Wednesday, 4 June 2008

Remote Control PillCam On The Way

The PillCam is a device made by Given Imaging that allows doctors to get a precise view of the inside of our bodies.

It will be used to perform a close-up internal examination of the junction between the esophagus and stomach in patients suffering from heartburn but could be used to perform many other examinations.


The device will be steered and speed-controlled by a magnetic device currently under development through a collaboration with German institutions.

IBMT team leader Dr. Frank Volke said, “We have developed a magnetic device roughly the size of a bar of chocolate. The doctor can hold it in his hand during the examination and move it up and down the patient’s body. The camera inside follows this motion precisely.”


The trick is to slow down the pills passage through the body. Small candy-sized cameras are already in use to gain an internal view of a patients body, but pass through very quickly allowing limited reconnaissance.

A small camera will pass through the esophagus in just three to four seconds, producing at best, two to four images a second. Currently for proper examination of the esophagus, patients must swallow a thick, uncomfortable endoscope.

The steerable camera pill consists of a camera, a transmitter, a battery and several cold-light diodes. The diodes fire up like a camera flash each time a photo is taken.

In a self-experiment, researchers have demonstrated that the PillCam can be kept inside the esophagus for about ten minutes using the magnetic device, even when sitting upright.

Sources:
Ubergizmo
MedGadget
Research Paper

Related Articles:
Medidome Drug Injector Ends Needle Fear
Regenerative Medicine Grows Back Body Parts
Monkey Controls Robotic Arm With Its Brain

Monday, 2 June 2008

MediDome Drug Injector Ends Needle Fear

The MediDome Drug Injector is a new device that makes the administering of drugs much simpler and safer, doing away with the traditional needle and syringe.

The device aims to eliminate needle stick injuries, speed up patient treatment and also reduce the fear of needles with packaging that is friendlier and less threatening.


During subcutaneous or intra-muscular injections, the MediDome can ensure that a vein is not ruptured via a unique tester integrated into the unit.

Self-adhesive antiseptic and anesthetic wings stick the MediDome to the required area on the patient after the removal of a sterile cover. This cover also acts as a tamper alarm that changes colour if ruptured.


The MediDome stores a pre-filled, measured drug dose within a soft plastic housing which is manufactured in a single factory which should result in lower cost production.

The single-use mechanism prevents syringes from being shared as it can never be used twice. This would help to prevent the spread of blood-born diseases or viruses such as HIV from being passed on.

The device is thought to be especially useful for natural disaster situations, military use or mass immunisation of developing countries.

The process for using the device is straightforward.
1. Remove the blister cap to adhere the device to the patient.
2. Apply pressure until resistance is felt.
3. Check bubble on one of the wings for blood. If the bubble fills up then abort injection.
4. If no blood is present, give a firm press until a click is heard.
5. Softly compress and hold the dome.
6. Discard dome for incineration.

Chris Holden is the man behind the invention, a 21 year old student at Northumbria University who has recently won a prestigious national award (NPSA) for the device. Northumbria University has filed a patent application to protect his work and is seeking external funding to commercialise and develop the device.

There is also a companion product that works in much the same way as the MediDome drug injector but without the needle. It is called the Absorption MediDome and is designed to administer painkillers and certain antibiotics.

Sources:
News-Medical.net
MedGadget
GizmoWatch
Product Exhibition

Technorati Tags:
, , ,