© The Birchley Hall Press
2008
Terms of use

 

75% of blindness worldwide is avoidable. Help prevent blindness and restore sight with a donation to www.orbis.org.uk.
Give medical aid to those affected by war, natural disasters and poverty through Medicin Sans Frontiers:  www.msf.org/

 

Subscribe to free
email newsletter ...

Search this site
or the Web

Google
This site
WWW

News archive
June 2006

Now | 2006 Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct  | Nov | Dec
 2005 Dec

Ultrasound detection of emboli in blood stream
Luna Innovations' EDAC Quantifier system uses ultrasound scans and missile-tracking software to non-invasively count emboli in the blood stream. 29 June 2006

Magnetic pulse device relieves migraine pain
An electronic device that sends a magnetic pulse into the brain has been shown to be effective in reducing the effects of migraine. A short intense magnetic field creates an electric current in the neurons of the brain, interrupting the migraine aura before it results in a throbbing headache. 29 June 2006

Bracelet with GSM and GPS alerts when Alzheimer patients wander
Medical Mobile and Orange have developed the Columba telephone bracelet which integrates mobile phone and geographic location technology in a watch-sized device that a patient can wear on the wrist. An alarm is signalled when a patient leaves a safe area. 28 June 2006 Deutsch Italiano

Boston Scientific issues safety alert for Guidant pacemakers and defibrillators
Boston Scientific Corporation announced that it is providing safety information and retrieving a specific subset of pacemakers, cardiac resynchronization pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators from its sales force and hospital inventories. 27 June 2006

Securing access to patient records in times of disaster — learning from Katrina
Creating health information systems based on simple open standards and allowing healthcare workers other than doctors to access health records, are two of the key recommendations in a report on health care lessons learnt from Hurricane Katrina published by the  Markle Foundation. 27 June 2007

Smartcards enable multi-nation healthcare in Germany during 2006 World Cup
Smart cards carrying health data are enabling visitors to Germany gain rapid access to healthcare during the World Cup. Smartcard readers rolled out to hospitals allow German medical staff to read data from new European health cards as well as the national health cards of various countries. 26 June 2006

NASA satellite imaging technology used in fight against diabetes
Technology that identifies landforms, geology and vegetation types from satellite images of the earth's surface has been used to help identify insulin-related structures in electron microscope images of the pancreas. 26 June 2006

Non-invasive sensor measures blood haemoglobin by optical analysis of finger
A non-invasive haemoglobin/hematocrit monitoring system developed by OrSense Ltd has been shown to accurately measure levels of haemoglobin/hematocrit in both hospital and ambulatory settings. 25 June 2006

Ipswich Hospital pilots image-guided radiotherapy to improve breast cancer treatment
The study will examine the feasibility of using image guided radiotherapy for post-lumpectomy breast cancer patients. IGRT improves imaging of the cancer site at the time of treatment and can track and adjust for tumour motion caused by the patient. 23 June 2006

Sorin Group initiates multi-centre study of heart failure patients in Europe
Sorin Group's Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Business Unit has announced the first patient enrolments in Germany and Portugal in a study of the clinical relevance of slow ventricular tachycardias (VTs) in a heart failure population. 22 June 2006

Philips to acquire MRI component and accessory manufacturer Intermagnetics
Royal Philips Electronics has strengthened its position in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) market with the acquisition of Intermagnetics, one of the leading manufacturers of MRI magnets and other devices. Philips will also move its MRI headquarters to New York. 22 June 2006

QuickOpt optimizes cardiac resynchronization therapy in under two minutes
A clinical trial of St Jude Medical's QuickOpt timing cycle optimization feature for its implantable defibrillators found that it was consistently comparable to a traditional echocardiography procedure for determining optimal conduction delays. 20 June 2006

European trial shows greater efficacy of dual chamber over single chamber ICDs
A recent study has shown that clinically significant adverse events can be reduced by one-third with dual chamber ICDs compared to single chamber ICDs in patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. 20 June 2006

Light scattering off liver cells on photonic crystalLiver cells in silicon crystals screen drugs for toxicity
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a 'smart petri dish' that could be used to rapidly screen new drugs for toxic interactions or identify cells in the early stages of cancer circulating through a patient’s blood. 20 June 2006

Medtronic launches implantable cardiac devices with wireless telemetry in Europe
Medtronic has announced European approval and market availability of its Concerto and Virtuoso line of implantable cardiac defibrillators, its first such devices with wireless telemetry for remote monitoring of patient health. 19 June 2006

GE trials first PET imaging agent to track blood vessel growth in cancer
This could help identify the location and growth patterns of tumours and monitor the effectiveness of anti-angiogenic cancer drugs and patient response to drug therapy. 15 June 2006 Deutsch Francais

Ultrasound equivalent of laser built
Researchers from the universities of Illinois and Missouri have built an ultrasound analogue of the laser, called a uaser that produces coherent single frequency ultrasonic waves. Potential applications are the study of laser dynamics and the detection of subtle changes in materials. 15 June 2006

Ambient noise reducing stethoscope wins second design award for Bang & Olufsen
Bang & Olufsen Medicom has won the iF Design award 2006 for its E3000 electronic stethoscope. The award was for the stethoscopse's sleek appearance and ambient noise-reducing sensor technology. 15 June 2006

Rotterdam hospital installs Europe's first web-based PACS solution
The St Franciscus Hospital, Rotterdam, has begun installing a Philips iSite picture archiving and communication system (PACS) service. The service, developed by Stentor which Philips acquired in 2005, lets doctors read studies — including clinical images — from anywhere in the hospital. 15 June 2006

Stockholm Challenge award for project linking Cambodian health workers with Harvard Medical School
Operation Village Health, an Internet-based health consultation program won top honours at the Stockholm Challenge, a global initiative recognizing the benefits of information technology to communities around the world. 13 June 2006

First installations of GE's 64-slice combined PET/CT system
Brigham and Women's Hospital, USA and the molecular imaging research institution Turku PET Centre in Finland have received the first installations GE Healthcare's new Discovery VCT 64–slice combination positron emission tomography and volume computed tomography (PET/CT) system. 12 June 2006

Avian flu virus detector on a chip
BioWarn has demonstrated the capability to instantaneously detect avian influenza virus (H5N1), also known as bird flu, using its new SmartSense system. This combines biochemistry with silicon chip technology to make a molecular identikit system for pathogens and other materials. 12 June 2006

Report on worldwide status of nanomedicine
MedMarket Diligence has released a report on the worldwide status of development and market for micro- and nanomedicine. 9 June 2006

Thousands of computers linked to unravel genetic diseases
Software developed by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology can link thousands of computers to process gene-mapping data tens of times faster than previous programs. 9 June 2006

Media relations increasingly important to medical device companies
An online survey of 90 companies carried out by BVMed found that the sector needs to make better use of the media and manage their communications more effectively. 8 June 2006

Leiden and Utrecht Universities choose Philips 7 Tesla MRI scanner for advanced neurological disease research
The contracts are part of a project to establish a Dutch Virtual Institute for Seven Tesla Applications (VISTA) to improve understanding of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Epilepsy and Multiple Sclerosis. 8 June 2006

Successful medical device companies use CRM and KM
A new strategy review from HBS Consulting concludes that poor information and cumbersome processes can seriously hamper the sales and service operations of medical device companies. Success is achieved by effective use of customer relationship and knowledge management systems. 7 June 2006

Nikon launches ultra sensitive camera for molecular fluorescence imaging
Nikon Instruments has introduced the Nikon EMCCD Monochrome Digital Camera (DQC-FS), an ultra high-quality camera specifically designed for low-level fluorescence such as single molecule fluorescence, high speed calcium imaging and live cell fluorescent protein imaging. 7 June 2006

French hospital association selects Cedara Software's EPR system
GIP CPAGE, a French public hospital association, has selected Cedara Software as its exclusive electronic patient record (EPR) partner to enable it to provide a complete administrative and clinical hospital information solution. 7 June 2006

The Excor mobile driving unitHeart surgery patients in Europe can recover at home with portable artificial heart
Berlin Heart AG, maker of the Excor Ventricular Assist Devices for children and adults, has received the European CE Mark, which allows it to market a modified version of its Excor Mobile Driving Unit with the CardioWest artificial heart in Europe. 1 June 2006

Varian to supply 65 radiotherapy systems for England's cancer services upgrade
Varian Medical Systems has been selected to supply English hospitals with radiotherapy treatment machines and simulators in the latest wave of the UK government’s capital investment program for cancer treatments, bringing its total share to 65 of the 101 systems ordered. 1 June 2006

May 2006 ...

To top