Developing Microspheres for 3D Printing Living Tissue

For KAPSTONE MEDICAL

The dream of using 3D printing technology to regenerate damaged or diseased tissues faces a number of technological and biological challenges, not the least of which is providing the new tissues with just the right amount of a complex mix of proteins referred to as growth factors needed for development of stem cells after implantation. (published site)

Medical 3D Printing is Pushing Metrology Labs to Keep Pace

FOR KAPSTONE MEDICAL

It is probably safe to say that the advancements in additive manufacturing of medical devices have come at a pace that has outstripped the visions of even the most ardent supporters. 3D printed devices have already been implanted into people’s backs, skulls and jaws. (published site)

FDA’s Advice for Medical Device Interoperability

For by Kapstone Medical

The FDA issued its final guidance for medical device interoperability on Sept. 6, 2017. The guidance offers insight into what the agency is looking for in terms of safety and effectiveness for medical devices that are connected to each other and to other technology.

The agency’s intention is to promote development and availability of safe and effective interoperable medical devices Bakul Patel, associate director for digital health in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health told Kapstone Medical.

Shape-shifting the Future of Medical Implants

For KAPSTONE MEDICAL

Using 3D printing and sequential folding technology, researchers are proposing to revolutionize the way medical implants are produced and implanted.

The technique called, “shape-shifting” is being pioneered by Professor Amir Zadpoor and his research team at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. (published site)

What is a "Minimally-Invasive" Prostate Cancer Treatment?

FOR SONACARE MEDICAL

Good question! If you Google the term “minimally invasive” in relation to any medical treatment, it is likely that you will get a wide range of procedures that claim to fall under this category.

In the simplest terms (as defined by Dictionary.com) minimally invasive is a treatment that requires only a small incision or the insertion of an instrument into a body cavity involving minimal damage to body tissues. (published site)

World’s First Use of 3D Printing May Revolutionize Reconstructive Surgery

For KAPSTONE MEDICAL

A Welch surgical team has performed the first jaw reconstruction surgery using 3D printed titanium specifically designed for the patient, resulting in much more natural result.

Surgery for oral cancer often leaves patients disfigured and unable to speak normally. Standard reconstructive surgery involves removing a part of the patient’s fibula and fitting it into the space made in the jawbone excised to remove the tumor. (published site)

Can Exercise Really Help My Lower Back Pain?

For Healthcare Associates, Tx

If you experience frequent lower back pain, probably the last thing you want to think about is exercise. While you may feel like finding a comfy position to rest in, if your doctor is recommending physical activity, you must do the exercises as prescribed. (published site)

FDA Recommendations For Medical Device Cybersecurity

FOR KAPSTONE MEDICAL

   
The topic of cybersecurity for medical devices became a hotter issue this past year amid several high-profile hospital cybersecurity breaches, and the FDA is paying close attention.

In a blog post on the FDA’s site, Suzanne B. Schwartz, the FDA’s Associate Director for Science and Strategic Partnerships at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, she outlined the FDA’s approach to medical device cyber safety. (published site)

What is a C-code?

For Clariance Spine

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) or “C-codes” are unique temporary pricing codes established for the Prospective Payment System and are only valid for Medicare on claims for hospital outpatient department services and procedures. (published site)

PEEK Versus Titanium in Spinal Surgery

For Clariance Spine
PEEK or titanium? That has been a question that surprisingly has not been extensively explored in head-to-head clinical research. Nevertheless a pair of completed studies and a third designed to randomly compare PEEK, Titanium and ceramic cages that is now under way provide some basis for comparison.

In a 2012 German study in the BioMed Central Musculoskeletal Disorders Cabraja, Oexdemir, et al, compared titanium (TTN) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages in 154 patients who underwent single level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) performed between 2002 and 2007. (published site)

PEEK Performance Biomaterial of Choice

For Clariance Spine

Since the late 1990s when highly pure and implantable grade of polyetheretherketone, known as PEEK-OPTIMA, gained acceptance for medical device implantation, the use of PEEK has grown to a point that it may be considered the material of choice, particularly for spinal implants. (published site)

Where is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Headed?

For Clariance Spine Sept. 21, 2017

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) has grown exponentially over the last decade. From 2005 to 2015, MISS has grown to nearly 45 percent of all spine cases done on an outpatient basis. This compares to approximately 5 percent in 2005, according to the Society for Ambulatory Spine surgery.

(published site)

Can Ice Relieve Sciatica?

for Dr. Gomez | Aug 29, 2017 

Ice it! That is often the advice people give for pain, usually pain caused by an injury or over extension of some body part that sets off pain. But does ice work for sciatica? 

The answer is often yes! To see why, let’s look at what causes sciatica and how cold or cryotherapy can affect the pain. The large sciatic nerve runs from the base of the spine through the buttocks and down both legs. (published site)

FDA Seeks Feedback on Draft Guidelines For 3D Printing Medical Devices

FOR MEDTECH MOMENTUM

FDA is committed to fostering innovation in additive manufacturing.
With the rapid developments in 3D printing or additive manufacturing, ranging from patient specific implants, to instrumentation and external prostheses, the FDA has issued draft guidelines for firms who manufacture, repackage, relabel, or import medical devices in the U.S. (published site)

Opportunities and Challenges in 3D Printing

For MEDTECH MOMENTUM

SmartTech Publishing released a new study of additive manufacturing in orthopedics in May 2017. The market research company says their paper “Additive Orthopedics: Markets for 3D Printed Medical Implants 2017,” is an in-depth look and analysis of the opportunities specific to the use of additive manufacturing or 3D printing technology for medical applications.

Here are some of the highlights based on a report from the June 7, 2017 Today’s Medical Developments: (published site)

Promising new drug for relapsed AML

CANCER DIGEST – June 24, 2017 – Researchers have found a drug that inhibits a particular mutation in a deadly form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with promise of producing longer survival.

The sub-type of AML has a mutation in a gene called FLT3, found in about 30 percent of patients’ leukemia cells.

Next Generation 3D Manufacturing Ushering In Era of Individualized Implants

FOR MEDTECH MOMENTUM

Brief roundup of medical grade 3D printing materials
Following the first successful implant of 3D printed titanium cervical spine graft, announced last year at the German Society of Neurosurgery annual meeting, surgeon Uwe Spetzger pointed to the potential for using surgical implants that are not just tailored for a particular patient, but actually manufactured specifically for that patient. (published site)

Can exercise really help my lower back pain?

For: Dr. Michael Gomez,

Brain and Spine Surgery

Via MedTechMomentum

If you have lower back pain, one of the last things you want to think about is exercising, but that is just one of the non-surgical treatments your doctor may recommend before determining that you may be among the 5 percent of people who needs surgery. (published site)

So the question you may have is how can exercise help?

Looking for short-term relief from low-back pain? Try massage

For: Dr. Michael Gomez,

Brain and Spine Surgery
Via MedTechMomentum

Can neurological massage help with chronic low back pain?

That’s one of the questions researchers asked in a systematic review of the current evidence on non-drug therapies for acute or chronic low back pain that has been published in medical journals. (published site)

How Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries Are Done

For: Dr. Michael Gomez,

Brain and Spine Surgery
Via MedTechMomentum

With advances in spinal surgeries, minimally invasive surgery is now an option for many spinal conditions including degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, spinal instability. With small incision, the shorter recovery, reduced pain, less blood loss and shorter surgery time, many people experiencing back pain that has not been relieved with non-surgical treatments are considering minimally invasive spinal surgery, or MISS.

If you are like most people, however, you may wonder what is involved, how is it done and is it right for you? (published site)

Is FES-cycling therapy better than standard physiotherapy for stroke recovery?

For MYOLYN
Via MedTechMomentum

While a number of studies have demonstrated the benefits of FES-cycling therapy for people who have had a stroke, the question Italian researchers wanted to answer is whether FES-cycling might be better than standard physiotherapy for recovering functional motion.

To answer this question, the researchers recruited 16 patients who experienced their first stroke less than 6 months prior to enrolling in the study. All patients were over 18 years old and were evaluated before and after therapy training using standard measures of function including gait analysis and volitional cycling ability. (published site)

Can FES-cycling improve metabolism and oxygen consumption in COPD patients?

For MYOLYN
Via MedTechMomentum

While most people, including researchers, are interested in the benefits of FES-cycling for people with spinal cord injuries, a growing body of evidence is now spurring research into the benefits for other disease categories.

In a recently completed French study (NCT02594722), researchers asked whether FES-cycling might improve aerobic capacity in a range of breathing conditions called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). (published site)

5 Simple Steps To Intellectual Property Development

For Kapstone Medical
Via MedTechMomentum

Most of us would love to continuously “be innovative” and create lots of intellectual property to create exponential value for our companies.  But saying that is a whole lot easier than doing it. As with anything, having a basic framework and process for creating an intellectual property (IP) pipeline is vital to getting where you want to go with your company. Much like the way Google Maps works, an Intellectual Property Development Process provides a sort of roadmap for generating value. (published site)

Back Pain: Getting the Most from Your Doctor Visit

For: Dr. Michael Gomez,

Brain and Spine SurgeryVia MedTechMomentum

You prepared for your driver’s license exam, but have you ever thought of preparing for a doctor’s exam? If not, you’re not alone, most people don’t, but in a heart study patients who received education before surgery spent less time in the ICU and had shorter hospital stays than those who did not get such preparation. While preparing for your doctor’s consultation about your lower back pain may not produce such dramatic results, it can help you get to the best treatment for your pain quicker.

Will 2017 Be A Good Year For Medtech In The Us Healthcare Industry? Signs Point To Yes.

For Kapstone Medical
Via MedTechMomentum

Looking At The Uncertain Healthcare Landscape Under The New Trump Administration, Predicting Future Healthcare Markets Seems Like An Exercise In Magic 8-Ball Prediction. You Know The Toy That Answers Any Yes Or No Question With Some Ambiguous Answer Like, “Luck Is On Your Side.”

The Key To Creating Value From A Medical Device Idea? It’s YOU.

Most physician inventor entrepreneurs tend to be “idea people” and often their business experience is in practice management, while their intellectual property development experience is more limited. 

This often leads to a kind of paralysis as an “idea person” fears losing their idea by working with others with business development experience. By placing too high a priority on protecting and monetizing the idea too quickly, the entrepreneurs often stall out long before they can turn their idea into reality.

What spinal cord injuries most benefit from FES-cycling therapy?

Among people with spinal cord injury, who is most likely to benefit from functional electrical stimulation (FES) therapy? That’s a great question that many researchers are asking in regard to a wide range of spinal cord injuries.

In a small study of 14 paraplegics wishing to participate in sports, researchers found that people whose spinal cord injury occurred above T-12 were more likely to benefit from FES-cycling therapy, and those with traumatic injury as opposed to infectious injury were the most likely to respond to FES-cycling therapy. (published site)

FDA Approves OSSDsign’s 3D Printed Cranial Implant

The FDA has approved OSSDsign’s new cranial implant that uses an innovative and patented composite material printed to exact patient needs with a 3D printer.

The Uppsala, Sweden-based designer, manufacturer and distributor constructs individually designed and printed cranial implants using the patient’s computer tomography (CT) information. The OssDsign system combines advanced computer-assisted design (CAD) with a proprietary calcium phosphate composite as a 3D printing material, which is reinforced by a titanium skeleton. (published site)

Is Minimally Invasive Surgery Right for You?

Copyright: damedeeso 123RF Stock Photo

You may have seen the ads – happy dog brings his leash to a man sitting in a chair who starts to get up, but sits back down in obvious pain. The dog then goes on his walk with the daughter, while the narrator encourages viewers to stop putting off surgery. (published site)