Medtronic received CE Marking of its MiniMed™ 780G system, a next generation closed loop insulin pump system for the treatment of type 1 diabetes in people age 7 to 80 years.Leveraging the company’s advanced SmartGuard™ algorithm, the system automates the delivery of both basal insulin and correction boluses every five minutes to help people with diabetes avoid highs and lows with greater ease.
The MiniMed 780G system enables the personalization of glucose goals with an adjustable target setting as low as 100 mg/dL (5.5 mmol/L) – lower than any other advanced hybrid closed loop system – and is designed to help stabilize blood sugar levels and further improve glucose control.
“We wanted to design a system that further simplifies diabetes management and adapts to people’s life with the goal of enhancing their experience in a seamless way,” said Sean Salmon, Executive Vice President and President of the Diabetes Group at Medtronic. “We know it can be challenging to have to calculate carbohydrate intake before every snack or meal on a daily basis to ensure the right amount of insulin is dosed. With this system, users will have an extra layer of coverage for those times they miscalculate their carbs or forget to pre-bolus with an algorithm that automatically corrects for high glucose when needed. We want to help people spend more time living their life and less time worrying about their diabetes management – we’re confident this system delivers on that important goal.”
In addition to the automated algorithm which includes technology from DreaMed Diabetes, the MiniMed 780G system is easy to use with little input from the user. With the addition of Bluetooth connectivity, the MiniMed 780G system will enable users and their care partners to see real-time glucose data and trends on compatible iOS and Android smartphones via apps. Additionally, healthcare providers will find that managing patients on the system is simple as there are only a few settings that need adjustment to enable optimal use of the technology.
The system is expected to begin shipping this Autumn in select countries in Europe. In the United States, the MiniMed 780G system is investigational use only and not approved for sale.
For more information, visit: www.medtronicdiabetes.com
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AI-Rad Companion Chest CT is a software assistant that brings artificial intelligence (AI) to computed tomography (CT). Using CT images of the thorax (chest), the software can differentiate between the various structures of the chest, highlight them individually, and mark and measure potential abnormalities. This applies equally to organs such as the heart and lungs, the aorta and the vertebral bodies. The software automatically turns the findings into a quantitative report. AI-Rad Companion Chest CT is the first application based on the new AI-Rad Companion platform. It is designed to help radiologists interpret images faster and more accurately, and to reduce the time involved in documenting results. CT examinations of the thorax are common procedures in daily clinical practice. For radiologists, this means more examinations in a limited amount of time and usually for low reimbursement rates. In radiology, examinations of the chest, a region containing multiple organs, are also challenging because the images display a wide variety of information. Radiologists mainly assess images regarding the primary indication – in other words, the possible disease – which was the reason for performing the CT scan. By contrast, the algorithms in AI-Rad Companion Chest CT pay equal attention to all areas of the chest and can mark abnormalities in places that the radiologist might not consider so closely. The software assistant generates standardized, reproducible, and quantitative reports based on the AI-supported analysis. AI-Rad Companion Chest CT currently supports a variety of tasks, such as identifying lung lesions and calculating cardiovascular risk based on an analysis of coronary artery calcification on non-ECG-triggered CT images. A study in collaboration with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has also shown that AI-Rad Companion Chest CT can segment and measure the diameter of the aorta, an important parameter for potential aneurysms. AI-Rad Companion Chest CT also examines the spine in the patient’s chest region. It detects and segments the individual vertebrae, labels and analyses them for bone density and possible fractures. This can be helpful for detecting osteoporotic changes at an early stage. AI-Rad Companion Chest CT is a cloud-based solution and uses certified, secure teamplay infrastructure that complies with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the U.S., and with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU. The software integrates seamlessly into existing clinical workflows and conforms to Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards. The images and all supporting information can be made automatically available in the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) in line with the radiologist’s individual requirements. The solution is particularly helpful for time-consuming, basic, and repetitive tasks. AI-Rad Companion Chest CT is vendor-neutral and can analyse image data from all CT manufacturers.

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St Mary’s Hospital is one of London’s four major trauma centres and uses point-of-care ultrasound extensively in the assessment of patients visiting its extremely busy A&E department. Dr Ehsan Hassan, a consultant in emergency medicine with a special interest in ultrasound, explained: “Our normal practice with trauma patients is to perform a FAST scan during the primary survey. This can make a significant difference to the care of unstable patients – for example, stab wounds to the heart – giving you a diagnosis straight away. This approach has enabled some patients to be fast-tracked into theatre.” The department’s SonoSite X-Porte ultrasound system is based in resuscitation, although its portability means it can be easily moved to other areas of A&E as required. Dr Hassan continued: “The Royal College of Emergency Medicine requires that all A&E consultants are trained to perform FAST (Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma), aortic scans, IV access and basic echo. However, once you are familiar with the techniques, it has a role in assessing so many different conditions – shock patients, abdominal pain, query ectopic pregnancies, pneumothoraces or hemothoraces, and numerous musculoskeletal complaints – as well as for draining pleural effusions and placing central or difficult-to-access IV lines. It is a very versatile technique.”
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Nevro Corp., a global medical device company specialising in solutions for the treatment of chronic pain, has received the CE mark approval for the Senza® Omnia™ Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system.
“Following a successful launch in the United States late last year, we are excited to now have approval for the Senza Omnia SCS system in Europe,” said D. Keith Grossman, Chairman, CEO and President of Nevro. “As conditions in the marketplace allow, we will be introducing Omnia to physicians throughout Europe. This next-generation SCS system has been developed in close consultation with customers and is designed to provide a comprehensive solution to manage chronic pain. Omnia’s versatility means that patients now have access to a full range of SCS solutions and physicians can have the peace of mind that when they implant the system, they will have the capabilities needed to achieve the best possible outcomes for their patients.”
The Omnia system is a completely new SCS platform and consists of a number of new components. The first is the new Omnia programmer, which will allow physicians to easily offer the widest array of waveforms across the full SCS frequency spectrum, either separately or paired together with HF10. The second element of the system is a redesigned patient remote that is more intuitive for patients to use. The new remote supports greater programming capacity, allowing for the flexibility to expand on the HF10 algorithm by giving physicians the ability to provide additional waveforms. The third component is a redesigned, slimmer patient charger with an improved user interface. Additionally, the system comes with an updated and upgradeable implantable pulse generator. Unlike non-rechargeable systems, the Omnia battery is designed to last over ten years no matter what stimulation profile is used, has conditional full body MRI approval, and will be upgradeable to future waveforms and frequencies.
Other SCS systems on the market are limited to frequencies below 1,200 Hz. In contrast, Omnia delivers the widest range of frequencies of any SCS system, between 2 and 10,000 Hz. In addition to Nevro’s proprietary HF10 waveform, Omnia offers the most waveforms on one device and can be programmed to provide waveforms independently or paired with HF10. The ability to pair frequencies allows Omnia to pair HF10 – the most studied SCS therapy with over 55,000 patients treated across the world – with other waveforms, including traditional, paresthesia-based stimulation, subthreshold 1 kHz therapy or burst waveforms.
For more information, visit: www.nevro.com/Omnia
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