IndustryAndTravel
Hospital construction: challenging projects for good healthcare
17/03/2023
Building a hospital is a large project that involves many experts and countless workers and contractors. They are all coordinated to reach a common goal: a building that serves the wellbeing of patients. MEDICA exhibitor Axis Medical has a lot of experience with this – read more in our interview!
photovs
New ablation technology found safe, effective for atrial fibrillation
13/03/2023
A new ablation technology known as pulsed field ablation was successful at eliminating episodes of abnormal heart rhythms for 12 months in up to two-thirds of patients, according to a study.
Petra Ritter/BIH
European test infrastructure for AI and robotics in healthcare
09/03/2023
The Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI) is part of the EU project TEF-Health (Testing and Experimentation Facility for Health AI and Robotics), which aims to establish a test infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in healthcare.
svitlanah
HEARO cochlear implantation – microsurgery via robot
27/02/2023
Until now, robots have assisted surgeons in the operating room to enhance their capabilities. CASCINATION is a Swiss medical device company who has teamed up with MED-EL – the Innsbruck-based hearing implant company – to develop a system that can perform an autonomous cochlear implantation. Since then, HEARO has been successfully used – including at the Medical University of Vienna (MedUniWien).
University of Oklahoma
Researchers designing device to improve brain aneurysm treatment
03/02/2023
Under the direction of Chung-Hao Lee, Ph.D., at the University of Oklahoma, a five-year research project will lead to the design of a device that can be customized to better treat unique aneurysms, the irregular bulge in a blood vessel that can be deadly.
Wingborg/University of Gothenburg
Fewer surgically treated ankle fractures with clear-cut treatment routine
30/01/2023
It has been shown that the percentage of ankle fractures that undergo surgery could be substantially reduced, from more than 30 per cent to 10 in the most common type of fracture. The key is a clear-cut treatment routine that benefits both patients and caregivers, according to a doctoral dissertation at the University of Gothenburg.
Helpful hands redefined – Stäubli Tec-Systems GmbH
16/11/2022
Medical robots are on the advance: Highly precise, rigid or flexible, they also have to meet the criteria for sterile surgical conditions. At MEDICA 2022, we visit the stand of Stäubli Tec Systems and see for ourselves why robots can be the helping hand of surgeons.
WWU - Peter Leßmann
First completely robot-supported microsurgical operations on humans
24/08/2022
A team led by Dr. Maximilian Kückelhaus and Prof. Tobias Hirsch from the Centre for Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Münster has carried out the first completely robot-supported microsurgical operations on humans.
Precision work in the operating room – Minimally invasive surgery at MEDICA 2021
16/11/2021
The smaller the surgery, the more precise it has to be. That's why surgeons need high-precision technology for minimally invasive procedures. Robots are often already used in the OR to perform surgery with millimeter precision. At MEDICA 2021, we learn more about the status quo of technology that enables minimally invasive procedures.
OR equipment at MEDICA 2021: from operating tables to virtual reality
15/11/2021
Operating room equipment is not limited to operating tables and surgical lights, but also includes monitors and virtual reality. All this and much more awaits visitors at this year's MEDICA. You can get an insight into the various products here.
PantherMedia/ArturVerkhovetskiy
Identifying risks before surgery - with simple means
08/10/2021
Risks during surgery, especially cardiological risks, are still very high in the Western world. However, conventional methods for measuring such risks before surgery are costly or even not always meaningful. And increasing economization in hospitals also makes it more difficult for staff to find time for a comprehensive pre-op analysis.
Christian Morawe/Universitätsmedizin Magdeburg
Histotripsy: fighting tumors with microbubbles
08/09/2021
Focused ultrasound waves create microbubbles in a fluid – a phenomenon called cavitation. In a current study, this process is used to destroy liver tumors and metastases.
Universitätsklinikum Freiburg 2021
Bringing stents precisely to their destination with cardiac catheter robots
02/08/2021
Robots in the operating theatre are no longer a rarity in certain medical fields - they support and relieve doctors and sometimes they can make operations more efficient and easier with artificial intelligence (AI). However, they are rarely found in the operating theatre during cardiological interventions.
A look into the cardiovascular system: Possibilities of medical imaging
02/08/2021
A high degree of precision is required for operations involving the cardiovascular system. This is based on medical imaging. In practice, however, these still face a number of challenges that can impair image quality. The further development of imaging techniques represents a forward-looking field of research in order to be able to improve surgical treatment.
PantherMedia / benschonewille
Removing kidney stones thoroughly and without residue
13/07/2021
Kidney stones are a widespread disease. In order to be able to reliably remove even the smallest remnants of them, Purenum GmbH, a spin-off of Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, developed a gel that encloses small fragments and can then be removed without leaving any residue. This year, the product mediNiK was certified and is thus ready for the market.
Purenum GmbH
CE Mark for medical device for effective removal of kidney stones
28/06/2021
In December 2017, Purenum GmbH started its business as a spin-off of Fraunhofer IFAM. Its mission is to develop biomimetic adhesives for use in medical technology.
Hip replacement: virtual surgical training with haptic technology
01/04/2021
Surgeons have only limited options to practice surgical techniques before they enter the operating room. The implantation of an endoprosthesis requires extensive practical training since it necessitates strength and utmost precision. The "Dynamic HIPS" project develops a virtual reality hip implant simulator that provides realistic haptic feedback.
Digital twin heart – Computer model for an optimized therapy success
15/03/2021
Heart surgery is difficult even for experienced surgeons and therapeutical success is not always certain. Physicians need to rely on their experience when choosing and planning the correct intervention. A computer model could help them in the future: The digital twin heart could be fed with patient data and then simulate whether an intervention will be successful.
PantherMedia/ekkasit919
Exploring possible applications of robotic surgery
09/03/2021
Robotics has been gaining importance in many areas of life for years, not least in medicine. Robots are already being used in the operating room today, but they do not always play the leading role – a circumstance that will certainly change in the long term.
PantherMedia/chanawit
Atrial fibrillation: better outcomes with diamonds
15/12/2020
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots and trigger strokes. To correct the condition, physicians use medication or surgical intervention by means of catheter ablation. This surgical method on the beating heart is a standard and safe procedure but there is always room for improvement.
Robotic arms in the operating room – When the surgeon can work in a sitting position
23/11/2020
Surgeons do not only need much concentration, but also strength and endurance. Robotic arms under their control can do part of this work. Prof. (Saitama Med. Univ.) Dietmar Stephan from the St. Marien Hospital Siegen describes in our video, how controls and haptic feedback can make surgery with a robot easier.
PantherMedia/belahoche
Bionic prosthesis: easy to put on, intuitive to use
22/09/2020
Patients who receive a prosthesis after the amputation of a limb often have to train for weeks or months until they can control the technology and use it in everyday life without problems. At the Medical University of Vienna, the world's first bionic prosthesis has now been developed that has a closed control loop and enables immediate, intuitive use.
Fraunhofer IGD
Augmented reality ultrasound: putting the focus on patients
10/08/2020
This is how a conventional ultrasound scan works: patients lie down on a table next to the ultrasound machine. A doctor uses a probe to scan the part of the body in question, while he or she looks at the pictures on a monitor. In other words, the physician either focuses on his/her hand on the patient or the monitor. The Fraunhofer IGD wants to change this process as part of the "sonAR" project.
Innovative Robotic-Assisted Surgical Systems
04/05/2020
More compact, more flexibility, and more precision - these are the main characteristics developers strive for as they advance robotic-assisted surgical systems for the operating room. Several technology providers have already shown how it’s done, including the makers of the popular daVinci Surgical System. Yet for robotic-assisted systems, the sky is the limit.
Robotics in the OR: Relieving the surgeon
04/05/2020
In the operating room, minimally invasive procedures are increasingly used. Robot-assisted systems are a great help for the surgeon. They support the surgeon and are extremely precise. Through innovative research approaches, robotic systems are constantly evolving.
Robotic-Assisted Surgery with the daVinci-System
04/05/2020
Robotic surgical systems are often used to perform minimally invasive procedures. The daVinci surgical system is still one of the market leaders and is especially well suited to perform prostatectomies, a surgical option for prostate cancer.
Robots in the Operating Room: Improving Training and Safety
04/05/2020
Surgical robots are transforming the operating room. They deliver many benefits but also present new challenges. That is why the efficient handling of robotic mechanisms must also be reflected in the respective training courses.
Endoprostheses: between possibility and reality
01/01/2020
When natural joints lose their ability to function, they can be completely or partially replaced by artificial joints, also called endoprostheses. Endoprostheses must be of a certain quality, as they should remain in the body as long as possible. In addition to some risks, endoprostheses can also contribute to a mobile and carefree life for young and old.
Endoprosthetic surgery: modern and traditional approaches
01/01/2020
Surgery is required if you need an artificial joint. Patients and doctors must select the type of surgery that’s best suited and choose between robot-assisted, traditional or minimally invasive surgical approaches. Post-operative risks should be kept to a minimum, while benefits should outweigh any possible complications.
Endoprostheses: regaining independence and mobility
01/01/2020
Joints can suddenly or gradually deteriorate and lose their natural strength, whether it’s due to accidents, diseases or simple wear and tear. In some of these cases, implants of artificial joints – endoprostheses - can help. As a joint replacement, they are designed to stay in the body for as long as needed and as such improve the patient’s quality of life and mobility.
APRICOT-project: implant "help(s) patients heal themselves"
01/01/2020
Today, people tend to live longer, while an increasing number of patients suffer from osteoarthritis. Even younger generations are now at a higher risk of getting osteoarthritis due to the frequent use of mobile devices. The EU research project APRICOT aims to develop a novel type of implant for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hands – helping patients heal themselves.
Leibniz-IPHT/Sven Döring
Tumor excision: triple imaging for unique diagnostics
08/08/2019
After their tumor has been removed, some patients have to return to the hospital to undergo surgery again. That's because the tumor was not precisely identified and was subsequently not completely removed. That's both an ethical and financial dilemma. A new surgery-adjacent procedure is designed to rapidly and accurately detect tumors.
apoQlar
Virtual Surgical Intelligence: Microsoft Hololens in the OR
22/07/2019
Modern imaging opens news doors to surgeries. Yet it also poses major problems for surgeons: They use two-dimensional images to navigate through a three-dimensional surgical environment, while they continuously have to switch their focus back and forth between the images and the patient. Now help is on the way in the form of interactive 3D projections and mixed reality (MR).
Medtronic
VISUALASE: epilepsy surgery with the laser catheter
11/06/2019
Epilepsy patients are currently treated with either medication or surgical options. The aim is to remove the distinct regions of the brain that cause epileptic seizures. Laser ablation for epilepsy is a new, catheter-based surgical procedure that is now also available in Europe, preventing patients from having to undergo open brain surgery.
Functional imaging: what makes the brain tick?
01/04/2019
Our brain is the command center of our body. This is where all information and impressions are collected and converted into responses and movements. Modern imaging techniques offer physicians and researchers unique insights into the actions of the human central nervous system. The functional imaging technique allows them to watch our brain in action.
Brain mapping: preoperative planning with functional MRI
01/04/2019
A surgery already begins before the patient is lying on the operating table – namely with the planning. For example, if brain surgery is imminent, the brain must first be mapped. This makes the activity level of certain brain areas visible. Functional magnetic resonance imaging makes this possible.