A Medical Device Daily

Guardian Technologies International (Herndon, Virginia) is partnering with Delft Diagnostic Imaging (Veenendaal, the Netherlands) so that Guardian’s Signature Mapping computer-aided-detection with visualization software will be integrated into the Delft Odelca-DR digital chest X-ray system. The product will provide mass screening of patients and the digital storing, transmission and diagnostic viewing of images. The system was designed with special attention to the clinical imaging requirements for detection of tuberculosis (TB) in the developing world.

Deployment of the digital chest X-ray system will address the shortage of qualified health care technicians and diagnostic radiologists, reducing costs associated with screening chest X-rays, and delivering immediate diagnostic information to screeners.

Guardian also reported an alliance with Aurum Institute for Health Research (Johannesburg, South Africa) to create an automated imaging analysis system for the early identification and quantification of tuberculosis, malaria and pneumoconiosis which is also targeted for deployment in developing nations.

Under the agreement, Guardian and Aurum’s scientists will work to perfect the use of the Signature Mapping imaging technology to automatically detect, identify, and quantify the bacteria that causes TB and the parasites that cause malaria.

“We are very fortunate to be in a position where the results of our recently announced joint research efforts with the Aurum Institute will now have the global distribution network of such a well-respected health care technology company as Rogan-Delft,” said Bill Donovan, Guardian’s president/COO. “According to the World Health Organization, over $1 billion is spent every year on TB diagnosis with chest X-rays. We believe that Signature Mapping will significantly enhance the ability of radiologists and clinicians to interpret chest X-rays accurately, and to provide immediate drug therapies to address TB, potentially stifling further outbreaks.”

In other agreement news:

• Cerner (Kansas City, Missouri) inked a nine-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA, Washington, DC) to use the Cerner Millennium PathNet laboratory information system in more than 150 hospitals and 800 clinics in the VA system.

“Looking to increase patient safety in its clinical laboratories, the VA has made the decision to use the Cerner PathNet solution, embracing the new technology also chosen by the Department of Defense for its laboratories,” said Mike Valentine, Cerner executive vice president. “This coordinated strategy will help both agencies to better serve all U.S. veterans.”

The Millennium system automates both the clinical and managerial sides of the lab. The PathNet system tracks specimens from collection through testing and storage, and it helps unify workflow through bar codes, robotics and instrument interfaces. In addition to streamlining workflow in the laboratory, PathNet can reduce turnaround times through automatic verification and reporting. The system is designed to simplify the process of entering results, tracking repeat entries and corrections.

This will be the largest implementation of PathNet to date for Cerner and it means that clinical laboratories for all service members, past and present, will be operating on the same information software.

• AlloSource (Centennial, Colorado) said it has entered into a licensing agreement with Keratec (Canterbury, New Zealand) to jointly develop a DBM putty using Keratec’s Keragraft technology.

Development and market approvals from the FDA are expected to take six to nine months and AlloSource plans to have the new product available in 3Q08.

“Adding this product to our offering fills out the continuum of bone growth substitutes that AlloSource offers,” said Kevin Cmunt, AlloSource executive VP. “We believe the combination of allograft tissue and Keragraft will produce superior bone healing products, giving patients impressive results leading to quicker recovery times and the reduction of additional treatment needs.”

The Keragraft bone healing products use the same technology as Keratec’s Functional Keratin range of medical and personal care technologies. The technology extracts natural keratin, a main constituent in skin and hair, from New Zealand wool in a form that preserves its natural biological function of promoting cell strength and recovery. Keragraft materials will provide surgeons with a product to fill bone cavities following procedures such as the removal of bone cancer or a hip replacement.

• Sysmex America (Mundelein, Illinois) reported a three-year, dual source hematology contract with Amerinet (St. Louis), a health care group purchasing organization that has 2,200 acute-care hospital members. Those members have immediate purchasing/leasing access to Sysmex hematology analyzers, reagents, consumables and services.

The contract follows a urinalysis contract agreement with Amerinet inked in August.

• Biotronik (Lake Oswego, Oregon) reported a distribution agreement with MedSource (Stillwater, Minnesota) that will allow the Biotronik sales force to begin distributing patient monitoring equipment and diagnostic devices.

The agreement allows Biotronik to represent the MedSource MultiView Holter, which provides signal-averaged, late potential analysis as well as multi-mode, multi-channel, multi-day recordings. Other products included in this deal are automatic external defibrillators, an ambulatory blood pressure monitor, and Holter software products.