• Analogic (Peabody, Massachusetts) has launched its Lifegard I non-invasive patient monitor for continuous monitoring as well as for single spot-check measurements of vital signs. The Lifegard I is successor to the company’s Lifegard patient monitor. The Lifegard I measures ECG, HR, SpO2, NIBP, and Predictive Temperature (optional), and has network communication capability with the Lifegard Vue Central Nurses’ Station. Designed primarily for continuous patient monitoring in low-acuity-care areas with full patient alarm capability, the device can also be employed as a stat- or spot-check monitor for use either in the physician’s office or from patient-to-patient within the ward. Analogic makes advanced health and security systems and subsystems sold primarily to original equipment manufacturers.

• CytoCore (Chicago) reported that it is ready to start manufacturing its e2 Collector sample retrieval device. CytoCore said it will start production on the e2 for clinical testing, FDA review and subsequent distribution worldwide. The company says that the sample-collecting device’s handle and balloon disposable component offer excellent performance comparison and distinct patient comfort improvement over the brush-and-spatula method currently used by doctors in taking routine Pap samples for the early screening of cervical cancer. The company’s immediate focus will be on a clinical trial, which should be completed within 90 days, with FDA review to follow shortly afterward and sales and distribution agreements anticipated both within the United States and abroad. CytoCore is a late-stage bio-scientific research company producing tools and testing for the early detection and diagnosis of reproductive cancers.

• Ophthonix (San Diego) has received its 14^th patent, including the diagnostic capabilities of the Z-View Aberrometer to profile the high-order aberrations of a patient’s eye with an algorithm. The high-order profile is used to manufacture the iZon High Resolution Lens, giving the patient high definition vision. The patent also covers the use of the high-order profile to generate a simulation of the high definition vision quality provided by the iZon Lens, for use by the practitioner in explaining the iZon Lens benefits to the patient. Ophthonix is an ophthalmic company marketing technology that enables patients to see with fully optimized vision.

• Synova Healthcare Group (Media, Pennsylvania) reported that Synova Pre-Natal Healthcare, a wholly owned subsidiary, and development partner BioPad have produced the initial set of antepartum fetal-movement monitors for use in their first “in-home” clinical trial. The device is designed to provide a non-invasive means of monitoring fetal movement during the last trimester of pregnancy without exposing either mother or fetus to radiant energy. Synova Healthcare Group, through its subsidiaries Synova Healthcare, Synova Pre-Natal Healthcare, and now Allendale Pharmaceuticals, produces non-invasive medical diagnostic tests and over-the-counter healthcare products to diagnose, monitor and/or treat certain woman’s healthcare conditions.