By David Ponce

We’re pretty happy it’s becoming common knowledge that when someone is badly injured and bleeding severely, the best on-scene treatment while awaiting paramedics is the application of a tourniquet. If you don’t know, this is when you tie a piece of rope above the injury and tighten in order to cut off blood flow and prevent death from exsanguination (read: bleeding out). Sadly, it’s not always possible to apply a tourniquet in every situation: when injured in the groin, the abdomen or the neck for instance. For times like these, Combat Medical Systems of Fayetteville, N.C. has developed the CRoC, or combat ready clamp, which is a vise-like device designed to manage difficult inguinal bleeds (that’s groin bleeds… Come to think of it, this is probably not a good idea on the neck…).

Uncontrolled bleeding accounts for 25% of potentially survivable deaths in the field and according to an article in the U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, getting better stemming the flow of blood in the field could save up to three soldier lives per month.

While the CRoC is clearly aimed for the armed services’ use, you can apparently buy one for yourself for $445.

[ CRoC Product Page ] VIA [ MedGadget ]

By Andrew Liszewski

HP Singapore, in collaboration with local telco SingTel, medical device maker HealthSTATS Int’l and Frontier Healthcare have just started an 8 week long, 100 patient trial of their new Mobile Health Monitoring Solution. Now you might be thinking that you’ve seen fitness watches like this before, but you haven’t. Most watches that monitor your heart are only keeping track of your pulse, letting you know if you’re truly getting an effective workout. But HP’s new monitor uses technology developed by HealthSTATS International that actually lets the watch measure blood pressure or CASP, central aortic systolic pressure.

This measuring technique is actually considered a far more accurate indicator of a patient’s cardiac health because it measures pressure in the aorta, but until now it’s required invasive surgery. HealthSTAT’s non-invasive BPro EVBP Technology instead measures something called the pulse wave from a patient’s radial artery at the point of their wrist, and using proprietary algorithms is able to produce results as accurate as the surgical method. Of course HP’s implementation of the technology goes one step further, allowing a patient’s stats to be remotely monitored via cellular data networks so they don’t have to continually visit hospitals or clinics to have their BP measured.

[ PR - Checking your health around the clock ] VIA [ MIT Technology Review ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Awww… Who says giant, faceless, multinational corporations don’t have a heart? 3M, innovators when it comes to anything that sticks, will soon be releasing a new type of medical tape they’ve created that provides the same level of adhesion as standard tapes, but is far easier to remove. Important not only for the comfort level of patients, but often times injured areas are surrounded with sensitive or fragile skin tissue. Not to mention when body hair gets involved.

The secret to the new tape’s gentle demeanor is its silicone-based adhesive technology which has a reduced surface tension allowing it to settle in and hold onto crevices in the skin, while still being reposition-able without losing its stickiness. It also interacts with skin in a different way than traditional acrylate adhesives. So while being removed the energy of the bond between the adhesive and the skin is mostly dissipated through the adhesive, resulting in less pulling, pain and damage to the skin.

The new tape is being launched on June 22 for use in hospitals and medical facilities, and here’s to hoping the new material eventually makes its way to consumer products like bandaids.

[ PR - 3M Launches 3M™ Kind Removal Silicone Tape Delivering Securement and Comfort Without Compromise ] VIA [ Medgadget & Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Ok, so it’s not exactly a kit you can buy, but a company called Terason, who specializes in these kinds of portable ultrasound machines, has just released their new t3200 Ultrasound System designed specifically for breast surgeons.

Built around a MacBook Pro the ultrasound machine is not only highly portable, it also allows the imagery being collected to be easily integrated into a doctor’s workflow since the t3200 is a full-fledged computer. So emailing scans, sharing files on a network or checking a patient’s chart data can all be accomplished from the same machine. As for pricing? Start with the MSRP of an MBP and then add on a few thousand dollars and you’re probably getting close.

[ Terason t3200 ] VIA [ Medgadget ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Most chemical-based pimple treatments are designed with a ‘use overnight’ mentality when no one can see your face covered in dots of cream. But this no!no! Skin alternative just uses heat and light delivered via a handheld device that can be used anywhere and anytime you’ve got about 30 seconds to spare. You just place the pointed end against a pimple, push the button, and wait 10 seconds for it to do its thing. After you hear 2 beeps you remove it, wait 5 seconds, and then treat it again for another 10. The ‘how it works’ and what it’s actually doing unfortunately sounds a little snake oil-esque, but I’ll admit I’m not a dermatologist, and these treatment techniques could actually be quite effective.

As P.acnes (Propionibacterium) reproduce, colonies form and release the seeds of their own destruction, a chemical known as porphyrin. no!no! Skin pin points the pimple with flashes of a broad-spectrum light and gentle waves of heat that penetrate into the blocked pore. Optimal light wavelengths, especially green and red, penetrate deep into the follicle to target the P.acnes. Green light makes the porphyrin molecules release a lone oxygen molecule called a radical. The oxygen radicals attack the P.acnes and destroy the bacterium. Red light produces anti-inflammatory results and reduces the painful, unsightly swelling. Additional heat intensifies the process and gently opens the pores to release the clog and further soothe the inflammation.

At $180 though I’d like to know for sure if the no!no! Skin delivered on its claims before dropping that much money.

[ no!no! Skin Pimple Treatment ] VIA [ bookofjoe ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Of everything the internet has done for me, like helping me get into, and then out of, that wacky cult, this discovery is by far the best thing it’s ever brought into my life. For years I’ve grimaced, gagged and shuddered every time I’ve accidentally touched my feet when putting on socks, but those sad, sad days are over. Once again a useful gadget designed to make life easier for the injured, disabled and elderly will help me overcome another bizarre fear and/or phobia.

Once you’ve slid your sock onto the wire rack support, you just stick your foot in as usual and then use the generous extension handles on either side to pull it all the way up your leg. I’ve just realized it will even reduce the amount of bending I have to do every day, which is a whole other phobia we won’t get into right now. What’s most amazing is that this miracle contraption is just $14.98. Little do they know I’d happily pay up to $18 for something as life changing as this, but don’t tell them that!

[ Easy Pull Hosiery Aid ] VIA [ Random Good Stuff ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s hard to believe, but even an adorable see-through teddy bear filled with human blood wouldn’t be enough to make hospital visits any easier for me. I’m sure it has something to do with a childhood trauma (possibly that time when I was 5 years old and stubbed my toe while General Hospital was playing on TV) but it will take a lot more than this disturbing cousin of Winnie the Pooh to calm my nerves. It was designed by UK-based Dunne & Raby for an exhibition at the Science Gallery in Dublin a couple of years ago, but its creepiness will live on for years to come.

[ Dunne & Raby - Teddy Bear Blood Bag ] VIA [ I New Idea ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A steady supply of electricity is definitely something a lot of us take for granted, but in many parts of the world that’s a luxury. And while you might panic during a blackout that the mayonaise in your fridge could go bad, imagine the risk of losing thousands of dollars worth of life-saving medications and vaccines. That scenario is what prompted a company called True Energy to develop their special ‘Vaccine Refrigerator’ which is able to maintain a constant temperature of below 10˚C for up to 10 days without a drop of external power. Even if the temps outside hit 43˚C.

The refrigerator employs the company’s Sure Chill technology which is a combination of a built-in rechargeable battery powered either by the grid, a solar panel, or a combination of the two, as well as some heavy-duty insulation. And thanks to something they refer to as their “innovative phase change material” and some intelligent temperature monitoring, the fridge is able to make adjustments on the fly, keeping a constant stabilized temperature even when warmer items have been added. As an added bonus, so as not to be a load on an already taxed grid when power is available, the Vaccine Refrigerator runs on less than 5 hours of electricity when drawing it from the grid, which also serves to keep costs down.

At the moment True Energy’s Vaccine Refrigerator is already in use by the World Health Organization and Unicef, but the company is exploring more commercial uses given how energy efficient the technology is.

[ True Energy Vaccine Refrigerator ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Last year we brought you the CoolSculpting system which disposed of fat cells under the skin by non-invasively freezing them. The LipoControl system is essentially used for exactly the same purpose, but uses the ‘pewpew’ power of lasers instead. To be specific, a 980nm laser diode is used to bust up fat deposits under the skin (it’s still an invasive procedure to a degree) but the system provides real-time visualization and feedback of the area being treated. It even tracks the speed of the doctor’s cannula, applying more or less power to the laser as they move it faster or slower so that it’s always at the optimal treatment level.

And since I’m no fatatician I don’t feel like I’m qualified to question how effective the procedure is, but it looks to me like after 3 months the machine has only really succeeded in adjusting that woman’s undergarments. Still though, if you’ve ever tried to adjust them yourself you know how difficult that can be and you’ll realize what an important innovation this really is.

[ Osyris Medical's LipoControl Laser Fat Removal System ] VIA [ Medgadget ]