Ultrasound removes fatty particles from the blood

At the annual convention of the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Monaco the Swedish physician Dr. Henrik Jönsson introduced a new method of removing fatty particles during a heart surgery.

At this cell-gentle method the blood is flowing in parallel switched tubes in the heart-lung machine and treated with ultrasound waves simultaneously.
The result: 97 percent of the fatty particles can be removed by filtrating up to 1500 mililiters blood per hour; even very small fatty molecules have been removed in this manner.

www.aerzte-zeitung.de, Jan. 9, 2003

MICRO SURGERY ON ADVANCE

With the introduction of the so called Fallkostenpauschale in Germany, the micro surgery becomes an competitive alternative to the conventional surgery.
At this method only small cuts are done and the organs are treated with miniaturized tools. Up to now the method was only practiced for knee injuries or gastro-intestinal problems. Meanwhile it also becomes applicable for removing tumors from the brain and implanting cardiac valves.

Dr. Grönemeyerof the Institute for Micro Surgery of the University Witten Herdecke, who successfully treats disk damages, suspects that each hospital with a computer tomograph will be able to introduce this method.

www.handelsblatt.com, Jan. 2003

Newcomers in Cure Methods

For patients with chronic injuries a new active substance has been developed to heal wounds without scars.

The idea originated from the fact that a fetal surgery within the womb effected no scars.

Jeffrey Hubbels from Zurich and his team developed a new bandage on the basis of polyethylene glycol and the corresponding biomolekules.

Collected from
www.geo.de

Some Key Facts of the Russian Economy:

Russia:
Population [million]:            144,8
GDP [US$; billion]:                 310
Health Expend.[US$; billion]:    9,3
Health Exp. [% of GDP]:          3,0
Med. Dev. Market [US$; mill.]:  800
Leading Foreign Supplier: Germany

Source: mediSTAT, Jan. 2003

Sound Emission Analysis of the Knee

Prof. Hans-Joachim Schwalbe of the University Gießen-Friedberg and his colleagues developed a method measuring the knee sounds by means of a probe.
The probe works like a microphone.
After these measurements the regular gnashing sounds of the knee are filtered out.
The remained sounds can reveal something about damages at the joint cartilage or the bone solidity.

Collected from
Die Ärzte Zeitung, Dec. 18, 2002

Will we give up reading glasses in future?

In future, the eyesight will be adjusted by implants so that sight weaknesses can be evened out.
Through a "Smart Eye Band", composed of a nickel, titanium, noble metal alloy as well as ionized polymers, the eyeball will be adjusted and the picture focuses.
It can be implanted without repulsion reactions.
This biocompatible active substance combination is supposed to be marketed in three to five years.

Details:
www.handelsblatt.com, Jan. 2003

Similar research has been performed at the University of Duisburg in the framework of a project called IOS
(Intraocular Sight Assistance).
The goal is to even out the eyesight of patients with opacity of the cornea by using glasses with a small camera which transfers the impulses into the eye by means of a chip.

For more information visit:
www.aerzte-zeitung.de
Jan. 22, 2003

SENSATEX - the New Smart-Shirt

"In future, clothes will simply not lie around. They will be useful for us", says Cathy Newman of the National Geographic.
Prof. Jayaraman of the Georgia Institute of Technology invented a shirt that can measure body functions like heart beat, respiration, oxygen within the blood, as well as body temperature by several integrated sensors and conductive fibers.
In particular, this garment is usable especially for risk patients or babies by means of remote monitoring.

Read more at:
www.nationalgeographic.de, Jan. 2003 or visit
www.sensatex.com

New Application of Ultrasound for Diabetics

The research group of Dr. Nadine Barrie Smith of the Pennsylvania State University developed a new painless system for the application of insulin.
At this method the insulin is transported through the skin by the aid of ultrasound.

The system weighs only 22 grams, and consists of four parallel switched signal transformers.
It was proved by animal experiments that the glucose level was decreased by this treatment.

Collected from
Die Ärzte Zeitung, Dec. 20, 2002

Pacemakers without Batteries

The physicist Ajay K. Sood of the Indian Institute of Science developed a flow sensor consisting of a bundle of singe-wall carbon nano tubes.
The flow of the blood generates an electric reaction at the sensor which creates electric charge.
The charge which is measurable from the outside can be used for pacemakers instead of batteries.

Collected from "Technologie-Nachrichten", Dec. 2002

Important references:
www.iisc.ernet.in