin, Ohio,…
Read MoreNew Technique Could Extend Life of Implantable Devices
The new technique, developed by researchers from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, was designed to enable selected molecular constituents in situ to rapidly and repeatedly regenerate after device implantation—a process that can significantly extend the life of implantable devices, and possibly be used as a means of controlled drug delivery. When it comes to ensuring…
Read MoreHospital Superbugs Squashed with New Catheter Infection Alert System
A new infection alert system in catheters could prevent serious infections in millions of hospital patients worldwide. The system, detailed in a new paper in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, changes the color of the urine so patients and carers can see easily if bacteria are starting to block the catheter. The researchers who invented the…
Read MoreFreshman Student Bailey Paxton Starts Medical Device Company
Business freshman Bailey Paxton has been traveling the country since the summer before his senior year of high school, courting investors and networking with manufacturers to get his medical device company off the ground. Paxton said he wants to license and manufacture a device for storing surgical tools in the operating room. This opportunity came…
Read MoreSmart Inhaler Connects to Smartphone & Tells You How to Use It
3M has announced a “smart inhaler” that not only connects wirelessly to a smartphone app but has a tiny screen that teaches patients how to use the device. The 3M Intelligent Control inhaler is the latest entrant into a field that’s become crowded with companies working to increase chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient compliance…
Read MoreEye-Catching Benefit of Free Surgery
Lowe’s home improvement company, like a growing number of large companies nationwide, offers its employees an eye-catching benefit: Certain major surgeries at prestigious hospitals are free. How do these firms do it? With a way of paying that’s gaining steam across the health care industry, and that Medicare is now adopting for hip and knee…
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