DePuy Mitek (Raynham, Massachusetts) said all of its Quickanchor Plus suture anchors for small joint repair are now available pre-loaded with Orthocord. DePuy says the Orthocord is the only high-strength, partially absorbable orthopedic suture on the market designed to provide a supple solution for soft tissue fixation while maintaining strength and knot security. The Orthocord suture is made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, which provides 55 pounds of tensile strength and 30 pounds of knot strength and PDS (polydioxanone), which provides a softer, more flexible suture that is 45% less stiff than other high strength sutures and minimizes postoperative knot mass.

Hospira (Lake Forest, Illinois) reported the coming integration of its Symbiq smart infusion pump and EndoTool glucose management software. With Hospira MedNet safety software built into the device, Symbiq was the first general infusion system designed to provide additional medication-error protection by ensuring compliance with safety software. Symbiq requires users to select a drug library entry from the safety software for all drug delivery programs. With its innovative, award-winning human factors design, Symbiq also incorporates an intuitive layout and a large LCD touch screen to help minimize pump programming errors.

New data presented at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting in San Francisco demonstrated that NeuroStar's (Atlanta) Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy improved key areas of cognition in patients whose depression improved with NeuroStar treatment. NeuroStar TMS Therapy is a non-systemic (does not circulate in the bloodstream throughout the body) and non-invasive (does not involve surgery) form of neuromodulation. It stimulates nerve cells in an area of the brain that is linked to depression, by delivering highly focused MRI-strength magnetic field pulses. The treatment is typically administered daily for 4-6 weeks. NeuroStar TMS Therapy is indicated for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adult patients who have failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from one prior antidepressant medication at or above the minimal effective dose and duration in the current episode.

Schepens Eye Research Institute (Boston) reported results from a study of specially designed peripheral prism glasses for hemianopia patients (blinded in half the visual field in both eyes). Scientists found that two-thirds of patients continued to wear the glasses at the end of the study period and beyond, indicating a high level of success. They also found that the brains of patients had not fully remapped to adjust for the prisms, which means that improved training in their use could further enhance the benefits. The glasses were invented by Eli Peli, MD, a senior scientist at Schepens. The prisms, attached above and below the center of a spectacle lens in Peli's invention, shift images from one side of the visual field to the other side and alert patients to objects and obstacles not otherwise visible to them. Alerted to the existence of these objects, patients turn to look, or, if their brains are fully adapted (remapped), perceive quickly where the objects are and automatically avoid them without turning their eyes and head.

Signostics (Palo Alto, California) said it has secured FDA clearance for its palm-sized personal ultrasound product, the Signos. The Signos is an ultrasound platform technology that clinicians can place in their pocket or wear around their neck like a stethoscope. The Signos delivers high-resolution images anywhere, at any time for general medical applications, including: abdominal assessments such as bladder, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, and trauma assessment; musculoskeletal; and basic obstetrics, such as pregnancy viability and fetal positioning.

According to the latest data in a clinical study supported by St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota), deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for depression may provide sustainable improvement in depression symptoms among patients with major depressive disorder. The study uses the St. Jude Medical Libra Deep Brain Stimulation System to deliver stimulation to an area of the brain known as Brodmann Area 25, which appears to become overactive in severely depressed people. At six months, 62% of the patients experienced at least a 40% decrease in symptoms of depression as measured by a standardized test called the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression.