• Delcath Systems (New York) said that the institutional review board of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC; Baltimore) has approved UMMC's participation in the Phase III study of the company's percutaneous hepatic perfusion (PHP) system for the isolated, high-dose delivery of the anti-cancer agent melphalan to treat inoperable metastatic melanoma in the liver. The study is being led by the National Cancer Institute, which previously approved the study's expansion to a multi-center trial. The study is designed to test Delcath's PHP System for the regional delivery of melphalan to the liver to treat patients with metastatic ocular and cutaneous melanoma who have unresectable tumors in the liver. The Delcath system is designed to deliver significantly higher doses of anti-cancer drugs to a patient's liver while preventing entry of the drugs to the rest of the patient's circulatory system. Delcath Systems makes percutaneous perfusion technology for the isolated delivery of therapeutic and chemotherapeutic agents.
  • DePuy Spine (Raynham, Massachusetts) has launched the Viper2 Pedicle Screw Fixation System, a minimally invasive spine system offering what the company termed "comprehensive instrumentation and implant options that can be used on a wide range of spinal pathologies including deformity, trauma, tumor and degenerative disc disease." DePuy Spine made the announcement at the 76th annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Chicago, where it is showcasing the Viper2 System. DePuy Spine said Viper2 is the first minimally invasive rod-and-pedicle screw system that can be used to perform minimally invasive spinal fixation across the length of the entire thoracolumbar spine (T1 to pelvis), with rods of any curvature and lengths from 30 mm to 480 mm. The new rod insertion technique allows surgeons to utilize existing incisions to deliver any curvature rod up to 480 mm long, eliminating the need for remote rod insertion and complicated alignment jigs. The 5.5 mm-diameter titanium rods come in straight, pre-lordosed and pre-kyphosed configurations or can be contoured on-site to match the patient's anatomy. DePuy Spine also reported the launch of the Vertigraft VG1 cervical allograft, a bio-implant for anterior cervical fusion surgery designed to align with the spinal anatomy. The allograft is made of a single piece of cortical bone that is freeze-dried for room-temperature storage. Its trapezoidal design matches the anatomy of the cervical spine, stabilizing the implant by increasing the surface area. Its open central chamber allows surgeons to add graft material of their choice. The cervical bio-implant features a bulleted posterior edge to facilitate graft insertion and a textured surface for resistance to migration. Its seven-degree lordotic angle maintains proper alignment of the spine.
  • Dolbey (Concord, Ohio) has introduced a new speech-recognition product. Voice2Text is designed for the medical transcription service industry and offers the productivity enhancements of back-end speech without requiring a change to the document management platform used by the service company. With Voice2Text, speech recognition has been integrated with Dolbey's fusion voice digital dictation system and provides simple, yet functional integration to a company's existing document platform. This approach to applying back-end speech is being offered in a pay-as-you-go model to minimize up-front investment. Dolbey specializes in healthcare dictation, transcription, speech and coding products.
  • Rubbermaid Medical Solutions (RMS; Huntersville, North Carolina) reported the launch of a medication expansion pack for its M38 mobile computer cart line. This secure storage system, which is available for the recently released M38 powered and non-powered computer carts, creates a hybrid of traditional computer and medication carts. The cart line features are multiple drawer sizes, keyless entry system with PIN code management and a bar-code scanner. Rubbermaid Medical Solutions makes mobile carts and mobile computing solutions for healthcare facilities.