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Pursuing her dream
The Patriot Ledger
After six months of occupational therapy, her thumb still wouldn't work and her hand had no flexibility. She needed help from her husband and daughters with ...

St. Jude Medical has announced a few additions and improvements to their Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) measurement system. The PressureWire Certus FFR measurement device is promised to be more ergonomic for physician use, while PressureWire Aeris, the wireless version, can now be used with Siemens AXIOM Sensis XP hemodynamic recording system.

The new PressureWire Certus includes modifications to design and functionality which will provide physicians with more controlled handling and versatility. It is the only guidewire on the market to offer in one wire the combined measurement of pressure and temperature which enables calculations of FFR, Coronary Flow Reserve (CFR) and an Index of Microcirculatory Resistance (IMR).

The PressureWire Aeris system offers a secure, wireless interface between PressureWire and a cath lab's hemodynamic recording system to immediately display, measure and save FFR data. With FFR results integrated into a patient's existing study record, the severity of coronary lesions is documented together with other procedural data and angiographic imagery. The wireless technology of the PressureWire Aeris also eliminates cables crossing the sterile field, reducing variables and making the entire procedure faster and easier.

St. Jude Medical's new agreement with Siemens will enable integrated wireless FFR measurement with PressureWire Aeris as an upgrade to hospitals using the Siemens AXIOM Sensis XP. The AXIOM Sensis XP is one of the most widely used hemodynamic recording systems in cath labs and offers advanced measurement programs which aid physicians in interventional procedures.

Because of this new agreement with Siemens, and existing compatibility with other recording systems including the GE Mac-Lab(R) Hemodynamic Recording System, Mennen Horizon XVu and the McKesson Horizon Cardiology Hemo(TM) solution, the PressureWire Aeris technology can be used in the majority of cardiac cath labs for wireless integrated FFR measurement utilizing existing hardware.

Press release: St. Jude Medical Announces Multiple Enhancements to Industry-Leading PressureWire FFR Measurement System ...

Product pages: PressureWire™ Certus FFR Measurement System; PressureWire™ Aeris Wireless FFR Measurement System...

Flashbacks: New Technology Reduces Risks After Cardiac Stenting Procedures; RADI and GE Healthcare Collaboration Delivers First Wireless FFR Monitoring ;

At the American College of Cardiology's 59th annual scientific session in Atlanta this week, Abbott released results of a Phase 2 clinical trial of its bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS). In this 30 day trial, the new stenting technology has led to no thrombosis, no ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization, and a rate of major adverse cardiac events was only 2 percent.

From the announcement:

This second phase of the ABSORB clinical trial (Cohort B) enrolled 101 patients from 12 centers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and incorporates device enhancements designed to improve deliverability and vessel support.Abbott is the only company with long-term, three-year clinical data on a complete patient set evaluating the safety and performance of a fully bioresorbable drug eluting scaffold.

Abbott's investigational BVS is made of polylactide, a proven biocompatible material that is commonly used in medical implants such as dissolving sutures. The bioresorbable technology is designed to restore blood flow by opening a clogged vessel and providing support until it is healed. Once the vessel can remain open without the extra support, the bioresorbable scaffold is designed to be slowly metabolized by the body, and is completely dissolved over time. Since a permanent implant is not left behind, a vessel treated with BVS has the ability to ultimately move, flex and pulsate similar to an untreated vessel. The potential to restore these naturally occurring vessel functions, or vascular restoration therapy, is what makes Abbott's BVS unique in the field of cardiology.

Press release: Abbott Announces Positive Data From ABSORB Trial on Its Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold Technology...

Flashbacks: Abbott's Bioabsorbable Stent Showing Promise at Three Years ; Abbott's Bioabsorbable Stent Earns High Marks in Clinical Trial; Abbott Reports Positive Data from Study of Its Bioabsorbable Drug Eluting Stent; Bioabsorbable Stents: So Far So Good

Eric Dishman, Intel's Fellow of Digital Health Group and Director of Health Innovation and Policy, spoke at TEDMED last October on what the future holds for at-home healthcare. Dishman presents a few projects that Intel is working on in anticipation of the demographic changes that are expected to influence medical care around the world.

Link: TEDMED...

At last year's TEDMED, magician Eric Mead gave a most unexpected talk about placebos. By using a bit of trickery, Mead demonstrated how knowledge of an event's real nature is not enough to suppress belief in its perceived, but fake, action.

Link: TEDMED...

College Misericordia
Weis Markets supports College of Health Sciences building
College Misericordia
... state-of-the-art learning facility for students majoring in physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, speech-language pathology and pre-medicine. ...

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif.----Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. today announced that it is seeking to refinance its existing senior secured credit facility, which currently consists of a $260.0 million term loan and a $135.0 million revolving loan facility.

Tender loving care for special boy Kyle
Mayo News
“Kyle received speech, language, physio and occupational therapy every day at the centre. It was in a classroom environment where there was mainstream and ...

M.L. v. BOURBONNAIS SCHOOL DISTRICT 53
Leagle.com
During her summary of the evidence presented, the hearing officer noted that Tamara Deschand, an occupational therapist, had testified that "a handwriting ...

Children's hospice appeal launch
The Lowestoft Journal
The acclaimed children's author is backing the bid to create a new six-bedroom unit with hydro, physio and occupational therapy areas as well as a music ...

Children's hospice appeal launch
Beccles and Bungay Journal
The acclaimed children's author is backing the bid to create a new six-bedroom unit with hydro, physio and occupational therapy areas as well as a music ...

and more »

GE Healthcare is releasing a new radiological software package that brings together data from various modalities, like CT, MRI, and X-ray, into one volumetric visualization. The system also improves data coming off tomographs by managing blurring caused by organ movement during the original scans.

Built upon Innova's exceptional 3D imaging platform, Innova EPVision provides image overlay and delivers gated image stabilization, reducing image artifact that can occur with patient movement, cardiac motion or breathing. During procedures, the gated image stabilization enables accurate visualization for better localization and guidance of ablation catheters and other devices during interventional procedures such a complex EP procedures.

GE's Innova EPVision provides uncompromised registration performance of the 3D overlay on the 2D fluoroscopy with ECG gating and motion compensation. The application is enhanced by image stabilization features such as ECG gated display and motion tracking. These tools help reduce image motion that occurs with patient movement or breathing. Innova EPVision is available on GE's Innova 2100IQ cardiovascular X-ray system along with the complete family of single-plane Innova systems from GE Healthcare.

Press release: GE Healthcare Provides Electrophysiologist Innova® EPVision To Navigate With Confidence During Complex Procedures ...

Michael Berger at Nanowerk is reporting on recent research out of Spain to embed microelectronics within living cells, a feat that promises to provide intracellular sensing for research and medical monitoring applications. Turns out we're not very far away from this reality due to the nanoscale production of modern microprocessors.

A tidbit from Nanowerk:

In their experiments, the Spanish team fabricated different batches of polysilicon chips and then chose the most suitable device type with lateral dimensions of 1.5-3μm and with a thickness of 0.5 μm to be placed inside living cells. Cells were taken from Dictyostelium discoideum and human HeLa cells.

To further demonstrate the versatility of the technique, they studied the integration of different materials in a single chip and their 3D nanostructuring capability by using other common microelectronics techniques such as FIB milling.

After inserting the chips into the live cells, the researchers made sure that the cells remained alive and healthy. They found that over 90% of the chip-containing containing HeLa cell population remained viable 7 days after lipofection.

Read on at Nanowerk: Future bio-nanotechnology will use computer chips inside living cells...

Abstract in Small: Intracellular Silicon Chips in Living Cells

Due to the continued closure of Canada's Chalk River reactor, a major supplier of medical radioisotopes, and the historic limited capacity within the nuclear medicine supply industry, there has been a serious shortage of radiomarkers on the market. To to address this problem, Covidien just received the FDA go ahead to source molybdenum-99 radioisotope from Poland's Maria nuclear research reactor (pictured) to produce technetium-99m for medical applications. The short lived isotope is used in approximately 80% of nuclear diagnostic procedures, and the initial supply, which should be available next month in the US and Canada, should provide enough material for one million procedures in the first six months.

Press release: U.S. FDA and Health Canada Approve Use of Molybdenum 99 From Maria Reactor ...

Image: Maria reactor. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Third-grader exceeding expectations after brain surgery
Montgomery County Courier
Lisa takes Alexandra to occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and water therapy each three times a week for hour-long sessions, ...

Palisades Medical Center opens pediatric rehabilitation facility
NorthJersey.com
The program will offer physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and audiology services. For more information, call 201-854-5000 or visit ...

and more »

'She amazes me every day'
Montgomery County Courier
Lisa takes Alexandra to occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and water therapy each three times a week for hour-long sessions, ...

Cherokee Elder Care names new physician, staff
Muskogee Daily Phoenix
... the new primary care physician, along with Lori Enlow and Ashley Couch, nurse practitioners, and Jan Griffith, occupational therapist. ...

and more »

Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Therapy Ahead For Double Hand Transplant Patient
KDKA
"Then they'd come in, do occupational therapy to keep all the joints loose." While the doctors are pleased with his progress and attitude, there was also an ...
Harrisburg-area man gets rare double hand transplant PennLive.com

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Plain Dealer
Regaining movement and passion, a cyclist hopes motion-boosting device will ...
Plain Dealer
Thomas Ondrey, The Plain DealerKathy Heydorn, left, concentrates on her grip while her occupational therapist, ...