• BD Diagnostics (San Diego) reported that it has submitted to the FDA, for 510(k) clearance, the first assay for the rapid and simultaneous identification of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from patients with positive blood cultures. This assay will enable physicians to implement the right treatment at the right time for patients with bloodstream infections, transforming patient care and significantly reducing healthcare costs. The BD GeneOhm StaphSR assay is a test that is performed directly from positive blood cultures. BD specializes in improving drug therapy, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases, and advancing research and discovery of new drugs and vaccines.

• Draeger Medical (Telford, Pennslyvania) reported initial implementation of its newest ventilation system, the Oxylog 3000, at Lee County MEDSTAR Flight Operations. MEDSTAR, a division of Lee County Emergency Medical Services, serves as the primary air medical transport service for Lee County in Fort Myers, Florida, and is staffed with two critical care flight paramedics and an EMT/pilot. The aircraft is equipped with the latest Advanced Life Support (ALS) equipment, which includes Draeger's Oxylog 3000. Draeger offers products, services and integrated CareArea solutions throughout the patient care process — emergency, perioperative, critical, perinatal, and home care.

• Impac Medical Systems (Las Vegas) launched its new unified cancer registry product, Metriq, at the 2007 IMPAC Cancer Registry Users Meeting. "What METRIQ users gain from this product release extends beyond the basic cancer registry needs to provide a flexible system that can be configured for the unique needs of cancer programs. We've designed the framework to support full integration with oncology data management systems so our customers can optimize the information that they track for further outcomes analysis, bridging today's current needs with our future vision of cancer registry data management," said James Hoey, president/CEO of Impac. Impac provides IT solutions for oncology.

• Innocoll (Ashburn, Virginia) reported that following a pre-investigational new drug (IND) application meeting, FDA has accepted it's proposal to commence the development of its CollaRx gentamicin surgical implant in the U.S. at phase III. The implant is a biodegradable leave-behind surgical implant impregnated with the broad spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic, gentamicin. The product was developed using Innocoll's collagen-based technology, CollaRx, and is indicated for the treatment and prevention of post-operative acquired infections in both hard and soft tissues. Innocoll is a privately-held specialty pharmaceutical company.

• Medela (Chicago) launched its Invia healing system, a negative pressure wound therapy system used to safely and effectively heal chronic and acute wounds. The system includes the Medela-manufactured Vario 18 AC/DC c/i aspirator pump, which applies a gentle negative pressure to the wound, and an advanced wound dressing kit that controls infection and promotes healing. Invia can be used to heal various types of wounds including diabetic/neuropathic and pressure wounds; chronic, acute and dehisced wounds; partial-thickness burns; and flaps and grafts. Medela is a medical technology and breastfeeding organization.

• MyMedicalRecords.com (Los Angeles) reported a new suite of features including including spanish and japanese. Users can select which language they want the service presented, either on the home page or via their account profile, and all captions, labels and text on the site will instantaneously change. The system allows users and their medical providers to fax records into their secure, password-protected account through a personal "lifeline" telephone number. The system digitizes and stores these records as encrypted, unalterable PDF files. Accounts can include a range of medical records from patient charts, doctor's notes, lab reports, prescriptions and immunization records. Images, such as X-rays, EKGs, CT scans and MRI's can be uploaded into the account directly from the user's computer. MyMedicalRecords.com is a web-based service for secure and confidential storage of personal health records and important documents.

• Raymedica (Minneapolis) reported that it will present first phase clinical results from a 10-patient clinical evaluation of it's new HydraFlex nucleus arthroplasty system at the 7th Annual Spine Arthroplasty Society (SAS7) Conference in Berlin, Germany. Raymedica is evaluating the benefits of the HydraFlex for patients with early degenerative disc disease. Raymedica specializes in nucleus arthroplasty.

• SPO Medical (Woodland Hills, California) said that it is now shipping its commercially available version of the PulseOx 7500 that is supported by the Profox Oximetry Software. The PulseOx 7500 is a wrist-mounted oximetry system and is the first home screening device to monitor the vital signs of people experiencing sleep disorder symptoms, such as sleep apnea. The device includes a finger-tip sensor which measures oxygen saturation and heart rate, storing the data in the wrist-mounted unit. Data is collected and stored overnight while the wearer sleeps in the comfort of his or her home; the next morning, the data are downloaded by the family care or general practitioner for analysis using sleep apnea reporting software. SPO Medical makes biosensor and microprocessor technologies for use in portable monitoring devices.