Expert review of medical devices
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Expert Rev Med Devices · Jan 2016
ReviewAdvances in supraglottic airway devices for the management of difficult airways in children.
There are innumerable tools and devices available to facilitate airway management and life-saving gas exchange of the patient's lungs. Over the years, various designs and generations of supraglottic airway devices have proven to be effective in accomplishing this function. ⋯ Older supraglottic airway devices since the 1980's have been validated in multiple clinical trials to be safe and effective in the pediatric population, however there is also sufficient evidence that the newer designs have features that help overcome some limitations. These newer designs and features are effective in managing both the normal and difficult pediatric airway, and will be discussed in this comprehensive review.
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Expert Rev Med Devices · Jan 2016
ReviewFrom drug eluting stents to bioresorbable scaffolds; to new horizons in PCI.
Drug eluting stents and particularly the fully bioresorbable drug-eluting scaffolds herald a new era in percutaneous treatment of coronary artery disease. There has been tremendous progress in drug eluting stents with fully biodegradable coating polymers and polymer-free devices with reservoir technology planting the anti-proliferative drug. ⋯ Enhanced mechanical flexibility that provides superior conformability to the vessel wall, resumption of the vasoreactivity in the follow-up period and improving visualization on non-invasive imaging modalities are some of the supremacies of the fully bioresorbable scaffolds. In this review, we aim to give a general view on the latest developments in metallic drug eluting stents and fully bioresorbable scaffolds.
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Expert Rev Med Devices · Jan 2016
ReviewUpdate on the use of abdominal and thoracic endografts for treating aortic aneurysms.
Endovascular abdominal and thoracic aneurysm repair has heralded a paradigm shift in the management of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms. Randomized controlled trials have suggested superior short-term and equivalent long-term outcomes of endovascular repair compared with open surgery. ⋯ The advent of fenestrated and branched endografts have made endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal and juxtarenal aneurysms possible. Continued evolution of endograft technology will maximize the benefit and minimize complications in patients with a range of aneurysmal disease.
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Expert Rev Med Devices · Jul 2015
ReviewAdvanced waveforms and frequency with spinal cord stimulation: burst and high-frequency energy delivery.
In recent years, software development has been key to the next generation of neuromodulation devices. In this review, we will describe the new strategies for electrical waveform delivery for spinal cord stimulation. A systematic literature review was performed using bibliographic databases, limited to the English language and human data, between 2010 and 2014. ⋯ High-frequency and burst stimulation may offer advantages over tonic stimulation, as data suggest improved patient tolerance, comparable increase in function and possible success with a subset of patients refractory to tonic spinal cord stimulation. High-frequency and burst stimulation are new ways to deliver energy to the spinal cord that may offer advantages over tonic stimulation. These may offer new salvage strategies to mitigate spinal cord stimulation failure and improve cost-effectiveness by reducing explant rate.
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Expert Rev Med Devices · Jul 2015
ReviewTechnology platforms for remote monitoring of vital signs in the new era of telemedicine.
Driven by healthcare cost and home healthcare need, the development of remote monitoring technologies is poised to improve and revolutionize healthcare delivery and accessibility. This paper reviews the recent progress in the field of remote monitoring technologies that may have the potential to become the basic platforms for telemedicine. In particular, key techniques and devices for monitoring cardiorespiratory activity, blood pressure and blood glucose concentration are summarized and discussed. In addition, the US FDA approved remote vital signs monitoring devices currently available on the market are presented.