Flexpointer surgical navigation system
Fiagon announced that it has received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance to market its proprietary surgical navigation system in the United States.

The navigated FlexPointer has been well-received in Europe as an instrument that permits surgical sinus intervention without the need of exchange during the surgery. The Pointer is inserted endoscopically assisted and indicates the current position. The FlexPointer is navigated at the tip of the instrument and can be intraoperatively adjusted by bending it.

The navigated FinePointer is designed to support skull base surgery for ENT access.




Acertara Acoustic Laboratories to Introduce Active-Z
Acertara Acoustic Laboratories recently introduced the Active-Z, a low cost hand-held ultrasound probe testing device that provides biomedical engineering professionals with a point-of-measurement tool to rapidly and easily diagnose a suspected defective probe. Using a proprietary swept frequency technique, a broadband signal is transmitted through a patent-pending stylus into one of the pins of the probe connector; Active-Z then receives the returning signal through the stylus and measures the resultant complex impedance of the connection between the probe connector and the acoustic stack within the probe housing. This technique allows the user to determine where a potential problem exists.


HD single-channel therapeutic Gastroscope
Olympus announced the commercial availability of its 510(k) cleared, GIF-1TH190 gastrointestinal videoscope for endoscopy or endoscopic surgery use within the upper digestive tract.

As the first single-channel therapeutic gastroscope to offer both high-definition (HD) and narrow band imaging (NBI) capabilities, the GIF-1TH190 provides physicians with the advanced resolution and enhanced imaging needed for screening and diagnosis, along with a large 3.7 mm working channel for therapeutic applications.

The HD and electronically enhanced imaging provides sharper contours, more natural colors and greater resolving power for visualization of fine details. The GIF-1TH190 also delivers enhanced NBI.


Triton, the world’s first real-time monitor of surgical blood loss
Using the iPad camera, the Triton app by Gauss Surgical, scans surgical sponges that are covered in blood and sends the images to the cloud where proprietary algorithms estimate the amount of blood lost and send it back to those in the OR in real-time.


Sonialvision G4 universal R/F system
Shimadzu Medical Systems USA has announced that the Sonialvision G4 universal digital R/F table system has received 510(k) clearance.

The system combines a 17” x 17” flat panel detector with Shimadzu’s next generation digital imaging platform. Its easily switchable large-to-small fields-of-view cover a range of imaging from finger tips to the entire chest or abdomen. Also, the wide 202.5 cm movement range of the Sonialvision G4 can capture images of the entire body without moving the patient.

Various real-time digital filtering processes effectively suppress halation near skin surfaces and around shadows where organs overlap. Smoother imaging is achieved with no delay or image lags by applying optimal digital filtering and extracting noise components. The edge of the imaging range can be positioned as close as 9.5 cm from the head end of the table, given a 17” field-of-view, making it easy to perform procedures using an optical endoscope.