Super-grip plaster uses 'bed-of-needles' to help heal surgical wounds

Scientists from the US have designed a super-grip plaster, which is covered with microscopic needles, to heal surgical wounds. The "bed-of-needles" patch, which has been inspired by a parasitic worm that lives in the guts of fish and clings on them using its cactus-like spikes, fixes skin grafts firmly in place without any need of staples, the BBC reported. The creators have said that the patch is thrice as strong as the materials currently used for burns patients. The Boston team based at Brigham and Women's Hospital said that the four-sq-cm patch can also deliver therapeutic drugs via its tiny needles. Most self-adhesive bandages stick poorly to wet skin and though staples and stitches help anchor dressings and skin grafts they inevitably cause trauma to the tissue. To get round this problem, Dr Jeffrey Karp and his team looked at a parasitic worm called Pomphorhynchus laevis, which anchors itself to the slippery surface of the host's intestine using micro-needle tips that pierce the surface and then, once wet, swell to lock tight. This means that the needles cause little damage as they go in, yet achieve maximum grip. Karp's patch mimics the action using minute needles made of plastic with tips that are rigid when dry but swell once they pierce wet tissue. Karp said that when the adhesive is removed there is less trauma inflicted to the tissues, blood and nerves compared to staples as well as a reduced risk of infection. The research has been published in Nature Communications journal

Fujitsu prototype smart cane makes you want to get old

The classic walking cane has remained pretty much unchanged for millenia. Really just a walking stick with an ergonomic handle, it's hard to come up with novel improvements to the cane. Fujitsu engineers, nevertheless, decided to integrate a bunch of technology into a cane to see what they could come up with. The intriguing result is a device that uses GPS to guide the user who now doesn't have to use a smartphone with the other hand. It also integrates a small heart rate meter right into the handle and, because there's wireless connectivity, it can call loved ones automatically if the rate is too high. Also, the handle monitors the ambient temperature and humidity and counts walking steps

Million Hearts app targets disease risk factors

Self-assessment for heart disease risk is now readily available in a user-friendly format with a mobile app launched by the Million Hearts initiative. Developed by the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Heart Health Mobile is available through the foundation and iTunes, and will be available in HTML5 responsive design for non-Apple devices in March. The app steers users through a series of questions about weight, height, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and smoking. Users will be directed to participating pharmacies and retail clinics for cholesterol and blood pressure screenings. At this time Heart Health Mobile screenings are available through CVS Caremark Minute Clinics, and some Walgreen's, H-E-B and Thrifty White stores. By using the app, individuals can learn about the risk factors for heart disease, calculate their risk and share their status with their doctors. The app also allows users to track their progress toward goals such as weight loss, lowering blood pressure and reducing cholesterol levels

Health care by TV and remote control (UK)

First thing in the morning, Terry Munro always puts the kettle on. "Then I take my blood sugar, take my blood pressure and my weight and in that time the kettle's boiled. "And I've got a record of it on my TV. It's marvellous, it really is." Terry, who is 67 years old and has diabetes, has been keeping tabs on his own health using nothing more than his television. The testing equipment uses Bluetooth so when Terry has taken his daily measurements they are automatically uploaded to the TV. A trained nurse can access and monitor the readings from a central location and make decisions about potential changes in treatments. "I like walking, but I used to go out and go hypo. Now I know I can't go out if my blood sugar is too low, so I am more aware now. "It's like having a doctor there all the time."

New technology revolutionizes the way cardiac devices are adjusted remotely (USA)

Boca Raton Regional Hospital is the site for the development and study of a new software system that can revolutionize the way physicians communicate and reprogram cardiac devices remotely. The technology and study was conceived and developed by E. Martin Kloosterman, MD, Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory and Chief of the Cardiology Department at Boca Raton Regional Hospital and the study abstract was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology. Dr. Kloosterman presented the study at the Venice 2011 Arrhythmias international workshop to over 1,700 physicians in Italy on October 9, 2011. "This new development provides clinicians the ability to manage cardiac devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, remotely in real-time. The model, which was tested in the Hospital’s emergency and operating rooms, allows the specialized physicians to have direct access to the information in the patient’s device for adjustment and reprograming in a moment's notice no matter where they are and at any given time," said Dr. Kloosterman

Donation boon for cardiac care (Saskatoon, Canada)

"Royal University Hospital will be creating a state-of-the-art cardiac treatment facility thanks to a $1.5-million donation from the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation. The new facility, a cardiac electrophysiology laboratory, will deal with the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal heart rhythms, which are often fatal. Cardiovascular disease accounts for 35 per cent of all deaths in Canada - around 78,000 annually. About 50 per cent of these deaths are sudden, due to a lethal cardiac arrhythmia. Two cardiologists currently conduct electrophysiology procedures at RUH, but due to lack of a lab they can only do these procedures one day per week. The waiting list for treatment is eight to nine months long and those in need of advanced procedures must go out of province. Having a dedicated laboratory could help prolong the lives of many patients and may offer a cure to others. Picture shows Arla Gustafson, with the Royal University Hospital Foundation, giving Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation members a tour of the donation wall - Star Phoenix

New cardiac equipment at Rochdale Infirmary (UK)

"Consultant cardiologists at Rochdale Infirmary are all smiles following the delivery of a specialist piece of equipment to the Silver Heart cardiac catheter unit. The intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) machine takes ultrasound images within coronary arteries on patients who are experiencing chest pains or heart problems. The machine will allow medical staff to more clearly define the anatomy within the coronary arteries and then decide on the best way to treat them. Costing £50,000, the IVUS machine has been contracted to the Infirmary on permanent loan by Boston Scientific. Hoping to perform around 40 IVUS tests per year initially, patients will no longer have to be transferred to either Manchester Royal Infirmary or Wythenshawe Hospital to undergo the procedure"

Clinical Research Imaging Centre opens in Edinburgh, Scotland

"A cutting-edge medical scanning centre has opened at University of Edinburgh. Opened by the Duke of Edinburgh, the British Heart Foundation invested GBP3 million in the centre to give researchers a vital window on heart disease. Scientists at the Clinical Research Imaging Centre - which cost GBP20 million in total - will use the technology to uncover the secrets of the heart. The BHF-funded magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner uses magnets and sophisticated computer technology to provide highly detailed, instant, real-time moving images of the inside of the body, without using radiation"

Cameras of the future: heart researchers create revolutionary photographic technique (UK)

"Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the British Heart Foundation at the University of Oxford have developed a revolutionary way of capturing a high-resolution still image alongside very high-speed video - a new technology that is attractive for science, industry and consumer sectors alike. By combining off-the-shelf technologies found in standard cameras and digital movie projectors they have successfully created a tool that will transform many forms of detailed scientific imaging and could provide access to high-speed video with high-resolution still images from the same camera at a price suitable for the consumer market. This could have everyday applications for everything from CCTV to sports photography and is already attracting interest from the scientific imaging sector where the ability to capture very high quality still images that correspond exactly to very high speed video is extremely desirable and currently very expensive to achieve. The technology has been patented by Isis Innovation, the University of Oxford's technology transfer office, which provided seed funding for this development and welcomes contact from industry partners to take the technology to market. The research is published in Nature Methods"

Breakthrough heart scanner will allow earlier diagnosis (UK)

"An innovative cardiac scanner being developed at the University of Leeds will dramatically improve the process of diagnosing heart conditions. The portable magnetometer is being developed with the help of funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Due to its unprecedented sensitivity to magnetic fluctuations, the device will be able to detect a number of conditions, including heart problems in foetuses, earlier than currently available diagnostic techniques such as ultrasound, ECG (electrocardiogram) and existing cardiac magnetometers. It will also be smaller, simpler to operate, able to gather more information and significantly cheaper than other devices currently available. Another key benefit is that, for the first time, skilled nurses as well as doctors will be able to carry out heart scans, helping to relieve pressure on hospital waiting lists. The device will also function through clothes, cutting the time needed to perform scans and removing the need for patients to undress for an examination. It could also be taken out to a patient's home, leading to a reduction in the use of hospital facilities"

Technology to give 3-D views of arteries

"Cardiologists could soon have 3-D images of patients' coronary arteries at their fingertips and better treat heart disease thanks to a new software unveiled. The technology, which has just been tested for the first time on people, remains in the early stages of testing, according to a feasibility study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, an American Heart Association journal. 'This is very exciting technology that holds great promise,' study investigator John Carroll, a professor of medicine and director of interventional cardiology in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Colorado in Aurora, said in a statement. The study allows doctors to assess more accurately and rapidly the length, branching pattern and angles of heart arteries, as well as any blockages." - Sky