• CardioTech International (Wilmington, Massachusetts) said it has received all necessary approvals to add a second medical center for the clinical trial of CardioPass, the company's synthetic coronary bypass graft. CardioPass is designed to be an effective alternative for patients who have undergone repeat procedures or have insufficient native vessels for bypass. Repeat surgeries account for up to 20% of all bypass procedures. CardioPass is made from ChronoFlex, the company's proprietary biodurable medical-grade polymer and engineered to be pulsatile, biostable, torque-resistant and suturable. Once it is implanted, the graft's polymer construction allows it to incorporate the patient's own cells and tissue, so that the inner surface mimics the normal environment for blood contact. ChronoFlex has also been specially formulated to be flexible, enabling CardioPass to pulse like a human vein would as it carries blood to the heart. CardioTech International makes advanced polymer materials and manufacturer of medical products for the treatment and diagnosis of a broad range of disease states.

• Varian (Palo Alto, California) has introduced its 600-IR series of FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectrometers, microscopes and imaging solutions, a series comprising a range of products for both routine analyses and advanced research applications. FT-IR spectroscopy provides an analytical tool to identify or characterize samples in a range of applications, from QA/QC testing of raw materials in pharmaceutical laboratories to the detection of trace amounts of explosives or narcotics in forensic analysis. FT-IR spectroscopy also has the ability to reveal the chemical fingerprint of a material, even in mixtures, allowing multiple materials to be identified simultaneously. Varian makes technologies for life science and industry.

• Verathon (Bothell, Washington) is expanding its BladderScan bladder volume instrument product line, reporting a new small-child mode for the BVI 9400 bladder volume instrument. Small-child mode enables healthcare providers to measure bladder volume noninvasively on children weighing less than 60 pounds and standing less than 48 inches high with the same instrument used for adult patients. This enhanced BladderScan BVI 9400 features a color console, improved aiming, on-board video tutorials and an array of exam recording options. Verathon specializes in urology and primary care devices.