Philips has introduced OmniWire, the world’s first solid core pressure wire for coronary artery interventional procedures.
Its breakthrough solid core construction enables physicians to more easily manoeuvre the wire in the patient’s circulatory system to measure blood pressure along the vessel and guide the delivery of catheters and stents.
The new wire supports iFR (instant wave-Free Ratio) measurements, the only resting index supported by randomized controlled outcome trials, as well as FFR (fractional flow reserve) measurements. It also integrates with the Philips IntraSight interventional applications platform, which can co-register iFR data onto the angiogram to precisely identify the parts of vessels requiring treatment.
Traditional pressure wires use a hollow metal tube (hypotube) to house the wiring that transmits the pressure information. Due to their thin walls, these wires can be challenging to manoeuvre and can sometimes kink, potentially becoming damaged during the procedure. OmniWire is the world’s first solid core pressure guidewire, using advanced conductive ribbons embedded in its outer polymer layer to communicate pressure information. The distal part of the wire is made from Nitinol, a super-elastic, durable material that is commonly used in non-diagnostic, interventional ‘workhorse’ guide wires. The proximal part of the wire is constructed from a highstrength cobalt alloy that provides the high durability required for complex and multi-vessel cases.
Commenting on the device, Dr. Jasvindar Singh, director of the catheterization lab at Barnes Jewish Hospital and associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis, U.S., who performed the first human case with OmniWire in the United States, said: “I have been very impressed with the handling of OmniWire, the new solid core design performed beautifully, and I was able to navigate the difficult case easily. We used iFR co-registration and found that the patient needed a stent. I was then able to perform the whole procedure working over OmniWire. This is truly an innovation in percutaneous coronary interventions.”
OmniWire has received clearance from the U.S. FDA and approval from the Japan Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency.
Read more

An experienced team of inhouse designers at Surgical Innovations has worked closely with international surgeons to develop a 3mm instrument range for laparoscopic surgery. High quality cost effective devices, instruments in the 3mm Resposable product range offer patients minimal scarring (cosmesis). By creating solutions for 3mm laparoscopic surgery
Read more

There is a need to assess regional lung function in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) on mechanical ventilation. EIT PulmonaryScan is the first non-invasive bedside tomography system for monitoring of the lungs, providing real-time breath by breath diagnostic information. This valuable clinical bedside monitoring tool for the optimisation of artificial ventilation therapy offers many advantages over routinely used methods. Monitoring regional lung function can provide additional information since changes in thoracic air content yield large changes in thoracic impedance. In patients with ARDS, the ventilation-induced impedance change in the dependent part of the lungs increases more significantly than in the non-dependent areas when end-expiratory airway pressure (PEEP) is increased; this allows opening of collapsed alveoli in the dependent region of the lungs leading to increased ventilation. Previously it was assumed that the lower inflation point of the PV curve, where volume rapidly increases, could be used for optimising ventilatory pressure settings. However, as EIT has demonstrated, dependent lung regions require significantly higher opening pressure than non-dependent lung regions. This is a significant finding: lungs require a higher area pressure to be fully recruited than can be detected from the global PV curve.
Read more

Cigarette smoking is the greatest single cause of illness and premature death throughout the world. Three different carbon monoxide monitors to facilitate smoking cessation and measure CO poisoning are now available. Each of the devices helps a smoker of any age, with one device being aimed at helping pregnant women to stop smoking. The latest technology coupled with simplicity of use make the CO Check Pro, the CO Check Baby and CO Check + the ideals choice for healthcare professionals aiming to help people to quit smoking. Results are instantly displayed from a single breath in ppm and %COHb, coupled with an appropriate coloured visual effect, allowing determination of whether the person is a non-smoker, light smoker, smoker or heavy smoker. The CO Check Baby, for use by healthcare professionals during a woman’s pregnancy, displays both the mother’s CO levels and the CO levels that have been passed on to her unborn baby.
Read more