Failure of Medtronic’s Symplicity-3 trial doesn’t mean the end of renal denervation for hypertension | Medtech Wall Street news for the week of September 1, 2014

From Medical Design & Outsourcing

• FDA allows dry heat treatment for single-user mask reuse
  The FDA has announced that it will allow the use of dry heat to lower the bioburden on masks used by healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients. While not authorizing equipment made by a particular company, guidance released last week said healthcare providers may use dry heat to reprocess NIOSH-approved filtering facepiece respirators, such as N95s,… […]
• Mass General researchers tout low-cost, portable brain imaging scanner
  Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are touting a low-cost, portable “head only” MRI scanner that could be used in multiple settings. As opposed to standard costly, immobile MRI scanners that require special infrastructure, the MGH researchers developed a low-cost, compact, portable and low-power scanner that could be mounted in an ambulance, wheeled into a patient’s… […]
• HHS confirms involvement in presidential transition process
  U.S. Health and Human Services Dept. Secretary Alex Azar confirmed that HHS is working with president-elect Joe Biden on a presidential transition. Speaking during a press briefing, Azar said HHS is in contact with the transition team after the General Services Administration formally recognized Biden as the president-elect, having previously sidestepped questions regarding the potential… […]
• Swiss scientists make ‘micromachines’ for self-deploying stents and more
  Researchers in Zurich reported today that they have invented a manufacturing technique to build “micromachines” out of metal and plastic in which these two materials are interlocked as closely as links in a chain. These robots are so tiny that they can maneuver through blood vessels and deliver medications to certain points in the body… […]
• This AI algorithm could detect COVID-19 in chest X-rays
  Northwestern University researchers are touting a new AI platform that can detect COVID-19 in X-ray images of the lungs. DeepCOVID-XR, a machine-learning algorithm, performed better than a team of specialized thoracic radiologists by spotting COVID-19 in X-rays about 10 times faster and 1%-6% more accurately, according to a news release. Researchers involved think physicians could… […]
• Aspen Surgical acquires Protek Medical Products
  Disposable products maker Aspen Surgical Products today announced the acquisition of Protek Medical Products (Coralville, Iowa). Protek manufactures single-use ultrasonic probe covers and needle guides used in tissue biopsies, fluid aspiration, and vascular access procedures as well as protective covers for medical instruments and equipment. The acquisition of Protek strengthens Aspen’s portfolio of medical, patient… […]
• Puritan Medical lands $11.6M to boost swab production
  Puritan Medical Products (Guilford, Maine) has been awarded $11.6 million to expand its COVID-19 testing swab production by 3 million swabs per month, according to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). The award was funded through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act enacted in April. It will help fund modifications to Puritan’s newest… […]
• PTI Engineered Plastics wins ‘top workplace’ award
  PTI Engineered Plastics has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2020 honor by The Detroit Free Press. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, according to the Macomb, Mich.-based company. An anonymous employee survey measured 15 drivers of engaged workplace cultures, including alignment, execution, and… […]
• SyBridge enters medtech market with acquisition of X-Cell Tool & Mold
  SyBridge Technologies announced that it has completed the acquisition of X-Cell Tool & Mold, marking its first acquisition in the medical tooling industry. Fairview, Pa.-based X-Cell manufactures close-tolerance and multi-cavity plastic injection molds primarily for the medical industry. Its acquisition expands SyBridge’s tooling capabilities to include highly complex precision tooling solutions necessary for medical devices.… […]
• Why making a lot of ventilators may not be enough to prevent COVID-19 deaths
  Medical device companies and even manufacturers outside the industry answered the call to make ventilators needed to treat people with severe COVID-19 cases. But as a newer and larger wave of the novel coronavirus hits the U.S., the equipment may not be enough, The New York Times reported yesterday. The problem, according to the Times,… […]
• Demand, flexible financing fuel strong Mako sales for Stryker
  Stryker’s (NYSE:SYK) Mako surgical system remains a strong seller, even as hospitals grapple with pandemic-induced cuts to revenue. The orthopedics giant announced the placement of its 1,000th system in September. Those results stem not only from demand but also from financing options Stryker has extended to some hospitals, according to Spencer Stiles, group president of the… […]