Medical Devices

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A Vanderbilt researcher has developed a device to stimulate the palatoglossus muscle in order to treat sleep apnea. This has the potential to treat patients who have failed to succeed with current sleep apnea treatments.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a portable, non-invasive sensor system that can take measurements through the skin to provide insights into metabolic rate and energy expenditure outside of a clinical setting. Existing methods for estimating metabolic rate rely on comparisons between user-reported body parameters and population averages, which can result in inaccurate estimates. Additionally, existing portable devices that provide estimates of metabolic rate are limited by factors such as cost per use and frequency of measurement. The present technology overcomes these limitations and can be directly integrated with commercial wearable devices for an accurate assessment of metabolic rate.

Vanderbilt researchers have created a novel technology for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease states using the rheological properties of a blood sample with a lateral flow membrane.

The Biomedical Modeling Laboratory at Vanderbilt University has produced a method and apparatus for use during the collection and processing of physical space data during image-guided surgery. This technology provides a complete system for performing tissue ablations that includes a spatial probe, an ablation tool, and a computer processor. Using this technology, the surgeon is able to view the location of the ablation tool in the patient's medical images as well as the ablation zone of the instrument and the particular portion of the tissue to be ablated.