Intracranial Hemorrhage, Traumatic

Chulalongkorn University engineer develops hybrid wheelchair, wearable robot A wheelchair that also serves as a wearable exoskeleton for people with mobility issues has been developed in Thailand. The hybrid robot prototype allows its user to leave the wheelchair to stand and walk using an exoskeleton. "The lower leg can change mode between sitting and walking using a motor to help with the movement of the hip and knee joints. The ankle joint is a free joint with no drive. The left and right wheels can be retracted to the lower leg area to transform into a walking posture or get over obstacles," explained Dr Ronnapee Chaichawarat, an associate professor of the International School of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University. Dr Chaichawarat, who developed the hybrid robot with funding from the National Research Council of Thailand, is now building a second prototype with improved stability in sitting, standing, and walking. He is also preparing for its clinical trial. Heuron expands to Japan Heuron from South Korea has started supplying its medical imaging AI to Japan. The company recently signed an exclusive deal with remote diagnostic imaging provider, Doctor Net, to distribute and sell its non-contrast CT-based acute stroke triage AI software across healthcare settings in Japan. They will also collaborate to obtain local regulatory approval for the AI solution, which they target by yearend. Respiree receives expanded HSA clearance Singaporean startup Respiree has obtained clearance from Singapore's Health Sciences Authority for the expanded use of its wearable device to children. Its device measures the respiration of patients with cardio-pulmonary diseases such as COPD and congestive heart failure. The clearance is also for the extension of its software, which now features automated alerts and symptom questionnaire generation and integrates with EMR systems. It also has API plugins that enable EMR interoperability. Respiree, which has been approved in Australia, Europe, and the United States, is looking to secure more regulatory clearances for its wearable device and AI-powered software-as-a-medical-device across Asia-Pacific. JLK secures more FDA approvals Korean medical imaging AI company JLK has received its sixth and seventh United States Food and Drug Administration approvals. It obtained 510(k) clearances for its integrated medical image management and analysis platform and AI software for detecting subdural haemorrhage in CT scans. Most recently in January, JLK secured the US FDA's nod for its AI software supporting intracerebral hemorrhage diagnosis.

MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2024 -- Middle meningeal artery embolization plus surgery is associated with a lower risk for hematoma recurrence or progression leading to reoperation than surgery alone among patients with symptomatic subacute or chronic subdural hematoma with an indication for surgical evacuation, according to a study published online in the Nov. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine . Jason M. Davies, M.D., Ph.D., from the University at Buffalo in New York, and colleagues conducted a prospective, interventional, adaptive-design trial involving patients with symptomatic subacute or chronic subdural hematoma with an indication for surgical evacuation. Patients were randomly assigned to undergo middle meningeal artery embolization plus surgery (treatment group; 197 patients) or surgery alone (control group; 203 patients). Overall, 34.0 percent of the patients underwent surgery before being randomly assigned. The researchers found that hematoma recurrence or progression leading to repeat surgery occurred in 4.1 and 11.3 percent of patients in the treatment and control groups, respectively (relative risk, 0.36). Functional deterioration occurred in 11.9 percent of those in the treatment group and 9.8 percent in the control group. Mortality at 90 days was 5.1 and 3.0 percent in the treatment and control groups, respectively. Serious adverse events related to the embolization procedure had occurred in 2.0 percent of patients in the treatment group by 30 days; no additional events occurred by 180 days. "The 90-day mortality appeared to be higher in the treatment group than in the control group (5.1 percent vs. 3.0 percent), but the difference was not attributed by independent assessors to the embolic agent or to the embolization procedure," the authors write. Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.

THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 2024 -- After a hit to the head or a fall, people, especially seniors, can develop a dangerous pooling of blood and fluid between the brain's surface and it's protective covering, the dura. These "subdural hematomas" typically require surgery to fix, but a new study suggests a better approach, one that makes sure repeat surgeries aren't required. That's important, because “even after you remove the blood, it can come back and require more surgery," explained study co-lead author Dr. Jared Knopman . "This is particularly challenging for older patients, who are the most prevalent group suffering from chronic subdural hematomas,” he added. Knopman directs cerebrovascular surgery and interventional neuroradiology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. The new technique, outlined in a study published Nov. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine , combines standard hematoma surgery with an embolization (blocking) of the brain's middle meningeal artery. In this procedure, a compound that essentially "glues together" and blocks this artery renders repeat surgeries unnecessary. The "liquid embolic agent" used as the glue in this embolization technique is called Onyx and is made by Medtronic, which funded the new trial. The embolization is minimally invasive: Doctors thread a small catheter containing Onyx into the middle meningeal artery via vessels in the wrist or groin. Researchers found the combo of surgery plus embolization reduced the need for repeat surgeries by nearly threefold. The study involved 400 patients with subdural hematomas treated at 39 medical centers. The patients, who averaged 72 years of age, got either standard hematoma surgery (203 patients) or surgery plus Onyx embolization. While 11.3% of people who got surgery alone required a second surgery within three months of their first procedure, that was true for only 4% of those who got the combo approach. Sealing off the middle meningeal artery using Onyx was key to improving outcomes, Knopman said in a Weill Cornell news release. "In addition to demonstrating the role that the middle meningeal artery plays in the formation and recurrence of subdural hematomas, we have discovered an entirely new facet about the brain that has gone unknown and untreated for decades,” he explained. Dr. Jason Davies , of the University at Buffalo (UB), co-led the study with Knopman. Speaking in a university news release, he stressed that preventing hematoma re-bleeds is especially tough when an older patient is already on a blood thinner, as is often the case. “A patient with a chronic subdural hematoma who is on a blood thinner presents an even more complicated picture,” said Davies, associate professor of neurosurgery at UB. “If you are on a blood thinner, once you start bleeding, you’re not going to stop.” Up to 1 in 5 hematomas will become chronic and require multiple surgeries, which of course come with their own costs and risks, the researchers said. Left untreated, “these hematomas often get bigger over time and can be very irritating to the brain, exerting more pressure and preventing the brain from functioning properly,” Davies noted. The new combo approach could be game-changing, he believes. “We are changing the way that we are treating this very common disease,” Davies said. “We are changing subdural hematoma from being a disease that commonly requires multiple surgeries to a disease that can be better treated with a simple, minimally invasive procedure that produces better outcomes.” Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.