3M (NYSE:MMM) announced today that it has resolved a federal court lawsuit in Indiana against an entity called ZeroAqua, halting a fraudulent N95 scheme involving the promise of billions of nonexistent N95 respirators. The lawsuit was among a handful that 3M filed nationwide more than two months ago — part of a larger legal effort in […]
Respiratory
Boston researchers have created a potential N95 mask alternative
Brigham & Women’s Hospital says it is developing a new, sustainable alternative to N95 respirator masks that are in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of bioengineers and clinical experts at the Boston-based hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on the “injection molded autoclavable, scalable, conformable” iMASC system for providing […]
AdaptHealth prices $124m upsized offering
AdaptHealth (NSDQ:AHCO) announced today that it upsized and priced an underwritten offering of common stock at approximately $124 million. Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based AdaptHealth is offering 8 million shares of its Class A common stock at $15.50 per share. The maker of home medical equipment, supplies and related services had previously set the offering at 6.5 […]
Smith College team wins ventilator design challenge
A team of Smith College engineering alumnae, staff and faculty has won the CoVent-19 Challenge to design a rapidly deployable ventilator to address shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in developing countries. A dozen anesthesiology resident physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital kicked off the public challenge April 1, attracting 200 entries. The 30-person team […]
Aerus healthcare-specific air purifier cleared by FDA
Aerus announced today that it received Class II medical device clearance from the FDA for the Aerus Medical Guardian with ActivePure technology, which the company calls the first active air purifier for healthcare. ActivePure was designed to operate continuously in occupied spaces and prevent recontamination in real time. The free-standing, portable unit uses NASA-inspired technology […]
Mayo Clinic needed to engineer its way through COVID-19: Here’s what they did.
The health system’s medical and engineering staffs had to devise their own solutions for lab gear, PPE and operating room air decontamination. As COVID-19 settles into several regions of the U.S., healthcare systems that once sat on the sidelines likely will find themselves in the same situation as their counterparts in the Northeast did earlier […]
Federal officials to young people: Stop spreading COVID-19
As the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases soars across the South, federal officials today implored young people to be more careful about spreading the disease. Members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, holding their first public briefing in two months, spoke of the risks of continuing to spread the virus by people who are […]
FDA clears Masimo respiration sensor
Masimo (NSDQ:MASI) announced today that its Centroid wireless orientation, activity and respiration rate sensor received FDA clearance. Centroid is a wearable sensor designed to monitor patient position in an effort to avoid preventable pressure ulcers, while also alerting clinicians to sudden movements, such as fall-like events. The device also detects chest movements to continuously provide respiration […]
FDA OKs Circadia’s radar-powered tool in battle against COVID-19
Healthcare staff monitoring COVID-19 patients for respiratory distress will have a new radar-powered tool at their disposal thanks to an expedited FDA clearance for Circadia Health. London-based Circadia Health announced today the agency gave a green light to its Contactless Respiration Rate (CResp) monitoring systems and c100 device. “Our C100 uses radar to wirelessly look […]
Report: Trump fundraiser tried to cash in on N95 masks
The co-founder of a political action committee that has raised funds for President Donald Trump may have attempted to profit from N95 respirators made by 3M (NYSE:MMM), according to a report by CBS News. The report said that, shortly after Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to obtain 3M’s respirators, Great America PAC (which raised more […]
COVID-19 lessons learned: 2 manufacturers, a healthcare system and a logistics company share their wisdom
The COVID-19 pandemic put medtech contract manufacturers, OEMs, distributors and healthcare providers in situations for which they were unprepared, particularly with their supply chains. What they learned will undoubtedly help them all going forward, especially if the world faces a second wave or another novel virus. Here are some supply chain lessons learned by a […]