As our world becomes more interconnected, so do our medical devices: we are connecting devices such as insulin pumps and glucose meters to apps, some of which also have cloud connectivity, enabling patients to share their health data with caregivers and loved ones. However, this increased interconnectivity comes with vulnerability to cybersecurity threats.
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School have worked together to create an analysis of breast cancer pathology that incorporates artificial intelligence. They found that their system–and the evaluation by pathologists themselves–worked better when used in conjunction than either did alone.
ISSUE: FDA has updated its understanding of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) to reflect the agency’s concurrence with the World Health Organization designation of BIA-ALCL as a rare T-cell lymphoma that can develop following breast implants. At this time, most data suggest that BIA-ALCL occurs more frequently following implantation of breast implants with textured surfaces rather than those with smooth surfaces. BIA-ALCL is a rare condition; when it occurs, it has been identified most frequently in patients undergoing implant revision operations for late onset, persistent seroma. The exact number of cases remains difficult to determine due to significant limitations in world-wide reporting and lack of global implant sales data.
IBM has formed a Watson Health medical imaging collaborative alongside more than 15 health systems, academic centers, imaging technology companies and ambulatory radiology providers. The initiative aims to cut down on inefficient and uncoordinated healthcare and make imaging a daily practice for doctors treating a variety of diseases and conditions, thereby improving personalized care.
In its latest digital health push, England’s National Health Service (NHS) is offering remote monitoring medical devices and apps to help millions of people manage chronic conditions–for free.
IBM has entered into a five-year collaboration with the University of Calgary. The alliance will see IBM install computing and storage infrastructure at the university to support its research into the genetics of conditions including autism.
Q-Collars may be an answer to the effects of sport-related head collisions, according to the results of a pair of studies of high school football and hockey players at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
The FDA has added a fourth kind of obesity treatment device to its roster of approved interventions. The Agency has approved the AspireAssist System from Pennsylvania-based startup Aspire Bariatrics. The device works to drain part of the stomach contents after each meal via a surgically place tube.
While hemodialysis has improved since its introduction in the 1960s, there are still some drawbacks, most notably being tethered to a machine for several hours, multiple times a week. The University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle has tested a wearable artificial kidney (WAK) that could give patients more freedom while dialyzing.
Adding blue-light imaging to white-light endoscopy can give a more complete picture of the body’s internal tissues, but can also be more costly, impractical and time-consuming. Vancouver, Canada-based Imagin is teaming up with the University of Rochester and the U.S. Department of Energy on a device that could eliminate these disadvantages and facilitate the early detection of bladder cancer.