by Nancy Fliesler Want to hack something in medicine? Vendors are increasingly eager to contribute their tools to problem-solving teams, like those who will gather November 14 for Boston Children’s Hospital’s Hacking Pediatrics. Seeing an array of tools presented at a showcase at Boston Children’s last week, I felt excited about the possibilities ahead. Here are […]
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Three pediatric products to compete on ‘Innovation Tank’
The creators of a powered arm brace, a device to aid newborn resuscitation and a platform for virtual nutritional consults have been chosen to present at Boston Children’s Hospital’s second annual pitch competition—otherwise known as the Innovation Tank—during the hospital’s Global Pediatric Innovation Summit + Awards 2015. Presented by the health care company Philips, the November 9 competition […]
Treating status epilepticus through direct brain stimulation
Status epilepticus, a state of prolonged seizures, is a life-threatening medical emergency. The average mortality rate is 20 percent, and people who survive sustain lasting neurologic damage. Aborting the seizures is of the essence, but about 30 to 40 percent of patients don’t respond to lorazepam, the first-line drug usually given, and the drug itself […]
How rapid prototyping is changing medical tech
Some people bring data and completed designs. Others just bring simple sketches. “We have this idea for this device,” they begin. “It may only help 15 kids a year, but it could really improve their quality of life.” Other people bring only a clinical need: “We need something to keep babies lying still after their […]
Fixing your heart with light
Last year, cardiologists at Boston Children’s Hospital reported developing a groundbreaking adhesive patch for sealing holes in the heart. The patch guides the heart’s own tissue to grow over it, forming an organic bridge. Once the hole is sealed, the biodegradable patch dissolves, leaving no foreign material in the body. As revolutionary as this device was, it […]
Doctors use 3D printed cerebrovascular models to prep for procedures
by Nancy Fliesler Four children with life-threatening malformations of blood vessels in the brain appear to be the first to benefit from 3D printing of their anatomy before undergoing high-risk corrective procedures. The children, ranging from 2 months to 16 years old, all posed particular treatment challenges: cerebrovascular disease often entails complex tangles of vessels […]
Planning with a cardboard hospital
by Emily Williams It’s 1 a.m. on a Wednesday. A two-year-old boy involved in a rollover automobile accident is brought into the emergency department at Boston Children’s Hospital. A scan shows fluid in his abdomen. He is becoming progressively unstable, his blood pressure plummeting despite blood transfusions. A decision is made to bring him to […]
Improving marrow transplants through an unlikely source
by Nancy Fliesler Bone marrow transplantation, a.k.a. stem cell transplantation, can offer a cure for certain cancers, blood disorders, immune deficiencies and even metabolic disorders. But it’s a highly toxic procedure, especially when a closely matched marrow donor can’t be found. Using stem cells from umbilical cord blood banked after childbirth could open up many more matching […]
Improved graft shows hope in treating pediatric heart surgery
By Erin Horan Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare but serious form of congenital heart disease that leaves the left pumping chamber (ventricle) of the heart severely underdeveloped. Children born with HLHS can’t pump enough oxygenated blood from their heart to the rest of their body and need surgery as soon as possible to […]
Risk mitigation: Digital apps enhance hospital’s safety
By David Altman Hospitals are among the most hazardous workplaces in the U.S. In 2011, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 253,700 accidents were reported, an average of 6.8 work-related injuries for every 100 full-time employees. Rates of injuries reported to OSHA are decreasing in all industries except for hospitals, whose rates are […]
MRI-powered millirobots for minimally invasive surgery
By Nancy Fliesler MRI is a staple of surgical imaging, but it has the potential to do much more than take pictures. In 2011, bioengineer Pierre Dupont, PhD, and colleagues demonstrated that an MRI machine’s magnetic field could power a motor strong enough to control a robotic instrument, in this case driving a needle into an organ […]