The U.S. FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to Masimo Corp. for its PVi software tool as a continuous, noninvasive, real-time indicator of fluid responsiveness in select populations of mechanically ventilated adults. PVi, which is an acronym for pleth variability index, quantifies the dynamic changes in perfusion index that occur in a patient during the respiratory cycle.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a massive effect on procedure volumes across the globe, but concerns over supply chains have prompted political officials in Washington to encourage domestic production of drugs. That approach is also in play in a number of nations in the Asia-Pacific region, said Sana Siddiqui of Decision Resources Group, who noted that Beijing wants hospitals in China to ensure that 70% of devices used there are domestically manufactured by 2025.

Two decades after the federal government jumpstarted U.S. R&D investment in its understanding and control of nanoscale matter, funding for the efforts across the government reached about $1.4 billion in fiscal 2020, part of a total cumulative investment of about $29 billion. Though FDA-budgeted nanotech research has accounted for just a fraction of that, at a modest $133 million since 2009, substantial advances have still been made, according to a presentation on the state of nanotech progress and innovation issued this summer.

The U.S. FDA has granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) to Baxter International Inc. for its HF20 Set and ST Set used in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two sets are intended for use with the company’s Prismaflex or Prismax CRRT monitors.