• Siemens Medical Solutions Ultrasound Division (San Diego) reported the 5.0 release of their Acuson Antares ultrasound platform. The 5.0 release offers innovations in five clinical application areas, including breast and OB/GYN imaging. For OB/GYN applications, the Antares 5.0 release offers fourSight technology, a comprehensive suite of acquisition, rendering, and post-processing tools, and syngo Auto OB Measurements, to streamline and improve workflow. The ultrasound division of Siemens specials is women's health products.

• Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, Colorado) said it has filed an FDA 510(k) application for the clearance of its Turbo-Booster product, a deflecting sheath that facilitates treatment of blockages in the popliteal artery and superficial femoral artery, the main arteries at or above the knee, and is used with Spectranetics' existing peripheral atherectomy laser catheters. Spectranetics says it makes the only excimer laser approved in the U.S., Europe and Japan for use in multiple, minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures.

• SpinalMotion (Mountain View, California) reported long-term data from outside the U.S. for the first 100 lumbar disc patients and near completion of enrollment in the U.S. cervical trial. According to the published paper, 95% of disc implants were radiologically in the ideal position; post-operative hospitalization averaged 2.8 days; and all patients who were employed before surgery returned to work an average of 31 days after surgery. The clinical outcomes showed that 88 of the patients had good or excellent results after two years. A two-year follow-up period is planned for both trials. SpinalMotion is focused exclusively on spinal disc arthroplasty, developing technology designed to further enhance options for patients suffering from degenerative disc disease.

• Stereotaxis (St. Louis) said that it has developed a new single-screen user interface that provides a high level of interventional lab integration. The product, Odyssey, is a proprietary Stereotaxis design that consolidates multiple information sources and screens within an electrophysiology interventional lab into a single visual display. Typically, interventional physicians are faced with the challenge of interacting simultaneously with multiple systems and screens, and diverse sources of diagnostic and imaging information during a procedure. Stereotaxis makes an advanced cardiology instrument control system for use in a hospital's interventional surgical suite to enhance the treatment of coronary artery disease and arrhythmias.

• Synergetics USA (O'Fallon, Missouri) reported the first one-step chandelier for retina surgery. Prior to the Synergetics' Photon, retina surgery was performed by a surgeon who was holding a fiberoptic illuminator in one hand and an instrument in the other, the company says. With the advent of the Photon, Synergetics introduced the concept of a single fiber being "plugged into" the sclera (the white part of the eye), thereby providing wide field intraocular illumination and freeing up the surgeon's second hand to allow two-handed techniques. Synergetics USA makes devices for use primarily in ophthalmic surgery and neurosurgery.

• Teleflex Medical (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) reported launch of the ConchaTherm Neptune heated humidifier. Designed as a universal humidification system, Neptune is used with a variety of clinical applications, including invasive and non-invasive ventilation, high-flow cannula therapy, infant CPAP, heated aerosol therapy and oxygen hoods. Featuring a "Plug 'n' Play" design, the unit will automatically detect circuit type and respond accordingly, facilitating a quick setup. Neptune's Alarm Package is designed to maximize patient safety and minimize nuisance alarms and a control panel clearly and intuitively displays the source of alarms to facilitate troubleshooting. Teleflex Medical, a division of Teleflex Incorporated, is a supplier of disposable medical products, surgical instruments and medical devices.

• Toshiba America Medical Systems (Tustin, California) reported the completion of enrollment for 400 patients in its CorE 64 (Coronary Evaluation on 64) study taking place in seven countries, the largest trial ever initiated evaluating the use of 64-slice CT technology, the company said. The trial's enrollment completion signifies that the study of all patient participants has finished, resulting in the most statistically reliable data available to date. The trial investigates the use of multi-slice CT as the primary diagnostic tool for detecting cardiovascular diseases and disorders, as compared to cardiac catheterization, a costly, invasive technique. Toshiba America Medical Systems makes diagnostic imaging systems, and coordinates clinical diagnostic imaging research for all modalities in the U.S.