Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) recently launched what it describes as a durable, natural-feeling implant to treat erectile dysfunction. A man with the Tactra implant in his member can push it up for intercourse and manually pushed it down when it is not in use. The prosthesis is made of dual-layer silicone in order to give it a […]
Prosthetics
Judge orders Otto Bock to sell top U.S. microprocessor knee competitor
A judge has ordered prosthetics maker Otto Bock Healthcare North America to sell a competitor it acquired in 2017. Otto Bock (Austin, Texas) and smaller competitor Freedom Innovations (Irvine, Calif.) are the top U.S. sellers of microprocessor-equipped prosthetic knees, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which began seeking the divestiture shortly after the merger. […]
Swedish patient receives ‘dexterous, sentient’ prosthetic hand
A Swedish woman with a hand amputation has become the first recipient of an osseo-neuromuscular implant to control a dexterous hand prosthesis, according to Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. Surgeons placed titanium implants in the two forearm bones (radius and ulna), and extended electrodes to nerves and muscle to extract signals to control a […]
OSU touts new nerve rerouting procedure to reduce pain, phantom limb issues in amputees
New research out of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center suggests that patients who receive a procedure to reroute amputated nerves experience less pain, numbness and phantom limb pain than those who don’t receive the treatment. The procedure, dubbed targeted muscle reinnervation, has a significant effect on patients if performed at the time of […]
What should the Mann Foundation do next?
Dr. Robert Greenberg, the Mann Foundation’s new executive chairman, has ideas about where to take one of medtech’s top research and development outfits. He explained more at DeviceTalks West in December. The new executive chairman of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation for Scientific Research sees the foundation continuing its mission of developing devices for unmet medical needs. The foundation […]
Ortho and prosthetic manufacturing automation company FusiForm raises $6m
Medical manufacturing specialty service provider FusiForm has raised $5.8 million in a new round of equity funding, according to a recently posted SEC filing. FusiForm offers services intended to automate manufacturing management for orthotic and prosthetic producers, according to the company’s website. Funds in the round came from 11 unnamed investors, with the first sale […]
Report: Prosthetic maker Ottobock to expand into exoskeletons
German prosthetics maker Ottobock is looking to enter the field of mechanical exoskeletons, according to a recent Reuters report. The company’s initial foray will focus mainly on manual labor and industrial use, though its initial development in the field was intended to aid individuals with partial paralysis or spinal injuries, according to the report. The […]
Northwell’s prosthetic leg could get amputees back in the swim
A New York State heathcare provider has developed a 3D-printed artificial leg to help combat veterans and other amputees to swim again. Northwell Health’s prosthetic, “The Fin,” is the first such prosthetic leg attachment to give amputee swimmers the ability to navigate from land to the water and back without having to switch prosthetics. Northwell has begun […]
7 medtech stories we missed this week: July 27, 2018
From the FDA clearing LifeSignal’s wireless ECG to Zavation receiving FDA clearance for its expandable corpectomy cage, here are seven medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning. 1. FDA clears LifeSignal’s wireless ECG LifeSignals announced in a July 26 press release that it has received FDA clearance for its wireless LP1100 Life […]
DARPA is developing a human memory prosthesis: Here’s how
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has successfully created what it is calling a human memory prosthesis, a system with electrodes implanted in the brain that restores memory function using a person’s own neural codes. DARPA has been working on restoring normal memory function in military personnel since 2013 in a program known as […]
ReWalk Robotics wins German reimbursement nod for Personal 6.0 exoskeleton
ReWalk Robotics (NSDQ:RWLK) said this week that the German statutory health insurance head office GKV-Spitzenverband confirmed the listing of the ReWalk Personal 6.0 exoskeleton system in the German medical device directory, which is used for reimbursement from German SHI providers. The ReWalk 6.0 system will be classified as an “innovative device for the immediate compensation […]