Archive for May, 2010

U.S. Researchers Use Robot Therapy to Help Stroke Sufferers Recover Quickly

When a stroke occurs, victims are often left with limited mobility in their upper limbs, resulting in the need for regular physical therapy sessions. Traveling to and from a therapists office can be a tremendous burden on elderly patients, especially because successful recovery often requires several sessions per week.

To aid in their recovery, many stroke sufferers are expected to start taking advantage of an innovative breakthrough in medical equipment that uses robotic therapy. This new robot is known as the MIT-Manus and it has the industry buzzing with excitement.

Brown University researchers were able to test the robot as a physical therapy tool over a three month period and monitor its success rate with recovering stroke patients. Even in this relatively short time frame, they could see a measurable improvement in upper limb mobility.

This revolutionary new robotic medical equipment takes hold of a patient’s arm and instructs the patient to perform different tasks. Because it has the ability to sense their movement, it can even help them out when needed. Using robotic therapy in the home will save patients valuable time and speed up their return to an active lifestyle.
According to the recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the MIT-Manus will offer many therapeutic benefits to stroke patients, including a faster return to everyday mobility and function. Considering that strokes have affected over 6 million Americans, this new robotic therapist may soon become standard medical equipment for stroke patients.

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New FDA Initiative will Reduce Infusion Pump Malfunction

The Food and Drug Administration announced last week that they will begin to address inherent safety issues with external infusion pumps used to deliver medications and nutrients to patients during hospitalization. Until now, medical equipment manufacturers making infusion pumps had not been subjected to strict pre-market guidelines.

Because these pumps are used to provide high-risk patients with critical life-saving fluids, any failure in the equipment could have serious implications. As a result, more comprehensive safety guidelines became a necessity. A new FDA web page will help medical equipment suppliers adhere to the new safety regulations for improved pump design.

Infusion pumps are used in various clinical settings to help doctors control drug delivery and reduce errors in medication dosage. However, in the past five years the FDA received over 50,000 reports citing adverse affects because of problems with this medical equipment. Some of the more serious incidents resulted in the death of over 500 patients. Some of the most common defects involved the failure of software and dosage safety alarms, ambiguous interface issues that led to dosage errors, and mechanical failure under routine use.

According to the FDA, 87 different infusion pumps were recalled to address these concerns in the past five years. Because most of the defects uncovered were related to medical equipment manufacturing and engineering, the FDA has ordered manufacturers to conduct additional testing and risk assessment on new or modified infusion pumps before they are brought to market. In addition, manufacturers have the option of submitting the software codes for these pumps for pre-market analysis by the FDA. Using static analysis, the agency can help detect problems related to software while the device is still in the development phase. A public workshop will be held on May 25 and 26 where participants can work to improve infusion pump design and the risk of equipment malfunction.

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New VAD’s Offer Continuous Flow Mechanical Circulation for Transplant Patients

When patients are awaiting a heart transplant, a mechanical circulatory support system is an excellent way to improve outcomes, lower costs and increase their chance for survival. Recent research shows that continuous flow Ventricle Assist Devices (VADs) are among many new advances in medical equipment that will saves improve clinical outcomes for patients with severe heart disease.

According to the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, heart pumps (also known as VADs) can be used to either partially or fully replace heart functions. They do this by restoring a healthy flow of blood throughout the body in a patient whose heart has been seriously weakened.

How are these new pumps different than previous VADs?

First of all, this revolutionary medical equipment device is designed to provide a continuous flow of blood instead of a flow that is administered in pulses. While earlier VADs mimicked the pulse of a beating heart, they were often associated with complications during implant surgery, these newer continuous flow VADs have not shown to increase complications after a heart transplant.

Recent research from the University Medical center in Salt Lake City showed a marked improvement in patients tested between 2004 and 2008. The report illustrates improvements in post-transplant survival rates when patients were given a continuous flow VAD instead of a pulsatile device. According to the study, when a continuous flow pump was used, patients’ overall improvement rate after surgery was 30% higher than those who used pulsatile flow technology.

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Medtronic Makes the TR50 List from MIT

Medtronic is a medical equipment manufacturer that never stops innovating. That’s why it’s no surprise the company was chosen as one of fifty most innovative companies by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review. This is the first year that the Technology Review has issued a list of companies known for their superior ability to invent new technology that transforms their business, along with the way we live.

This influential list, known as TR50, includes companies in the computing, energy, Web, materials and biomedicine. Each company that made the list has proven successful at not only the invention of technology, but its strategic business model for the deployment of this technology.

Medtronic has made many breakthroughs in the field of medical equipment technology. Early in its history, company co-founder Earl Bakken wanted to make “human benefit” the company’s primary goal, and the company has continued to be guided by this mission it its global efforts to change the face of chronic disease.

They apply their expertise in biomedical engineering to benefit the medical community through research, design, creation and sale of medical equipment and instruments to relieve pain, extend life and restore the overall health of millions. Through their key businesses, they partner with countless medical professionals to develop technology that improves the way people with chronic disease are treated. In all of their operations, Medtronic strives to provide the greatest possible quality and reliability in all of their products.

Given the history and accomplishments of Medtronic technology within the medical equipment industry, it is no surprise that the company was recognized so favorably by the MIT Technology Review.

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Posted on May 3, 2010 in Uncategorized