EkoSonic™ Ultrasound Delivery Reduces Dose of Clot-Busting Drugs and May Lessen Risk of Bleeding in Peripheral Thrombolysis

January 23, 2009 -- Everyone is familiar with drug-eluting catheter systems, used in the coronary arteries. Delivered as a stent, these catheters dispense drugs into the artery to reduce blockages from recurring. But now, in a completely different application in the leg arteries, an innovative catheter-based ultrasound system has been shown to reduce the need for so-called clot-dissolving drugs by 50%. Since a well-known side-effect of such drugs is bleeding, a technology that reduces the amount of drug needed may have significant beneficial impact on clinical outcomes. Once the clot is dissolved, the patient can then be treated with angioplasty, stents or medical therapy.

In November at the VEITHsymposium and on Tuesday at the ISET 2009 meeting, studies were presented and a live case was transmitted to demonstrate how this ultrasound-enhanced delivery device, the EkoSonic™ Endovascular System with Rapid Pulse™ Modulation, could reduce the amount of drugs needed to break up dangerous blood clots in the legs and pelvis.

source: angioplasty.org

Johnson Medtech's Non-Magnetic Motors Power The World's First MRI-Guided Prostate Cancer Treatment Device

Johnson Medtech, the medical products division of Johnson Electric, one of the world's largest providers of motion actuators, today announced its participation in creating the world's first MRI-compatible image-guided tumor treatment device with Profound Medical Inc.(PMI). This revolutionary tissue coagulation device is expected to treat prostate cancer in a fraction of the time and cost of existing methods, based on extensive modeling, simulation and pre-clinical trials. Critical to the success of the system, Johnson Medtech's non-magnetic "Nanomotion" actuators enable the precision of motion and accuracy of treatment necessary for safely conducting the image-guided prostate cancer therapy within the strong magnetic field of the MRI.

PMI's device uses an MRI for imaging and a proprietary planar ultrasound applicator for treatment. The MRI precisely guides the probe that heats the cancerous tissue to effectively destroy the diseased area. In the past, the magnetic nature of electric motors and their metal components made it impossible for motorized medical devices to function within the MRI environment. To overcome this challenge, PMI selected Nanomotion's HR2-1-N-3 piezo ultrasonic non-magnetic motors to rotate the device's probe. When combined with the real-time non-invasive visibility into the human body provided by the MRI, the sophisticated low-speed Nanomotion actuators in PMI's device enable medical professionals to operate the probe at a microscopic scale to conduct this groundbreaking procedure.

source: Medical News Today

Philips and Hansen Medical to Integrate X-Ray Imaging and Robotic Catheter to Advance Treatment of Irregular Heartbeats

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, Jan 14, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Royal Philips Electronics and Hansen Medical, Inc. today announced that they have signed joint development and cooperation agreements to co-develop integrated products that may simplify complex cardiac procedures to diagnose and treat irregular heartbeats, also known as arrhythmias.

Cardiac arrhythmias can drastically reduce the quality of life and can also lead to serious health risks including heart failure and stroke. Nearly 550,000 new patients are diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmias in the United States each year and arrhythmias cause approximately 250,000 deaths annually according to the Heart Rhythm Foundation and the American College of Cardiology. The condition also affects over 4.5 million people in Europe.

The agreements will enable the creation of integrated product solutions by combining Philips' Allura Xper X-Ray system with Hansen Medical's Sensei(R) Robotic Catheter System. The resulting innovations will seek to enable electrophysiologists to perform complex procedures with greater confidence and improved efficiency.

source: Marketwatch