A Medical Device Daily

Non-Invasive Monitoring Systems (NIMS; Miami) reported that the Canadian Patent Office issued Patent number 2,534,302 to NIMS on Oct. 20, 2009. The patent, titled "Reciprocating Movement Platform for the External Addition of Pulses to the Fluid Channels of a Subject," relates to the comprehensively researched technology underlying NIMS' Exer-Rest acceleration therapeutic platform. The Canadian patent that expires Aug. 4, 2024 incorporates 55 claims dealing with treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases and is the Canadian counterpart to U.S. Patent No. 7,404,221, the fifth patent issued for this technology.

NIMS is authorized to sell the Exer-Rest in Canada as a class II medical device with CE certification. The Exer-Rest is intended as an aid to improve circulation, increase joint mobility, and to provide temporary relief of minor aches and pains.

Marvin Sackner, NIMS' founder/CEO, said "this Canadian patent builds on the company's global intellectual property and provides protection in our efforts to market in Canada."

The Exer-Rest is currently being marketed and sold in the U.S., Canada and other major international markets. It has been cleared by FDA as an aid to temporarily increase local circulation, to provide temporary relief of minor aches and pains, to reduce morning stiffness and to provide local muscle relaxation. The Exer-Rest is also approved for sale in Europe as an aid to increase mobility.

Microcap chosen by Bavarian Red Cross

Oridion Systems (Jerusalem/Needham, Massachusetts) reported that the Bavarian Red Cross has chosen Microcap portable capnographs for its RTW (Rettungswagen) medical vehicles. The use of capnography can help paramedic teams to assess the ventilation status of a patient as well as alert them to issues that affect respiratory status such as displaced endotracheal tubes, episodes of respiratory depression as well as the status of resuscitative efforts. Immediate treatment of these developing conditions can improve the patient's status and limit the danger of further serious complications.

Since 2007, the DIN 1789 Norm and Rules for German Ambulance Vehicles of the type "RTW" mandated the use of capnometers when transporting emergency patients. The Bavarian Red Cross has been looking for a standalone capnograph unit to fulfill the requirements of DIN 1789, as it believed the utility vs. cost to be better than incorporating capnography into existing defibrillators or respirators. Additioanlly, a significant graph of the CO₂ curve was a requirement.

The Bavarian Red Cross tested four different competitive units at four different sites and after a thorough analysis, chose the Oridion Microcap capnography monitor. Their selection of the Microcap was based on several criteria including: ease of use, reliability, portability, ruggedness and stability of the device. Microcap monitors are one of the Oridion family of portable monitors employing Microstream capnography technology to provide accurate, continuous monitoring on intubated and non-intubated patients from neonate to adult patients in hospital and pre-hospital environments, including emergency transport.

The ability to accurately monitor CO₂ levels in a patient's breathing is vital for ensuring patient safety - especially in emergency transports.

Capnography is increasingly being used by paramedics worldwide to help in their assessment and real-time treatment of both intubated and non-intubated patients in the pre-hospital setting. This is one of the reasons why the London Ambulance Service and several states in the U.S. have mandated capnography for intubated patients in Emergency Medical Services (ambulances).

Oridion develops proprietary medical devices and patient interfaces, based on its patented Microstream(R) technologies, for the enhancement of patient safety through the monitoring of the carbon dioxide in a patient's breath. These products provide effective, proven airway management and are used in various clinical environments, including procedural sedation, pain management, operating rooms, critical care units, post-anesthesia care units, emergency medical services, transport, alternate care and other settings where patients' ventilation may be compromised and at risk.

Visage in deal to provide PACS to Lake Imaging

Visage Imaging (Andover, Massachusetts), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pro Medicus (Richmond, Australia), signed a deal to provide Lake Imaging (Geelong, Australia), one of Australia's largest independent diagnostic imaging groups, with Visage 7 - its next generation, thin client streaming digital imaging technology (PACS) solution.

Lake Imaging is one of the fastest growing radiology groups in Australia. In 2002 it was among the first private practices in Australia to adopt a fully digital imaging solution which has helped power its growth from two practices to today's network of seventeen fully digital campuses.

Visage 7 will be installed and fully integrated with the existing Pro Medicus Radiology Information System (RIS) at all Lake Imaging sites. In addition to being used for all primary diagnosis, the system will handle the long term image archiving needs of the group. The Visage solutions also provide Lake Imaging referring physicians with the ability to remotely access, view and manipulate their patients' images in both 2-D and 3-D, another first being native support for both Windows and Mac OS X.

"Visage 7 is a revolutionary new product that sports a number of industry firsts. It is truly thin client which provides rapid access to extremely large datasets without having to download them. This creates new opportunities for sharing images, regardless of location, that are not feasible using standard image transfer technology. The new Visage 7 Universal Viewer allows radiologists to view conventional 2-D as well as advanced 3-D and 4-D (moving) images all within the one application," said David Chambers, CEO, Visage Imaging/Pro Medicus. "Up to 30 % of Australia's referring specialists use the Macintosh platform so we see this as a significant strategic advantage," he added.