• Direct Medical Systems (San Francisco) has released a low-cost ultrasound system, the InNovaSound, a hand-held device that can be used during a typical outpatient visit. Immediate results can mean the difference between a prolonged life and a shortened one. The company said the InNovaSound system “represents progress and potential to improve the quality of the physician examinations, which has been virtually unchanged for 200 years.” It said the system can provide “truly portable” ultrasound to the patients’ bedside. InNovaSound also can be used to obtain more information before ordering other diagnostic tests, thus reducing the number of unnecessary tests, as well as increasing workflow efficiency and system utilization in imaging departments.

• IRIS International (Chatsworth, California) said that its sample processing division has initiated shipments of its new, high speed, horizontal centrifuge, the StatSpin Express 4. The StatSpin uses a horizontal rotor for separating gel tubes in just minutes and replaces larger and slower, batch centrifuges by reducing sample preparation time and streamlining laboratory workflow. This new product platform enables Iris Sample Processing entry into the high volume chemistry test market and further application expansion in blood and body fluids. IRIS International makes automated IVD urinalysis systems.

• MGB Endoscopy (Berlin, Germany), in partnership with AltaSens (Thousand Oaks, California), reported the introduction of the MD-V camera, a high-definition video surgical instrument that delivers images with high resolution and high sensitivity at a real-time 60-fps frame rate. The companies said the MD-V is the world’s first HD endoscopy camera based on CMOS sensor technology, and it meets all practical and regulatory requirements. The MD-V can be deployed in even the most sterile operating rooms. The instrument head is fully qualified to sustain repeated sterilization cycles using disinfectant solutions and steam sterilization. The camera leverages AltaSens’ ProCamHD 2462 imaging System-on-Chip sensor, including its full video resolution of 1280 (H) x 720 (V) pixels, integrated 12-bit A-to-D conversion, and low-noise delivery of the full HD video via its patented Tapered-Reset technology.

• Royal Philips Electronics (Andover, Massachusetts) reported North American commercial availability of the next release of Philips Xcelera, a clinically-advanced, multi-modality image management, physician reporting and information distribution system. Philips’ enhanced Xcelera solution organizes and provides access to images and data from key cardiology subspecialties, including echocardiography, cardiovascular ultrasound, nuclear cardiology, cardiac CT, cardiac MR, cardiac catheterization, and electrophysiology, as well as direct links to ECG studies. The Xcelera solution facilitates the process of documenting the patient’s medical condition, as derived from these clinical tests, into a secure, centralized electronic system. As the patient moves through the care continuum, Xcelera manages and distributes the diverse test results, supporting collaboration amongst physicians to achieve better clinical outcomes.

• StatSure Diagnostic Systems (Framingham, Massachusetts) said that the FDA has approved a waiver under the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) for an HIV 1/2 rapid test employing the company’s patented “barrel” technology. The HIV 1/2 product is marketed and distributed worldwide by Inverness Medical Innovations (Waltham, Massachusetts) under its Clearview brand as Clearview COMPLETE HIV 1/2. Specifically, the test has been waived for use in detecting HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies in human whole blood, serum, and plasma and demonstrates a sensitivity of 99.7% and a specificity of 99.9% in clinical trials. StatSure Diagnostic Systems makes rapid immunoassay tests for the detection of sexually transmitted and other infectious diseases.

• SonoSite (Bothell, Washington), reported the introduction of the S-Cath visualization tool, a specialized ultrasound device designed to meet the specific point-of-care imaging and procedural guidance needs of interventional radiologists and cardiologists. Its available suite of curved, linear and phased array transducers cover a range of guidance for interventional procedures such as line placement, biopsy, dialysis access, stent placement, femoral and other vascular access and fluid drainage as well as abdominal and cardiovascular imaging applications. With standard VESA-compliant mounting capabilities, the system offers a zero footprint option for crowded interventionalist suites and cath labs. It can be mounted adjacent to other imaging modalities and moved in and out of the physician’s line of sight as needed. SonoSite makes hand-carried ultrasound devices.