Improving radiotherapy treatment with prolonged breath-holding
20.01.2020
A technique that enables patients suffering from heart conditions to hold their breath safely for over 5 minutes could have potential as part of a new treatment for cardiac arrhythmias, say researchers at the University of Birmingham.
Wearable AC monitors vital data
07.01.2020
One day, soldiers could cool down on the military battlefield – preventing heat stroke or exhaustion – by using "wearable air conditioning," an on-skin device designed by engineers at the University of Missouri. The device includes numerous human health care applications such as the ability to monitor blood pressure, electrical activity of the heart and the level of skin hydration.
Imaging shows possible cause of noise-related blood vessel damage
05.12.2019
Each 5 decibel increase in environmental noise is associated with a 34% increase in risk for a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular disease event.
'Smart' surfaces help to improve blood-vessel grafts
03.12.2019
Researchers at McMaster University have created a new coating to prevent clotting and infection in synthetic vascular grafts, while also accelerating the body's own process for integrating the grafted vessels.
Diabetes: women most affected by vascular complications
14.11.2019
Women are most affected by the vascular complications of diabetes - a situation likely to escalate in the coming decades, reports a paper published on World Diabetes Day in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Cardiovascular disease occurs 15 years earlier in patients with diabetes and is their main cause of morbidity and mortality.
Protection through awareness and prevention - World Diabetes Day 2019
14.11.2019
Do you know who celebrates his birthday on November 14th? It’s the Canadian surgeon Frederick Banting. Why is that important? Because he was the first to isolate the hormone insulin and thereby lay the foundation for the treatment of diabetes. That's why World Diabetes Day today reminds us of Banting, in 2019 for the 28th time already!
mHealth: preventive healthcare via app
06.11.2019
Demand for apps for preventive health care is growing all the time. Particularly popular are diagnostic assistants that record physiological and fitness data. However, there are data protection concerns with these tools.
MEDICA TECH FORUM: light-based imaging technique OCT
04.11.2019
Since its inception, MEDICA TECH FORUM has focused on the implementation of innovations and new technologies into clinical practice. 2019 marks the tenth year of the Forum. In honor of its anniversary, we will brighten things up a bit, as one of the focal points will highlight how optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses light to produce images.
Sports medicine – keep moving to stay healthy
01.07.2019
Physical activity plays a big role in today's society. Whether you are an amateur or professional athlete – incorporating exercise into your life positively impacts your mental and physical health. Ideally, sport should be fun, pressure-free and not overburden you. But can you measure individual performance and align it with sports?
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.
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.
Ventricular fibrillation – Using ultrasound to detect its causes
17.05.2018
Ventricular fibrillation is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the heart muscle exhibits a rapid, erratic beat. The cause might be a circulatory system disease or heart attack. Researchers in Göttingen are now developing an ultrasound technique to get to the bottom of ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrhythmias and facilitate better treatment options.
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.
Between austerity measures and growth pressure - Latin America's medical market
03.04.2018
A region whose states make up the world's third largest economy and which has few linguistic differences - Latin America is an attractive market for foreign companies at first glance. This also applies to the medical market. However, various factors are contributing to the fact that this market is growing only slowly in most countries.
"Spray-On" muscle fibers for biomimetic surfaces
08.01.2018
Few patients with heart failure are fortunate enough to receive a donor's heart. Ventricular assist devices (or heart pumps) have been around for several years and are designed to buy time as patients wait for a transplant. Unfortunately, the body doesn't always tolerate these devices.
ICAROS VR - Training and Prevention in Virtual Reality
31.08.2017
The term gamification refers to the application of elements of game playing in non-game contexts, for example, to encourage participants to engage in a task that is otherwise deemed too monotonous. We are visiting the German Sport University Cologne to interview Dr. Boris Feodoroff, who together with his team is testing a training device.