Boston Imaging, the headquarters in the United States of Samsung’s ultrasound and digital radiography business, recently introduced the V7. It is a cutting-edge ultrasound system providing a broad range of clinical applications designed to enhance patient and user experience, and received 510k clearance from the US Food and Drug administrations to be used commercially. “There is a continued demand on imaging professionals to deliver high-quality results in an efficient amount of time, without compromising patient care,” said David Legg, Vice President, Head of Boston Imaging. “We’re proud to help address this by supplying one more solution that helps make clinical assessments effortless and treatment precise.” At the core of the V7’s enhanced image clarity and penetration is Crystal Architecture™, which is built upon a combination of innovative beam-forming, advanced image processing and sophisticated S-Vue Single Crystal Transducers™, producing uniformly clear high-res images. To assist healthcare professions using innovative solutions, the V7 comes equipped with a wide range of Intelligent Assist features, which can be used for both general imaging, and ultrasound cases in women. These include: 2D Follicle™: This is an automated measurement tool which provides information regarding the status of follicles during gynaecology exams by measuring and identifying the follicle size based on a 2D image. AutoIMT™: This screening tool analyses the patient’s potential risk of cardiovascular disease. S-Shearwave Imaging™: This tool provides a quantitative, non-invasive documentation and assessment of the stiffness of tissue far various clinical applications, including breast and liver. UterineAssist™: This AI technology will automatically measure the shape and size of the uterus, which aids in detecting signs of uterine abnormalities. E-Cervix™: This innovative elastography tech provides efficient semi-quantitative assessments of cervical canal stiffness. As well as enhancing image clarity and accuracy, the design of the V7 has been re-engineered, prioritising workflow, performance, and functionality. Tools such as EzExam+™ and EzCompare™ aim to transform the experience of ultrasound examination through minimising the steps and keystrokes necessary. The V7 also applies an eco-friendly resin cover which covers the air vent exterior, as well as recycled and re-usable Eco Paper Packaging, in an attempt to make steps towards a greener future. © Samsung Group

Medical device company Stryker has recently launched the Gamma4 System, which strengthens the product’s 30 year legacy of continuous innovation within clinical history. This latest Gamma System will provide surgeons and medical practitioners with Stryker’s next generation of the intra-medullary nailing system. “Since 2004, the Gamma3 System has been the proven work horse of our Trauma business,” said Eric Tamweber, Vice President and General Manager, Stryker’s Trauma business unit. “But we aren’t proven because we have a legacy; we have a legacy because we are proven. That’s why we’re so excited to introduce Gamma4— an enhanced, modern product that is designed to fulfil our customers’ hip fracture needs.” This Gamma4 System has been designed to treat stable and unstable fractures, along with use for the stabilisation of bones and the correction of bone deformities within the intracapsular, subtrochanteric, trochanteric, and the shaft regions of the femur (which include osteoporotic and osteopenic bone). Features of the system include a Precision Pin™, the use of which reduces the potential for skiving by a significant 66%, compared to a standard ∅3.2 k-wire. The Gamma4 also has a redefined nail, designed by SOMA, which features length-variable RoC, a proximal body which has been shortened, and a chamfered distal tip with is equipped with a pre-inserted set screw. Stryker have also released an instrument platform which is integrated, allowing the portfolio of all Stryker nails to now work off the existing IMN Basic set. “Our design team spent the last decade working to understand how we could enhance the Gamma System based on surgeon experience and feedback,” said James Maxey, M.D., orthopaedic surgeon and a design surgeon for Gamma4. “Our goal when designing the Gamma4 system was to make it easier for the surgeon—and better for the patient. Being one of the most commonly used devices to repair a hip fracture, I’m confident that we met our goal of reshaping patient hip fracture care for many years to come.” “The Gamma4 System features the Precision Pin™, which allows me to control the placement of the Lag Screw while having familiar instrumentation to the T2 Alpha System,” said David Forsh, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. “The instrumentation is sleek, the nail design and geometry have been enhanced and the nail facilitates the ease of insertion, which is one of the biggest benefits I have experienced first-hand in the operating room.”

Medical device company Boston Scientific recently announced their acquisition of the privately held company Obsidio, Inc., the latter of which is famous for developing GEM (Gel Embolic Material) technology, which is used for the embolisation of blood vessels within the peripheral vasculature. The embolisation procedure is minimally invasive, and is intended to either reduce or obstruct blood flow towards a tumour or abnormality in order to stop haemorrhaging, with the aim of reducing the size of both malignant and benign tumours, as well as stabilising venous and arterial malformations. This GEM technology, which has recently been cleared by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration), is a proprietary, semi solid material, which is packaged in a form which is ready to use, thereby reducing preparation time which is required for most embolisation procedures. The GEM agent is delivered via a catheter by a physician, and the textural composition enables heightened control of placement within the patient’s anatomy. “Unlike solid and liquid embolics that can take time to form an obstruction to blood flow, once placed, the GEM technology conforms to the targeted vasculature, immediately creating a barrier,” the company wrote in a statement. "The GEM technology combines benefits of currently available embolics, such as precise control of a solid and malleability of a liquid, to create a unique technology that offers procedural efficiency and a more personalized therapy for patients," said Peter Pattison, president, interventional oncology and embolization, Peripheral Interventions, Boston Scientific. "This acquisition strengthens our interventional oncology and embolization portfolio with a differentiated solution for physicians and their patients suffering from hemorrhages, cancer and other debilitating conditions." This transaction is anticipated to be irrelevant to Boston Scientific’s GAAP and adjusted earnings per share as measured by 2022, though the specific terms of the transaction have not been fully disclosed. It is Boston Scientific’s second acquisition within a 3 month window (it bought a majority stake in M.I.Tech for $230M back in June). Analysts also added that it planned to commercialise the GEM tech within the US next year.

Stryker, a world leader in additively-manufactured medical innovations, recently inaugurated a facility in Ireland. The 80 year old company intends to incorporate at least 600 high-tech jobs in the facility, which measures roughly 156,000 square feet, and this should further its status a pioneer in additive manufacturing within the healthcare sector. This new, high-tech facility is built in County Cork, in the Anngrove neighbourhood, and shares its grounds with the AMagine Institute, which is Stryker’s tech development hub, as well as being one of the largest additive manufacturing facilities of orthopaedic implants in the world. Stryker has made very significant investments in the Anngrove area, stating that it will continue to invest for growth. As part of an official opening ceremony to celebrate the new structure, the company was visited by the prime minister and the head of the Irish government, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, along with various other local guests, including IDA Ireland (the Industrial Development Agency. Commenting on the new facility, Martin said: “I am delighted to be at the opening of Stryker’s newly expanded Anngrove facility, a very welcome development for Cork and the South West region. Today’s opening and announcement of the capacity for new jobs is a testament to the capability, dedication, and vision of the Stryker team and of the growth and success of Stryker here. The government will work to ensure Ireland continues to be an attractive location for the med-tech sector, and business in general, supported by our highly-skilled and talented workforce.” On a similar vein, the CEO of IDA Ireland, Martin Shanahan, highlighted that this expanded facility from Stryker progresses the company’s commitment of four decades to the country of Ireland, which acknowledges the robust ecosystem of such institutions as universities and the IDA, as well as supporting engineering talent. The new facility “also builds on Stryker’s outstanding track record for innovation and shows the key role Anngrove plays in the company’s global additive technology research and development. We welcome this exciting development in Anngrove, the potential it brings for future high tech job growth, and look forward to continued success for Stryker in Ireland,” highlighted Shanahan. Initially established in Ireland back in 1998, the Stryker company’s Irish presence incorporates more than 4,000 people over the 8 facilities across Cork, Belfast and Limerick, and Ireland plays host to the Global Research And Development Innovation Centre, as well as the manufacturing headquarters for Europe. This new site will also increase the potential for supplying jobs to a growing number of AM applicants.