It's not uncommon for heart failure patients to receive an implanted medical device for their condition, but the devices typically used in these cases are pacemakers and defibrillators. Medtronic (Minneapolis) is trying to find out if a different type of device – a spinal cord stimulation (SCS), or neurostimulation device – might be an option for heart failure patients. (Medical Device Daily)

Instrumentation Laboratory (IL; Bedford, Massachusetts) said it has received FDA clearance for the first, rapid point-of-care, lab-quality blood test for measuring total bilirubin (tBili) in newborns. Bilirubin, a toxin, can, in high amounts, lead to irreversible brain injury in neonates, the company noted. (Medical Device Daily)

Researchers have been searching for a cure for cancer for centuries. Now, a team at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is developing a way to treat cancer by using lasers to light up tiny nanoparticles and destroy tumors with the ensuing heat. (Medical Device Daily)

According to the latest skin cancer research, African Americans and Hispanic groups are more likely to die from skin cancer than other groups. Marcy Street, MD, admits that the statistics "may be surprising to hear," but says there is "no disputing the evidence that these two minority groups run a much higher risk of being diagnosed with skin cancer in its later stages than other demographics." (Medical Device Daily)

As more and more surgical procedures shift toward becoming minimally invasive, the tools surgeons use to perform those procedures are becoming smaller and smaller. (Medical Device Daily)

Cardiac Science (Bothell, Washington) says it will replace roughly 24,000 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) used by emergency responders and certain medical facilities. The plan could add up to $15 million to the $18.5 million expense previously accrued for the November 2009 recall, the company reported. (Medical Device Daily)