microgen@gmail.com
Digital nose facilitates early detection and diagnosis
22/06/2022
Many diseases can be treated successfully if they are diagnosed early. Research into a “digital (electronic) nose” is one promising development to facilitate early detection and diagnosis. That’s because body odors and their molecular composition are an early indicator of various diseases that often remain undetected in the early stages.
sportpoint74
Technology in sports – the importance of striking the right balance between unlimited power and powerlessness
08/06/2022
Wearables, smart textiles, or the oft-cited video assistant referee – technology has become an integral part of the professional sports world. But what happens when technology gains the upper hand?
ZHAW Departement Gesundheit, Bewegungslabor
Rehabilitation after sports injury: Gamification of exercises in the ExerCube
01/06/2022
Returning to a sport after injury can be demanding and arduous as athletes often need to undergo lengthy rehabilitation. Yet even after they have physically recovered from their injury, some may experience mental issues that can make it difficult to return to play and competition. Exercises that combine physical and mental training and challenges in a game setting can be an effective solution.
Sleepiz AG
Sleep screening: Sleepiz is your contactless at-home sleep laboratory
23/05/2022
People around the world suffer from sleep disorders. Some conditions like sleep apnea or chronic respiratory disease can lead to serious health problems. Patients require medical long-term monitoring, but it’s currently not an easy feat. Graduates of ETH Zurich and the University of St. Gallen plan to change that and developed Sleepiz.
3Digity
Finger orthosis: Custom fit with 3D printing
10/05/2022
Following an injury or surgery, orthotics are key components of the recovery and rehabilitation process. The University spin-off 3Digity designs 3D-printed customized finger orthoses to foster rehabilitation as custom orthotics can drastically speed up the recovery process.
Fraunhofer IST/Paul Kurze
Cold plasma: Contactless disinfection of surfaces
02/05/2022
One of the most time-consuming tasks in hospitals is the manual cleaning and disinfection of high touch points and surfaces such as door handles, buttons, and switches. These are areas where microorganisms are spread by direct skin contact. The “MobDi – Mobile Disinfection” research project is developing a robot that automatically cleans and disinfects these areas. It will use cold plasma.
Nico Arnold | diafyt MedTech
Managing diabetes with diafyt thanks to self-learning and smart technology
22/04/2022
We all make mistakes from time to time or forget to do things. But people with diabetes can have serious health problems if they miscalculate or inject the wrong insulin dose. A research team from the Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden) and a startup from Leipzig aim to make living with diabetes easier.
PantherMedia / Marushy99
FFP2, N95, and KN95 masks: Does wearing them affect endurance and athletic performance?
08/04/2022
Does wearing a mask diminish athletic performance? Do we fatigue faster while wearing a face mask during exercise? Our subjective perception might suggest that a mask or face covering restricts us. A study by the University of Wuppertal explored the physiological effects of wearing KN95 or FFP2 (European Union standard) face masks.
PantherMedia / Wavebreakmedia
Treating chronic pain phases with an AI-powered app
05/04/2022
The treatment of chronic and acute pain phases centers on the patient’s pain profile. The treatment strategies must be flexible to facilitate customized adjustments. The AI-powered pain treatment solution by medicalmotion offers support and makes individualized exercise recommendations to manage the individual needs of pain patients with neuromusculoskeletal disorders.
TUM
Telediagnostic solutions: expert exams with no physical contact
01/04/2022
Applications of telemedicine surged in popularity in efforts to reduce the COVID-19 infection risk for both medical professionals and patients. Unfortunately, the services typically lack a proper diagnostic option.
PantherMedia/kleberpicui
Respiratory diseases: "AI helps patients track symptom severity"
01/04/2022
When they are presented with respiratory disease, physicians listen to the lungs and airways to assess the sound of the patient’s breath and cough. Artificial intelligence now helps patients with respiratory diseases even outside of the doctor’s office: "ResGuard Med" monitors coughing during the night, detects the worsening of symptoms and issues an alert.
PantherMedia/happysuthida
Dementia: "We want to achieve earlier diagnosis for more people"
29/03/2022
As we get older, we tend to become more forgetful, sometimes strange or even confused and overwhelmed by everyday life. But is it always just the age? With an increasing lifespan, the possibility to suffer from a cognitive disease at one point is also increasing. The majority of cognitive diseases is never diagnosed.
videoreality GmbH
Chronic pain: Virtual Reality helps alter pain perception
22/03/2022
The cause of chronic back pain can be hard to find. Pain sufferers are typically advised to embark on regular exercise, combined with physical therapy and pain management training to overcome potential psychological and emotional factors. Virtual reality applications could become an innovative treatment tool in this setting – targeting pain perception right in the brain.
PantherMedia / Andriy Popov
How prepared are we to treat patients with Long COVID?
15/03/2022
Most people who have been treated for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) recover completely within a few weeks. But for some people, symptoms can persist, requiring treatment for what is known as long COVID. The goal is to find better treatment options and implement them in rehabilitation centers.
PantherMedia / Andriy Popov
Increasing cyber security awareness of hospital staff
08/03/2022
Medical facilities are considered a critical infrastructure sector. Staff members must receive regular cyber security training to ensure proper IT infrastructure management and prevent shortfalls in medical care.
Single-use catheter reprocessing in electrophysiology
01/03/2022
Catheter ablation is a way to treat irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation. Although catheters are classified as single-use or disposable devices, the complex instruments can be reused multiple times thanks to extensive reprocessing.
Universitätsklinikum Bonn (UKB)/J.F. Saba
Retina chip: Implant helps with age-related macular degeneration
01/03/2022
People who suffer from partial or total loss of vision caused by illness must use assistive technology to replace their sense of sight. In recent years, implants offered hope of restoring limited functional vision. Now an innovative microchip designed to help with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is currently undergoing international testing.
PantherMedia/photographee.eu
Diagnostics as a service: stroke prevention with the dpv-ritmo system
01/03/2022
Atrial Fibrillation is the most common type of persistent heart arrhythmia, affecting around half a million Germans alone. People with atrial fibrillation have a greater risk for ischemic stroke, making early and effective treatment critical to prevent serious complications. Unfortunately, many patients don’t even know they have atrial Fibrillation.
PantherMedia / Fotofabrika
How to reduce plastic waste: innovative process promises recycling of single-use face masks
01/03/2022
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the use of disposable face masks. Discarding them has become an environmental challenge on a global scale. This has prompted the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT to develop an innovative recycling process for used plastics.
Gabriel Salg/Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Using 3D printing to create insulin-producing cells
22/02/2022
3D printing opens a world of endless possibilities – for both industrial and medical applications. A cross-national project recently created tissue that produces insulin, spelling hope for patients with diabetes.
PantherMedia / Wavebreakmedia ltd
Better management of hospital resources in pandemic times through DNA measurement
15/02/2022
For nearly two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has kept a firm grip on the world and caused many intensive care units to hit full capacity. It would help medical professionals tremendously if they could make a reliable prognosis the moment patients are hospitalized. cfDNA screening could play an important role in the assessment of COVID-19 severity in patients.
Phil Hubbe/ZKN
Konectom: App supports self-management of Multiple Sclerosis
08/02/2022
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous systems that requires regular checkups with the neurologist every three months. However, an exacerbation of MS, also known as a flare-up, can occur between these appointments. The Konectom smartphone app aims to close this diagnostic gap.
PantherMedia/nialowwa
Digital recruiting – A generational issue
01/02/2022
Overworked, underpaid and – from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic – underappreciated. It is no wonder nobody wants to work in hospitals anymore. Today’s hospitals must get creative to attract skilled healthcare professionals. Facilities can use digital technologies to appeal to and hire future talent. Unfortunately, many human resources departments have not yet embraced this approach.
AI: Automating healthcare workforce planning
01/02/2022
The shortage of healthcare workers is a social challenge that must be properly addressed. Pradtke GmbH teamed up with the Bochum Institute of Technology gGmbH and contec GmbH in the research project titled "AI-powered healthcare workforce planning and management" (KI-unterstützte Personaleinsatzplanung und-steuerung im Gesundheitswesen, KI-PEPS).
PantherMedia/stockdevil_666
Computed tomography: Digital signals with photon-counting CT
01/02/2022
Does medicine get digital when we scan in diagnostic findings and digitize them in the process? It obviously is more efficient to record data directly in digital form, but not all diagnostic tools have this option. Computed tomography has now made enormous progress in this area: Unlike conventional CT technology, the new photon-counting CT directly creates digital image data.
PantherMedia/happysuthida
AI-driven laboratory diagnostics with medicalvalues
25/01/2022
Lab results are often complex and not easy to interpret. For many diseases, a medical diagnosis requires the analysis and combination of different values. That’s why one of the themes at the MEDICA LABMED FORUM at MEDICA 2021 highlighted "Integrative and AI-driven diagnostics" - and illustrated how AI can help interpret laboratory results and values.
TU Hamburg/Institut Smart Sensors
Ballistocardiography: Cardiac monitoring of astronauts
24/01/2022
It is an exciting time for space exploration: Will there be more space stations, lunar outposts, or Mars missions in the future? No matter where they are in space, lack of gravity causes astronauts to lose muscle mass during their missions. Even the fittest among them lose heart muscle. An experiment on the International Space Station (ISS) plans to detect whether sensors show heart changes.
PantherMedia / marilyna
Climate Change: "Meat Should be Reserved for Special Occasions"
18/01/2022
The global food system today directly and indirectly impacts personal and planetary health and burdens the health care system and climate as a result. Rethinking our diet and food choices and using technology can make a lasting difference on the health of people and our planet.
PantherMedia / MyVector
Successful Strategies to Enter the Medical Market in Africa
11/01/2022
There are many factors to consider when you plan to enter the medical market in another country. Every country requires different market entry strategies – and countries in Africa are no exception.
Universität des Saarlandes
Coronavirus: Using odors to detect an infection
10/01/2022
Rapid COVID-19 tests can be rather uncomfortable as samples are typically collected with a deep nasal or throat swab. Scientists now explore an alternative to rapid diagnostic tests based on a patient’s breath.
Reactive Robotics
Robotics in Intensive Care Units: "Stand Patients up on Their Feet and Let Them Walk"
04/01/2022
Robotics have made their way into many areas in healthcare. So far, intensive care units had not utilized robotic systems. Now there is an application that facilitates ICU care tasks.
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Machine Perfusion: Increasing the Safety of Marginal Organ Transplants
03/01/2022
The shortage of donor organs is a major global issue. An aging population, a reluctance towards organ donation, and logistical challenges related to organ shipping play an important role in this setting. Machine perfusion can be a way to expand and preserve the donor pool for eligible transplant recipients.Interviews 2022
01/01/2022
PantherMedia / bbmassieu
Health Equity: How digitalization can promote global health access
17/12/2021
Scissors symbolize a gap and problems in today’s society. One of them is global health inequalities: While developed countries tend to have a surplus of doctors and medical professionals, people with medical problems in low-income countries must often travel hundreds of miles before they find access to health services.
Glaucoma: Microimplant monitors intraocular pressure
01/12/2021
Chronic conditions require close monitoring to ensure a successful therapeutic outcome. Unfortunately, patients aren't always able to perform their own measurements and the exam intervals between appointments are frequently too long. An innovative implant is designed to address this gap in glaucoma care and treatment and enable patients to make intraocular pressure measurements on their own.
PantherMedia / Romaset
Fostering Digital Health Competency Skills with Continuing Education
01/12/2021
Digital health solutions play an increasingly important role among physicians and healthcare professionals, which means they must gain the relevant competency skills to succeed in this area. The digital transformation of the healthcare sector has opened many new opportunities that are now permeating the work of medical professionals.
PantherMedia / Sorapop Udomsri
Healthcare: "The digital transformation has only just begun"
09/11/2021
The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to rethink the healthcare system: It gave way to contactless services over the phone or the internet. Why would we not continue to take advantage of this once the crisis will be over? The MEDICA ECON FORUM by TK at MEDICA 2021 will address this subject.
Health2Sync
AI in healthcare: How to build a technology ecosystem
02/11/2021
Taiwan has long been a model for the implementation and use of new technologies. It is thus only natural that Taiwanese companies are forerunners when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare. This is also one of the topics of this year’s MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM.
New Work in Healthcare
02/11/2021
Working remotely, flexible work arrangements, and digital tools for work support – all these aspects are part of the New Work concept. It's a term that most of us are familiar with, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. MEDICA 2021 will highlight how these concepts can be implemented in healthcare on Thursday, November 18, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the MEDICA HEALTH IT FORUM.
Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann
MEDICA 2021: Return to the fair halls!
02.11.2021
The last year was quite different, since MEDICA had to take place online due to the Corona pandemic – but in 2021 we return to the fair halls in Düsseldorf again! There are not only about 2.900 exhibitors from 70 nations expecting you, but also a rich program in our forums and conferences. We took an advanced peek on some of the exciting highlights for you in our Topic of the Month.
PantherMedia/phovoir (YAYMicro)
Digital transitional care management - with CareNext
22/10/2021
Some patients need continued inpatient or outpatient care after they have been officially discharged from the hospital after treatment. Finding an acceptable discharge placement to ensure continuity of care is a very time-consuming process for hospitals. A team of young entrepreneurs has created a solution to this problem with its “CareNext” platform, which it will showcase at MEDICA 2021.
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.
Image: The KUKA robot sorts blood samples according to the color of their cap; Copyright: LT Automation
Fast, accurate, automatic: Simplifying workflows with laboratory robots
01/10/2021
Unpacking and sorting of blood samples from general practitioners is a monotonous and time-consuming task. The Aalborg University Hospital has now automated the process: Up to 3000 blood samples every day are unpacked and sorted by two lab robots provided by LT Automation. Furthermore, the samples are temperature monitored and tracked, using the Intelligent Transport Boxes.
PantherMedia/Andriy Pipov
Everyday physical activity: out of shape thanks to the Corona pandemic?
22/09/2021
Social distancing, working from home, limited social activities: the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many people to become more inactive, sedentary, and therefore more susceptible to ailments. Simple fitness programs and regular exercises can help counteract the negative effects of inertness. And paradoxical as it may sound, the pandemic also gives us the chance to get moving again.
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.
PantherMedia/I_am_Daniel
Running: how to prevent injuries with sensors and AI
01/09/2021
The most common injury that affects runners stems from overuse, not falls. Early warning signs include changes in motion. Successful injury prevention could pick up on this aspect by detecting and responding to these deviations at an early stage. It is the focus of the "Smart Injury Prevention" project.
simplinic GmbH
Easing the burden on healthcare personnel: bed sensors facilitate fast location of available hospital beds
23/08/2021
One lesson the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us is hospitals are short on staff and time is a most valuable and scarce resource in health care that should not be wasted. That is why it only makes sense to automate repetitive and recurring tasks that are big time wasters and keep hospital staff from doing more important work.
PantherMedia/photographee.eu
Stroke rehabilitation: regaining arm movement with nerve stimulation
09/08/2021
Stroke rehabilitation exercises are essential to regain mobility and strength in the body. Each patient recovers lost skills and function differently. A recent study has now examined how vagus nerve stimulation with electrical impulses during stroke rehab could improve arm mobility.
SWIR Imaging: The Power of Multi-Color Real-Time Technology
02/08/2021
Image-guided surgery is based on medical imaging. However, past imaging technologies performed while the patient is awake cannot deliver a complete view that facilitates a visual differentiation of structures such as blood vessels and nerve tracts. In a study, scientists developed a non-invasive imaging modality that enables multiplexing, deep tissue penetration, and real-time resolution.
Universität Augsburg
Learning at your own pace: virtual patients in medical education
22/07/2021
As an important part of their education, medical students learn clinical skills by practicing on patients. Unfortunately, this was sometimes not an option amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The solution? Training with virtual patients. Even post-pandemic, they are a great learning tool for future medical professionals.
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.
Orthopedic technology: 3D scanners change the industry
01/07/2021
Orthopedic technology involves taking a measurement of a specific body part and then creating a medical device, be it prosthesis or orthosis, that fits. While optical scanners are already used for some of these measurements, others are still performed through manual labor and craft to create molds of the body. 3D scanners are changing this.
PantherMedia/DragosCondreaW
Population health management: networking versus data silos
22/06/2021
Data silos still prevail in the German health care system: providers store and collect patient data for their own purposes, making it not available to the entire organization. Many still mainly share this data in analog form. Comprehensive, integrated delivery networks would make many practices easier.
PantherMedia/rogerphoto
Accelerating digitization of hospitals through innovation
10/06/2021
Helping hospitals in Germany build a long-term digitization strategy - that is the declared goal of the young founding team of the innovation go platform, which started at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. The project is funded by EXIST, a support program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).
Point-of-care tests: rapid diagnosis in emergency situations
01/06/2021
In emergency medicine, a faster diagnosis leads to a faster treatment of the patient. Point-of-care test solutions can provide immediate on-site insights into the patient’s condition. COVID-19 adds another dimension: the devices can provide a level of security and safety – one that goes beyond intensive care.
PantherMedia / HayDmitriy
Point-of-care ultrasound helps in emergency diagnosis
01/06/2021
Medical emergencies require quick action and prompt decisions: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a valuable diagnostic tool available to the emergency physician. Rather than relying on his/her gut feeling, the device answers specific clinical questions that narrow differentials. The question is, in which settings does POCUS deliver the biggest benefits?
PantherMedia / ParStud
Making biohybrid lungs implantable
25/05/2021
Diseases can affect the lungs in different ways that can be challenging. If the lungs are badly damaged and artificial ventilation (also called artificial respiration) is no longer effective, an ECMO machine comes into play. Right now, artificial lungs reside outside the body and cannot be implanted.
PantherMedia / sudok1
Smart Expert System Assists Medical Diagnostics
12/05/2021
A current research project develops a system designed to support critical care physicians in the future. The research project "A Learning and Interoperable Smart Expert System for Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine (ELISE)" uses data collected via machine learning algorithms to assist diagnostic decision-making.
How to Successfully Advance Digital Health Applications
03/05/2021
The benefits of digital health applications are numerous and include the flexibility to self-monitor your illness from home with a mobile device. One caveat: Digital health applications must abide by technical and legal frameworks to be recognized as such.
DiGA: Learning Self-Management Skills with Evidence-Based Information
03/05/2021
Professor Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf was involved in the development of a digital health application (DiGA) for cancer patients. The Mika app provides information and accompanies patients through treatment with a personalized support program that caters to all types of cancer. In this MEDICA-tradefair.com interview, she explains the opportunities and the limits of digital health applications.
PantherMedia/SimpleFoto
Hospital logistics: three action steps to future success
22/04/2021
Behind every hospital are sophisticated and complex logistics that must run like clockwork to keep things going. But how good are the processes when it comes to managing patient care and hospital staff? There are many weak links that can be avoided. Comprehensive digitization and efficient, targeted healthcare workforce management are required to set up hospital logistics for future success.
PantherMedia / Andrew Lozovyi
Digital healthcare: The point-of-care is shifting
21/04/2021
In this interview with MEDICA-tradefair.com, Lina Behrens explains how Flying Health helps its clients develop new business models and gives an outlook on the future of healthcare.
Williamson Adams
Detecting atrial fibrillation early with mobile rhythm patch
08/04/2021
According to a study, a mobile rhythm patch can help detect and prevent strokes. In this interview with MEDICA, co-study leader Prof. Rolf Wachter explains how the mobile rhythm patch works and which insights the study results provide for the future.
PantherMedia/Wavebreakmedia (YAYMicro)
mHealth in the hospital: from data security to patient welfare
07/04/2021
Patient safety is a top priority in any healthcare setting. These days, this no longer just applies to health care delivery. Thanks to the increasing use of digital and mobile technologies, protecting patient data is also becoming increasingly important.
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.
Surgical planning with immersive mixed reality
01/04/2021
The job of surgeons starts long before they step into the operating room. They must use two-dimensional MRI or CT scans to plan the surgical steps on a three-dimensional patient, relying on their experience, skill, and spatial sense. Using mixed reality (MR) to view human anatomical models allows for better visualization and navigation.
PantherMedia/ryanking999
Coronavirus: "A pandemic is a behavioral phenomenon"
31/03/2021
At the virtual.MEDICA 2020 trade fair, Prof. Dirk Brockmann delivered the keynote address in the MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM on digital epidemiology, which got a big boost thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. It can help us understand how human behavior influences the course of the pandemic.
PantherMedia/HayDmitriy
Medical technology: desperately seeking digital professionals
24/03/2021
The global COVID-19 pandemic has fast-tracked digitization in many companies. Yet it has also highlighted a digital skills shortage and pent-up demand for experts in this field. Medical device companies are no exception to this trend.
PantherMedia/Med_Photo_Studio
Alzheimer's disease: early detection using an eye exam
22/03/2021
Alzheimer's disease is still incurable, but if detected early enough, countermeasures can improve treatment and slow the progression. Unfortunately, there is still no reliable early detection test at this juncture. This might soon change thanks to a non-invasive spectroscopy of the retina.
PantherMedia/Sorapop Udomsri
Motion analysis: wearable sensors versus laboratory
17/03/2021
In professional sports, motion analysis helps improve an athlete's performance and avoid injury. The process is complex and therefore conducted in dedicated laboratories. At the virtual MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE 2020, Prof. Stephan Odenwald explained how motion analysis could become more widely accessible in the future thanks to mobile, wearable sensors.
PantherMedia/HayDmitriy
Mobile and intelligent – emergency blood analysis
08/03/2021
Things need to move fast in an emergency. Making the right call in this setting can be a challenge for emergency medical services – especially when symptoms are ambiguous, which is the case if a patient has difficulty breathing or exhibits a cardiovascular or poisoning emergency. A blood analysis is paramount to deliver a fast and accurate diagnosis. This is where mobOx comes in.
Miama: transparent face mask uncovers facial expressions
01/03/2021
Over 50% of our communication is made up of facial expressions and gestures. Nonverbal communication is especially important to deaf or hearing-impaired people or people with dementia. A conventional mask makes this more difficult, may promote miscommunication and contribute to medical errors in extreme cases. Yet it is paramount to use a mask amid this pandemic. Miama helps solve this problem.
Disinfection: antibacterial coating on surfaces in the ICU
01/03/2021
All hospitalized patients are susceptible to contracting a nosocomial infection, with ICU patients being particularly at risk. The effects of these hospital-acquired infections are often more dangerous than the original reason for the in-patient hospitalization. The "PACMAN" project is now testing an antimicrobial coating for frequently used contact surfaces at high risk of pathogen transmission.
PantherMedia/Wavebreakmedia LtD
Hospital: how an AI tool could improve patient safety
22/02/2021
Sometimes, a hospital stay can proceed successfully without a hitch. At other times, there might be an unexpected turn of events if the patient exhibits complications. Early identification of these patients could prevent unnecessary suffering. A new research project intends to develop an AI-based tool that predicts a patient’s risk of complications at an early stage.
Evercot AI GmbH
Good connection: AI and EEG work hand in hand
17/02/2021
Artificial intelligences (AI) are able to help medical professionals detect diseases. This is based on medical data records from which the AI can draw conclusions about diseases. These conclusions are most accurate when the extraction of the data sets is directly linked to the processing.
PantherMedia/Y-Boychenko
Gender medicine – analog and digital
10/02/2021
There are key differences between men and women, yet medicine has been treating both sexes the same for decades. As a result, women may not always receive the most optimal care. While there is now a shift in mindset, previous findings and outdated thinking patterns are far too often still finding their way into digital health services and technologies.
ZHAW/Hannes Heinzer
Self-disinfecting mask: germ-free at the push of a button
08/02/2021
Disinfection and masks are essential to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Swiss scientists from ZHAW and Osmotex AG have now combined the two and developed a mask that disinfects itself at the push of a button. It is to be launched on the market as early as this spring.
PantherMedia/SimpleFoto
BabSim.Hospital: forecasting hospital bed needs
04/02/2021
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, capacity of intensive care units is a hot-button issue as this determines the number of severe COVID-19 cases hospitals can treat. The percentage of currently infected patients can deliver insights into the projected need for ICU beds down the road. The TH Köln developed a tool to help with this planning process.
PantherMedia/sielemann
Medical devices: hygienic design combats pathogens
03/02/2021
Medical hygiene does not just play a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preventing the transmission of infectious diseases and especially the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms is paramount even in non-pandemic times. While hygiene practices in hospitals and medical offices are essential, the industry can also make an important contribution with hygienic product design.
Tumor therapy: drug delivery pump instead of injection
01/02/2021
Drugs always have undesired side effects. Cytostatics are powerful drugs used to treat cancer. They reach almost all cells in the body, killing healthy cells as well as cancer cells in the process. A targeted delivery to the specific cellular site would be a gentler treatment.
Intelligent implants: when the material is the key to the solution
01/02/2021
Today we use implants to stabilize or compensate for injuries inside the body and to aid in the healing process. Implants cannot act autonomously and treat the patient if they deem it necessary. However, it is just a matter of time before this happens because research on intelligent implant materials that respond to stimuli is on the cusp of a breakthrough.
PantherMedia/halfpoint
Biostatistics: using data and models to fight Covid-19
27/01/2021
We are all familiar with these images from some countries: Completely full intensive care units, doctors working frantically despite being ill, being forced to decide who lives and who dies due to critical shortages of respirators. How can you forecast Covid-19 impact on healthcare systems to avoid overload? Biostatistician Professor Frank Klawonn studies this issue.
PantherMedia/rochu_2008
Health data: building a European Health Union
20/01/2021
European Union citizens have the right to free movement, settlement, and employment across the member states. In efforts to also digitize the health and care sector, another right is now being added: the EU plans to build a European Health Data Space to facilitate the secure cross-border exchange of health data.
Fraunhofer IBP
Covid-19: protective canopy prevents infection
19/01/2021
The risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 is particularly high indoors. This is because, in addition to smear and droplet infection, infection via aerosols that accumulate and spread in the air is also possible there. Sufficient air exchange or air purification help to prevent this. The protective canopy developed by Fraunhofer IBP also follows such an approach.
PantherMedia/KostyaKlimenko
Digital Health Applications Ordinance: Fast track admission for health apps
06/01/2021
Until now, it sounded quite odd to receive reimbursement for digital health apps: There are too many and the majority has never been checked for safety and positive effects. Thanks to the "Digital Health Applications Ordinance", these apps can now reach the German market in a regulated way, physicians can prescribe them and statutory health insurance companies reimburse their use.
Vivatmo me: monitor your asthma treatment at home
01/01/2021
Allergic asthma is a chronic disease that makes regular monitoring essential to keep it under control. This is the only way to determine whether the prescribed medication is effective or whether the patient needs a treatment adjustment. Vivatmo me is a breath analyzer device for home use and helps keep asthma patients safe and confident between visits to the doctor.
Breathe a sigh of relief with Respia
01/01/2021
There are many different kinds of mobile devices to help people with chronic diseases. Asthma is one of those diseases, which can be monitored with wearables to improve everyday life. Especially for parents, the stress and anxiety which come with asthma-afflicted children can be reduced with a reliable solution like Respia.Interviews 2021
01/01/2021
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.
Fraunhofer IPA
Alone in the lab – robot Kevin relieves the staff
08/12/2020
If Kevin was alone in the lab at night, the next morning, the workers will not find chaos, but labeled tubes and prepared samples. Kevin is a laboratory robot developed by Fraunhofer IPA to relieve the strain on laboratory workers so that they can concentrate on the essentials: research and diagnostics.
"Cells are highly sensitive" – material development for bioprinting
01/12/2020
The big hope of bioprinting is to someday be able to print whole human organs. So far, the process has been limited to testing platforms such as organs-on-a-chip. That's because the actual printing process already poses challenges. Scientists need suitable printing materials that ensure the cell's survival as it undergoes the procedure. The Fraunhofer IGB is researching and analyzing this aspect.
Fraunhofer IZM
Microimplants: electricity instead of pills
23/11/2020
Active implants such as pacemakers revolutionized healthcare decades ago. But they also have disadvantages: their size and relatively short life span, for example. At Fraunhofer IZM, research is therefore being conducted on durable microimplants that stimulate nerve cells electrically in a targeted manner and are even to be used to treat multiple sclerosis.
Universität Oldenburg/Abteilung Neuropsychologie
Wearable EEG: A comfortable way to record brain activity
09/11/2020
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test that is used in cognitive research or to diagnose conditions such as epilepsy and sleep disorders. EEG electrode caps are somewhat difficult to wear, which is why they are only used in laboratories. One viable alternative are measuring devices made of printed electronics. They are more comfortable to wear and allow users to continue their daily activities.
Sustainable Nonwoven Solutions Improve Hygiene
02/11/2020
Whether it is hospitals or care homes - the right hygiene tools are crucial for process efficiency. These products can be composed of a wide variety of materials. NORAFIN offers a sustainable solution with products made from nonwoven fabric.
Disinfection: a robot nips viruses in the bud
02/11/2020
Hospitals are considered to be a primary route of disease transmission. That is why patient rooms, operating rooms, and waiting areas should be disinfected regularly and thoroughly - and not just during the coronavirus pandemic. At the virtual.MEDICA trade fair, ICA Traffic GmbH will showcase the HERO21 robot, a disinfection unit that uses UVC radiation.
PantherMedia/sudok1
AI predicts a patient's risk of postoperative complications
22/10/2020
Whether it is a routine surgery or a personalized surgical intervention that perhaps has never been done before: There is always a residual risk involved. That’s why hospitals monitor and supervise patient care before, during, and after surgery to be ready for immediate intervention if needed.
bhs-technologies
3D-RoboticScope: surgery with a head movement
08/10/2020
Surgery can be very strenuous for a surgeon, as he often has to bend over the patient in a rigid position for hours. For the first time worldwide, a surgical microscope that can be controlled by head movements was used at the University Hospital Zurich. This makes surgery not only more comfortable, but also faster.
ConnectedCare: hospital roadmap to becoming a Smart Hospital
01/10/2020
Scheduling, bed management, and menu ordering – today’s hospitals take advantage of a variety of digital services. In the worst-case scenario, each service requires a different interface to the central information system, marking a major barrier that holds back digitization. With ConnectedCare, BEWATEC shows there is a better way.
The digitization of hospitals requires necessary investments
01/10/2020
The coronavirus pandemic has shown us we can make swift changes and handle problems if we set our minds to it, especially thanks to tools of digitization. Hospitals in Germany can expect to see a boost in digital transformation because the Federal Government adopted the "Program to Future-Proof Hospitals" (Zukunftsprogramm Krankenhäuser).
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.
cibX GmbH
IoT in hospitals: keeping track of every zone
08/09/2020
In a time of pandemic, the emergency departments of most hospitals are under intense pressure. Processes can get mixed up, while some systems are stretched to the breaking point. It is easy to lose track of patients, medical devices and rooms. This is where the cibX intelligent IoT solution comes in. Real-time localization and visualization enable safe and up-to-date process optimization.
Augmented Reality for better laboratory results
01/09/2020
Accuracy is paramount in laboratory settings and ensures that lab results are valid. Errors in a lab can render series of tests unusable and waste precious time and money. In the medical realm, this might even result in clinical trial errors. Augmented reality (AR) can help laboratory technicians to prevent errors and guide their work in the future.
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.
PantherMedia/Kzenon
Big Data: early warning system for the ICU
03/08/2020
Patient monitoring systems in the ICU sound up to 700 alarms on average per patient per day, which boils down to one alarm every two minutes. An excessive number of them are false alarms. This generates vast amounts of data, which can make it difficult for doctors and nurses to identify the most critical alarms to manage. It also has a negative effect on the treatment of intensive care patients.
VitalSky: how an artificial sky improves ICU patient recovery
03/08/2020
Delirium occurs in 30 to 80 percent of patients in intensive care units. This cerebral impairment not only causes mental confusion and emotional disruption but also drastically increases the mortality risk of patients. A controlled circadian rhythm and sleep/wake cycle is the prerequisite for delirium prevention. This is where the new VitalMinds concept from Philips comes in.
Fraunhofer IPT
Personal protective equipment: ramping up medical mask production to 50,000 pieces per day
22/07/2020
Necessity is the mother of invention: While many companies have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, some were able to find the hidden business opportunities the unique situation has created. One example of how companies can benefit from the Covid-19 crisis is the production of medical protective gear.
PantherMedia/smuki
MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE: the stuff that winning teams are made of
14/07/2020
It is time for a world champion once more at the 8th MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE 2020 (MMSC) on 18 and 19 November, 2020 in Düsseldorf. This year, MEDICA will welcome Florian Mennigen, a former top athlete, on board. After his successful career as a high-performance rower, Olympic champion and triple world champion, he has established himself as a business coach and clinical psychologist.
Fraunhofer IBMT/Foto Bernd Müller
epiLab: Coronavirus testing in the mobile safety laboratory
08/07/2020
A key to preventing SARS-CoV-2 spread is frequent, comprehensive testing. This allows the early detection of infections and helps break the chain of infection. It always comes down to Coronavirus testing capacity. In Germany's southwest state of Saarland, the mobile epiLab (epidemiological laboratory) supports the search for infections lurking in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
Green Hospital: not only ecological, but holistic sustainability
01/07/2020
The REGIOMED Klinikum Lichtenfels is the lighthouse project of the "Green Hospital Initiative Bayern" (Bavarian Green Hospital Initiative), which launched in 2014 and aims to increase energy efficiency and promote sustainability in Bavarian hospitals. Lichtenfels took things one step further by constructing an optimized new building where sustainability is an integral part.
PantherMedia / ImageSupply
How Hospitals Can Foster Environmental Sustainability
01/07/2020
When it comes to their environmental impact, hospitals present a challenge, yet can boost opportunities at the same time. They are an environmental burden due to a higher energy use resulting from frequently outdated technology. However, once they are modernized and switch to a sustainable concept, they can turn into a "green hospital".
PantherMedia/fotokvadrat
MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE: how data and AI help sports
16/06/2020
Karl Schwarzenbrunner is the head of the Education and Science Department at the German Ice Hockey Association, and also a speaker at the 8th MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE 2020, which will take place this year on 18 and 19 November in Düsseldorf.
EXXETA AG
Gamification: facilitating a gradual return-to-play
08/06/2020
Professional athletes depend on a speedy recovery from sports injuries or surgery because their livelihood depends on their physical fitness. Returning to competition too soon after injury can have negative health consequences. Standard tests are now combined with virtual reality to determine the optimal time to return to play.
PantherMedia / inhabitant
Mobile stroke units: improved outcomes for ischemic stroke
02/06/2020
If someone is having a stroke, you call an ambulance. But getting to the hospital can be time-consuming. To prevent long-term disabilities and death, patients need to be treated as quickly as possible. According to a recent study by the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, mobile stroke units play a key role in this setting.
Molecular Imaging: fast and reliable stroke detection
02/06/2020
After a stroke, a patient’s life depends on getting acute care at a hospital. Vital monitoring systems ensure safe and effective treatment. An innovative tomographic imaging system is designed to help prevent the patient’s risky journey to radiology and to enable bedside monitoring of cerebral blood flow.
PantherMedia / Viktor Cap
Sports medicine software: Monitoring at the push of a button
22/05/2020
Athletes not only have to be fit and stay in shape, but they also have to achieve peak performance, especially when they get ready for athletic events. Optimized and individualized performance training requires data from external laboratories and institutes. The [i/med] Sports platform from DORNER Health IT Solutions provides a complete workflow − from anamnesis to diagnostic report.
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.
panthermedia.net/cristalov
In-ear sensors for monitoring vital parameters
22/04/2020
Wearables offer practical solutions for the flexible measurement of data. The sensor from cosinuss° is worn directly in the ear and offers a precise monitoring of vital parameters.
Universitätsklinikum Bonn
Ultrasound to go: versatile partner on hospital rounds
08/04/2020
The University Hospital Bonn has recently introduced an ultrasound device that's small enough to fit in your coat pocket. It's ready to use once you have connected it to a tablet or smartphone. The portable system makes bedside physical exams possible. The device primarily benefits students as it allows them to combine basic knowledge and clinical application.
Smartphone app detects cardiac arrhythmia
03/03/2020
Atrial fibrillation is one of the causes for a stroke and often appears without any previous indications. To reduce the risks and provide fast results, the application FibriCheck was invented. With the app it is possible to collect and measure data via smartphone camera.
panthermedia.net/draoscondreaw
Sensor-Based Smart Glove Enables Parkinson's Diagnosis
25/02/2020
Neurological disorders like Parkinson's are often diagnosed once the disease has already progressed to a later stage. The VAFES project was initiated to facilitate an early detection. Sensor technology and VR are used in the creation of a playful test system.
Dagmar Braun
Much-needed medical technology: a hospital for Togo
10/02/2020
If life has given you many blessings, you should share them with others – and you also need to be a little crazy. That's Dagmar Braun's point of view. She initiated the construction of a hospital in Togo, Africa. The country currently lacks the system required to deliver comprehensive medical care. Surgical equipment and gynecology devices are much-needed to compensate for these deficits.
Cardisiography: A Non-Invasive Heart Screening Test
03/02/2020
Coronary heart disease can come as a complete surprise and occur suddenly. Cardisiography was designed to lower the risk and make faster intervention possible. As a non-invasive heart screening test, cardisiography offers the possibility of early detection for heart diseases.
panthermedia.net/phonlamai
A new type of endoscopy – small, easy, comfortable
22/01/2020
Patients have to undergo a gastroscopy to rule out gastrointestinal conditions. Many dread this procedure since a thin, flexible tube is being pushed through the esophagus and stomach. Ovesco Endoscopy AG has teamed up with other project partners in the nuEndo research project to develop a capsule endoscopy device that is tiny, easy to swallow and makes the test more comfortable for the patient.Interviews 2020
01/01/2020
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.
Estera Kluczenko
Robotics: an avatar to end loneliness
18/12/2019
A child who has to miss many days of school due to long-term illness? An older adult living alone or in a nursing home? The Norwegian startup No Isolation believes that nobody should have to experience social isolation, no matter how old you are. The company uses technology to help combat loneliness.
beta web GmbH/Melanie Prüser
Single-use tests: sensitivity and easy use combined for diagnostics
12/12/2019
Diagnostic testing usually takes some time and a sterile environment to get the results. To cut down on the costs and effort spend on these tasks there are different diagnostic tests. One of them are single-use tests offered by SensDx S.A. The technology behind them not only makes the process faster and easier, but provides the opportunity to expand into home use in the future as well.
AAL Living Lab: research, education and raising awareness
02/12/2019
Smart home systems are a perfect example of how technology can make our daily lives easier. The fact that they can use a tablet to adjust lighting and blinds in every room benefits older adults in more ways than one. These types of technical systems are a part of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and create a safe living environment for older persons.
panthermedia.net/olanstock
Cardiac diagnostics – prompt and personalized
08/11/2019
If physicians suspect an acute myocardial infarction, they first order an ECG. This test is very established and allows cardiologists to quickly diagnose acute heart attacks – though the test does not detect less common heart attack symptoms. So far, those patients had to wait up to twelve hours before a heart attack could be accurately diagnosed or ruled out. But things are about the change.
panthermedia.net/vitalikradko
Sports Hub project changes sports medicine with big data and AI
22/10/2019
Professor Jarek Krajewski sat down for a MEDICA interview and delivered a detailed description of the Sports Hub project. It highlights how big data and AI transform the world of sports medicine. The project delivers new insights and provides a versatile database.
Fraunhofer ISS
AI software: "iSTIX opens your world to the possibilities of digital pathology"
08/10/2019
The healthcare market offers a multitude of microscopes that make cells visible to the human eye. The same applies to AI-based software for image analysis. After taking the microscopic images, scientist are faced with large volumes of scans with usually low resolution. Yet when all aspects merge together, they open up a the world of digital pathology.
panthermedia.net/kasto
Cardiac Tissue Engineering: a heart out of the Petri dish
23/09/2019
For patients waiting for donor organs, every day can mean the difference between life and death. Making things even more complicated is the fact that not every organ is a compatible match with the patient. It would mean enormous progress if we could grow organs from the patient's own cells in the lab. That's why patients with heart disease place big hope in tissue engineering.
panthermedia.net/Daxiao Productions
Triathlete Sebastian Kienle: wearables and body awareness improve athletic performance
09/09/2019
A 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.20 km) run – that’s the Ironman Triathlon. Triathletes like Sebastian Kienle are constantly working to push beyond their limits. At the 7th MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE on November 20 - 21, you can meet Kienle in person.
German Medical Award
German Medical Award 2019 celebrates the future of (patient) care
22/08/2019
The German Medical Award will take place on November 18, 2019, as part of the MEDICA trade fair in Düsseldorf. The ceremony emphasizes the commitment to excellence in cutting-edge care for patients. Doctors, clinical centers and companies in the medical and healthcare industry can demonstrate their achievements in medicine and management in hopes of receiving the coveted award.
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).
SilverSky LifeSciences GmbH
Striking new paths in medicine - Diagnostics Partnering Conference 2019
08/07/2019
On November 18th, 2019, parallel to the first day of MEDICA, the world forum for medicine, the Diagnostics Partnering Conference (DxPx Conference) will take place in Düsseldorf, bringing together stakeholders in the diagnostics and research tool industry. The DxPx Conference focuses on discovering technologies, finding financing and investment opportunities and forming collaborative partnerships.
Capsix Robotics, Lyon
Healthy Living thanks to robotics – KUKA Innovation Award 2019
24/06/2019
Improving technology transfer from research to industry and driving robotics development - that's the idea behind the KUKA Innovation Award. This year’s topic is "Healthy Living". Applicants from around the world were tasked with creating a robot application for healthcare settings. Now, the finalists, who will showcase their innovations at the MEDICA 2019 trade fair have been selected.
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.
Fraunhofer IPA
MobiKa – programmed to help
22/05/2019
Many illnesses or old age require help with everyday tasks. Unfortunately, family members or caregivers aren’t always available to lend a hand. The MobiKa mobile service robot is designed to offer support, deliver motivation and improve the quality of life of those in need.
panthermedia.net / Lev Dolgachov
mHealth: Atrial fibrillation detection – App supports heart health
08/05/2019
Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of persistent cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm). Researchers estimate that 1.8 million Germans are presently affected by this disease. The condition is difficult to diagnose, frequently goes undetected and may result in a stroke. A new smartwatch medical app is designed to help patients detect atrial fibrillation before it’s too late.
Security first – hospitals prime targets of cyberattacks
02/05/2019
Safety should be a top priority when it comes to safeguarding human lives. That's why hospitals must protect their computer networks and data against unauthorized access. However, thanks to the proliferation of connected devices in hospitals, they are at high risk of suffering devastating cyberattacks. There is also a lack of cybersecurity awareness.
Entertainment Computing Group, Uni DUE & LAVAlabs Moving Images
Gamification: how penguins help children overcome their MRI fear
23/04/2019
It's noisy, tight and scary - that's how children feel about a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. Because they are scared, they are often too fidgety and anxious during the procedure, causing the images to blur or the scan to be stopped. Researchers have now developed a VR app called Pingunauten Trainer that’s designed to gently prepare the little patients for MRI scans.
panthermedia.net/adriaticphoto
Cardiac arrhythmia: treatment in the linear accelerator
08/04/2019
Cardiac arrhythmia is a group of conditions where nerve cells trigger uncontrolled contractions of the heart muscle. They are treated with either medicine or catheter ablation of the tissue. In an interdisciplinary collaboration, cardiologists and radiotherapists took a different approach and used high-precision radiation therapy to treat a patient for whom the other options proved unfeasible.
Stroke: 4D brain perfusion accelerates treatment
01/04/2019
In an ischaemic stroke, rapid treatment is essential. In this moment good imaging data is particularly important to enable doctors to make the best possible decision for therapy. Modern CT scanners are increasingly being used to assess stroke patients because they can show the blood flow to the brain over time.
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.
Sven Delbeck/Fachhochschule Südwestfalen
Blood Sugar Monitoring: Using Infrared Instead of Invasive Techniques
22/03/2019
Over six million people in Germany have diabetes. It is estimated that almost 400 million people are affected by this disease worldwide. Diabetes sufferers must prick their fingers several times a day to monitor their blood sugar.
panthermedia.net/ monstArrr
Orthopedic implant: More comfortable thanks to full weight-bearing capacity
08/03/2019
Orthopedic implants – they are a necessity when it comes to congenital or acquired limb length discrepancies. However, full weight-bearing during the limb lengthening process is not feasible with previous implant models. For the first time, the 3D Surgery division at the Medical Center of the University of Munich has succeeded in using an implant that facilitates immediate weight-bearing.
Comprehensive Treatment: It’s All About Breathing
01/03/2019
Coughing, airway obstruction, difficulty breathing: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term used to describe progressive and currently incurable lung diseases. The innovative solutions of Philips Respironics help patients to manage each stage of the disease and their medication intake, train the respiratory system and provide respiratory support.
Fraunhofer ITEM/Till Holland
Gentle medication for the little ones – with every breath
22/02/2019
According to the WHO, ten percent of babies worldwide are born prematurely. Since most organs of these tiny babies have not fully developed yet, it can quickly lead to complications and disorders and most notably affect the lungs of the premature infants. What's more, infections require gentle treatment, as the preemies themselves are fragile and susceptible – making this a challenging situation.
panthermedia.net/Wavebreakmedia Ltd.
Sports medicine: preventing injuries with wearable sensors
08/02/2019
The consequences of sports injuries can be very serious and sideline athletes for a long time. Although it often seems like these injuries happen in a split second, they can also be the result of overuse and loads that usually weaken the athlete over time. This stress can be detected and reduced with wearable technology and injuries prevented before they happen.
Organ-on-a-chip systems: limited validity?
01/02/2019
Organ-on-a-chip systems are technically a great enhancement of medical research because they facilitate testing of active ingredients on cell cultures in the chambers of a plastic chip. This replaces animal testing and improves patient safety. That being said, they are not a true-to-life replication of the human body and can only simulate a few functions and activities.
Multi-Organ Chips – The Patients of Tomorrow?
01/02/2019
The liver, nervous tissue or the intestines: all are important human organs that have in the past been tested for their function and compatibility using animal or in vitro test methods. In recent years, TissUse GmbH, a spin-off of the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin), has launched multi-organ chip platforms. But that’s not all.
panthermedia.net/Andrey Popov
AI ensures dynamic sitting
22/01/2019
Whether in the office, at school or behind the wheel: we spend a lot of time sitting and often stay in the same position for too long. The possible side effects are stiffness, back problems and pain. The SensA-Chair smart seating solution combats decreased mobility and ensures dynamic sitting.
DiaDigital: making sense of diabetes apps
02/01/2019
While they are very useful, health apps have one major drawback: anyone can release and distribute them unchecked. Only some apps require medical device certification. So how can users spot a great, safe and useful app? When it comes to diabetes apps, the “DiaDigital” seal of distinction is the answer.Interviews 2019
01/01/2019
Mimo AG
Collect, process, communicate – retina measurements with Mimo
19/12/2018
Continuous monitoring is an essential process with every disease. In the case of eye disorders, frequent retina measurements can facilitate early detection of deterioration to quickly initiate intervention. This calls for comprehensive care settings, easy ways to take measurements and prompt results. However, in reality, this is rarely the case.
Alina Kettenbach
SoftHand: grasping intelligence for lower arm prostheses
10/12/2018
So far, lower arm prostheses often only functioned as a cosmetic disguise to conceal the missing body part. While newer models help the wearer with grip patterns, every hand grip has to be readjusted and newly activated. There is still no prosthetic device that is easy to control and allows a flexible response to objects the wearer is grasping.
MoreGrasp
MoreGrasp – being able to grasp again with paraplegia
22/11/2018
Every year between 250.000 and 500.000 people suffer a spinal cord injury, MoreGrasp is intended to make their lives easier. The project aims to restore the lost gripping function in people with high paraplegia. Researchers at Graz University of Technology have developed a neuroprosthesis that is currently undergoing a feasibility study.
Purenum GmbH
A clean kidney: Break then glue
08/11/2018
Not enough exercise, an unhealthy diet: Kidney stones develop when urine contains too many insoluble compounds and are now one of the most common diseases worldwide. The ailment annually affects 1.2 million people in Germany alone. The stones are broken up and taken out via endoscopic surgery. Now it’s possible to remove even the tiniest residual fragments. The solution: a biocompatible adhesive.
panthermedia.net / BrianAJackson
Healthy aging: further research needed on measurement methods in geriatrics
22/10/2018
Today’s society is faced with an aging population. The past has seen the development of many methods for measuring body composition in older adults. However, some of these techniques are not available to medical practices and hospital facilities or are in dire need of optimization.
panthermedia.net/lzf
Exercise Prescription for Health: sports instead of pills
08/10/2018
Did you know that we can influence up to 50 percent of our health ourselves? If we eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly, this not only ensures longer independence in old age. Diseases can also be treated with exercise. But in many cases, physicians and patients still rely more on medication than on exercise.
NuvoAir AB
Air Next: sharing spirometry data for better treatment
24/09/2018
Some diseases require close, permanent control of the patient, especially if they are chronic and, if unchecked, potentially dangerous, like some lung diseases. Monitoring them is quite cumbersome, because patients regularly need to visit their physician or a hospital. Wireless devices for home measurements offer at least some comfort and relieve to patients.
panthermedia.net/stasique
Back pain: The research project Ran Rücken is intended to help
10/09/2018
About eight in ten Germans suffer from back pain during their lifetime. Too much or the wrong movements can also cause problems. "Ran Rücken", the interdisciplinary research project aims to determine the right minimum dose of exercise that proves effective. (Explanatory note: "Ran Rücken" can be loosely translated as "Target the Back")
Astrid Eckert
Pathology 4.0 – inveox automates laboratory processes
22/08/2018
Mix-ups, contamination and sample loss – most errors in pathology happen when specimen are received. Countless samples arrive daily at the laboratory, while the sample entry process is very monotonous. As a result, the work is inefficient. The start-up company inveox has now developed a system that automates the processes in the pathology laboratory, thus making them more efficient.
panthermedia.net/SIPhotography
WAKE-UP study a wake-up call for acute stroke care
08/08/2018
Some solutions are simple, though not necessarily obvious. The WAKE-UP study, which included 70 participating European stroke centers, has now studied a relatively simple procedure to manage the acute care of stroke patients and avoid potential long-term effects. Best of all, it is available wherever MRI is offered.
panthermedia.net/Wavebreakmedia ltd
Regenerative heart valves: from simulation to replacement
23/07/2018
Every year, more than 250,000 patients worldwide receive heart valve implants. Children require repeated replacement surgery because their bodies are still growing, the prosthetic heart valves are not. Regenerative heart valves solve this problem. Until now, we have only been able to monitor how these living implants develop in the body after the fact. Computer models now make this predictable.
panthermedia.net/Mario Hahn
Early detection: Tattoo signals cancer – and more
09/07/2018
People who are not ill and do not show any symptoms typically do not visit the doctor. And while most people know that preventive medical checkups for cancer, for example, are important, they still avoid them. They tend to be very hesitant because the doctor might detect a serious illness. In the future, a new type of implant could make it easier to go to a screening test.
Daniel Klaue, ZELLMECHANIK DRESDEN GmbH
Cells in the speed trap – diagnosis in a matter of seconds
22/06/2018
A drop of blood provides a lot of valuable information. However, it takes several hours to analyze the blood of a patient and make a diagnosis. This takes away a lot of time that's crucial for treatment. A new method intends to considerably speed up this process by testing the cells in the blood in terms of their deformability and immune response.
IT4process GmbH
Augmented Reality: supporting sterile processing services?
08/06/2018
Every day, hospital staff has to manage complex processes to guarantee quality and patient safety. Yet in some areas, the use of checklists and manuals tends to be more cumbersome and not useful – as is the case in sterile processing. A new project studies how augmented reality can take all the necessary information into the staff's field of view.
panthermedia.net/ByLove
The cure is in the capsule: carbon monoxide to treat chronic inflammation
22/05/2018
This unusual ally can be extremely valuable in the fight against inflammation in the body: CO (carbon monoxide). As a therapeutic gas, it also promises relief for inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases. Having said that, it is difficult to transport the active ingredient to the exact desired location.
Kaiser/MHH
Organ Care System: treatment under extreme conditions
08/05/2018
Multidrug-resistant organisms that are treated with a dosage that exceeds the regular dose a hundred times and at temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius – the human organism is unable to handle it. Yet if the diseased organ is treated outside of the body, extreme conditions are an option. For the first time, physicians have succeeded in treating a severe case of pneumonia by using the OCS.
Leibniz University of Hanover/Institute of Technical Chemistry
Tissue engineering: how to grow a bypass
23/04/2018
A bypass is a complicated structure. It is either made of synthetic materials that can cause blood clots and infections or created by using the patient’s veins. However, the latter often does not yield adequate material. A newly developed bioreactor could solve this problem in the future. It is designed to tissue engineer vascular grafts by using the body’s own material.
Magnosco
A startup makes melanin glow: skin cancer diagnostics with Magnosco
09/04/2018
When a skin lesion is suspected to exhibit malignant changes, it is usually promptly removed. However, not all cases require an excision of the affected tissue. The startup company Magnosco has developed a procedure that uses a laser to support the diagnosis and early detection of malignant melanoma.
Kompetenzzentrum eLearning in der Medizin Baden-Württemberg
VR Lab for medical students: linking theory and practice
22/03/2018
Virtual reality and medicine are increasingly mentioned in the same context. In addition to the development of applications that support the treatment of patients suffering from chronic pain and anxiety, this technology also benefits medical staff. Two months ago, the Ulm University Hospital has opened the VR Lab, where medical students can train and learn with the help of 3D organs.
panthermedia.net/mark@rocketclips.com
Radiology: machine learning to support medical diagnostics
08/03/2018
Automation makes work life easier in many ways but is it also a solution for analyzing medical images? Is a computer actually reliable enough to assist in the medical decision making process? Researchers in Landshut examine how machine learning algorithms can work more reliably and support radiologists.
Dr. Markus Wehland
Cells in space – extraterrestrial approaches in cancer research
22/02/2018
Here on Earth, all experiments are bound by gravitation. Yet, freed from gravity's grip, tumor cells, for example, behave in an entirely different way. As part of the "Thyroid Cancer Cells in Space" project by the University of Magdeburg, smartphone-sized containers carrying poorly differentiated thyroid cancer cells are sent into space.
Diaspective Vision GmbH
Precision surgery thanks to informative hyperspectral imaging
08/02/2018
When body tissue is reconnected during a tumor operation in the gastrointestinal tract, surgeons need information about the current state of these so-called anastomoses. The new, non-invasive hyperspectral imaging technology now makes it possible to measure the crucial parameters during surgery and thereby increase surgical precision.
panthermedia.net/Brock Jones
Patient science: patients research cystic fibrosis
22/01/2018
Research does not always occur in laboratory settings. As part of citizen science, citizens collect data and make it available for research projects. Now, this approach is also adopted in medicine by way of patient science: in a new project, patients take part in cystic fibrosis research. The goal is to improve the lives of those who are affected by this chronic disease.Current Interviews
01/01/2018
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