A Medical Device Daily

Luna Innovations (Roanoke, Virginia) reported that it has entered a joint marketing alliance with Terumo Cardiovascular Systems (Terumo CVS). Luna and Terumo CVS will market Luna’s EDAC (Emboli Detection and Classification) Quantifier for clinical use in the U.S.

Terumo CVS is a supplier of products for cardiopulmonary bypass.

“Luna has a track record of successfully developing products for key target markets, and this agreement with Terumo CVS expands our presence in the medical devices market consistent with our business model, which focuses on the commercialization of our proprietary technologies and intellectual property,” said Kent Murphy, Luna’s chairman/CEO. “While the dynamic quantification of micro gaseous emboli during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery is not presently the global standard of care, the acceptance and widespread adoption of our technology will continue to raise the bar in patient care.”

Luna said that its EDAC Quantifier is the only full-featured, standalone emboli detection system to receive clearance from the FDA on the market. This cardiopulmonary instrument uses quantitative ultrasound technology to non-invasively detect gaseous emboli in up to three extracorporeal bypass circuit lines. Luna’s product provides repeatable, accurate measurement of gaseous emboli previously not quantifiable by the surgical team.

Gaseous emboli are air bubbles, variable in size and consistency, which are created during invasive medical procedures such as cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and valve replacements. Many researchers and clinicians agree that one of the most significant risks associated with emboli is the potential for brain damage caused by gaseous micro emboli which can be introduced into the cerebral blood flow during such procedures.

In other agreements:

• Vital Images (Minneapolis), a provider of enterprise-wide advanced visualization and analysis solutions, reported that it has renewed its marketing and distribution agreement with Medicsight (London), a developer of computer-aided detection technologies and image analysis software.

The partnership gives Vital Images’ customers access to enhanced tools for the detection of suspicious regions within colorectal scans with the integration of Medicsight’s ColonCAD software into the Vitrea solution.

Jay Miller, Vital Images president/CEO, said, “We believe that virtual colonoscopy will become an increasingly important tool in diagnosing and treating colon cancer, and adding tools to increase efficiency in reading CT colon scans by offering the Medicsight ColonCAD functionality is a great benefit to our customers and their patients.”

The Medicsight ColonCAD product is currently available in Europe, Canada and Australia and will be available in the US pending FDA clearance. Vitrea software is Vital Images’ visualization solution that creates 2-D, 3-D and 4-D images of human anatomy from CT (computed tomography) and MR (magnetic resonance) image data.

• Unilens Vision (Largo, Florida) and Eschenbach Optik (Ridgefield, Connecticut) reported that Eschenbach Optik has been named the exclusive worldwide distributor of the UniVision Low Vision Lens.

Eschenbach Optik of America will serve as the exclusive distributor for North and South America and Eschenbach Optik GmbH + Co will be the exclusive distributor in the rest of the world.

The UniVision Low Vision Lens is a 22 mm acrylic lens that can be adhered to the surface of any eyewear. It provides the low vision practitioner with the ability to turn any eyewear into a high-quality, prescription-corrected microscopic solution for their visually impaired patient in a matter of minutes, according to the company. In addition, the simple application process for the UniVision Low Vision Lens allows the candidate to try the lens on their eyewear in the position desired before permanent adhesion and purchase.

Eschenbach is a manufacturer of high-quality magnification solutions including magnifiers, telescopes, contrast-enhancing filters and video magnifiers that are sold through professionals serving the visually impaired.

• Premier Purchasing Partners (Charlotte, North Carolina) reported that B. Braun Medical of (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) has been awarded a new agreement for safety IV catheters, joining BD (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey) and Smiths Medical ASD (Keene, New Hampshire), whose agreement awards were previously reported.

Effective Oct. 1, the agreements enabled discounted pricing on safety IV catheters to all acute and continuum of care members of the Premier alliance.

Premier says it is the largest healthcare alliance in the U.S., serving 1,700 hospitals and more than 47,000 other healthcare sites.