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> A small Phase I study published in Science Translational Medicine shows that synthetic corneas performed as well as cadaver harvested corneas over a 24 month followup. Story
> Two Northeast Ohio medical device companies are under consideration for state loans worth a combined $1.1 million. Article
> Radio-frequency ID tags are often used to keep track of vehicle fleets, inventory and cargo being shipped around the world. But a Pittsburgh company is developing the technology to keep track of a much smaller area: the confines of the human body. Story
> Wallingford medical device maker Z-Medica has signed a deal with Japan's leading medical electronics maker to distribute exclusively Z-Medica's wound-dressing line in that Asian country. Report
> Hunkered down in a trailer loaded with microbiological gadgetry, Dr. Michael Dunne Jr. decried what he described as health industry hype about drug-resistant germs and infectious diseases. One easy target is the 83-foot trailer itself. Plastered on the outside with giant, cartoon-like insects and the slogan, "Join the Battle to Defeat Super Bugs!" That's certainly an attention-grabber. News
> A small chemical reaction Thursday morning at a Medtronic lab in Fridley made one person ill, authorities and a company official said. Story
> Keith Houlihan, co-founder and president of Sanomedics International Holdings has announced that Gary O'Hara has been named chief technology officer for Sanomedics International Holdings. Sanomedics release
> Zynex, a provider of pain management systems and electrotherapy products for medical patients with functional disability, announces that Anthony Scalese has been named CFO. Scalese will start Sept. 7 and will report directly to Thomas Sandgaard, CEO. Zynex release
> Medical robotics company Hansen Medical and medical device maker St. Jude Medical have agreed to partner on new products based on the two companies technologies for treating heart rhythm disorders. News
> From product liability claims to doctor payment disclosures, Fridley, Minnesota-based Medtronic always has preferred a uniform federal standard. It's better than 50 different laws, the company likes to say. Yet there is one issue looming on the horizon that worries Medtronic: the power of states to determine how much or even whether to pay for its devices in light of weak economies, tight budgets and healthcare reform. Story
And Finally... The stethoscope--medical icon, lifesaver and doctor's best friend--is disappearing from hospitals across the world as physicians increasingly use their smartphones to monitor patients' heartbeats. News