With the rising obesity problem in the U.S., transporting larger patients around hospitals has become more difficult and presents liability issues for the healthcare facilities, and a safety issue for staff.



There are several patient warming and cooling devices available for temperature management, but the practice of induced hypothermia was what made national headlines this past fall with the treatment of the major spinal injury of Buffalo Bills' football reserve tight end Kevin Everett.



Medication errors can occur at any point during the medication delivery process from prescribing to dispensing; however, one of the most common types of medication error stems from incorrectly programming IV pumps.



As hospitals migrate to digital imaging and picture archive and communications systems (PACS) and video become important components of surgery, there is an increasing need for high-quality display monitors in operating rooms. For these reasons, flat panel liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors are replacing the traditional X-ray light boards.



Feds Helping Boost Technology in Rural America Via Telemedicine


February 21, 2008 - Textronics Inc. received FDA clearance to market its textile-based ECG Electrode for use in general electrocardiograph monitoring and recording procedures, offering patients an alternative to adhesive electrodes and metal wristbands.

The textile electrodes can reportedly be worn comfortably against the skin as part of a garment, fabric chest strap or elastic wrist band, says the manufacturer. The produce is designed to eliminate skin irritation and other discomforts commonly experienced during ECG monitoring.

February 21, 2008 - Accumetrics Inc. has raised $28.8 million in its Series D financing, which will enable the company to initiate the GRAVITAS study and develop solutions for personalized medicine for cardiovascular disease.

The syndicate was led by Arnerich Massena & Associates, Inc. and BBT Fund, L.P. Also participating in the round were previous investors: Essex Woodland Health Ventures, RiverVest, PTV Sciences, KB Partners and Kaiser Permanente Ventures.

February 21, 2008 – McKesson has formed a strategic relationship with Proventys Inc., a personalized medicine service provider, in which McKesson will incorporate Proventys' risk prediction capabilities into its core clinical decision support solutions, as part of McKesson’s overall strategy to offer personalized clinical decision making.

February 21, 2008 - High schools and middle schools in Long Branch, NJ, are using a computer-assisted medical device called Cardioscan that analyzes cardiac sounds to evaluate student athletes during preparticipation sports physicals, according to Zargis Medical Corp., a spin-off from Siemens Corporate Research and a majority-owned subsidiary of Speedus Corp. When murmurs are detected by Cardioscan, they are graphically displayed according to their intensity, timing and location.

February 21, 2008 - Philips opened the doors to its 50th Ambient Experience suite at Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, OH, the catheterization (cath) lab suite installed at Fairview, one of the hospitals in the Cleveland Clinic Health System,designed as an interactive, people-focused healthcare environment that combines design and technology for a more comfortable experience for patients and staff.

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