Browse Technologies

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This new tracheostomy tube design prevents the need for decannulation when changing from a cuffed to cuffless (or vice versa) tracheostomy. It also enables a comfortable and fit in patients with both large and small neck diameters. The tube enhances patient safety by maintaining the airway at all times when downsizing or upsizing.

At Vanderbilt University, a robotic steering mechanism for MRI-guided neurosurgical ablation has been developed. The small robot has submilimeter precision and is fully MRI compatible. It aims to replace current surgical practices with minimally invasive procedures in order to enhance the treatment of cancer and numerous neurological disorders such as epilepsy.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a novel MRI-based method for fast, robust, and accurate imaging of biological tissue by selecting a specific cell size range (such as tumors) without the need for a contrast agent. One exciting application of this method is imaging brain metastases (BM) that are difficult to differentiate from other brain abnormalities such as radionecrosis when using existing approaches.

Researchers have developed a non-invasive method for creating vascular occlusions at specific locations within a vessel using magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS). The speed and efficacy of this approach is better than traditional vascular occlusion methods, and the method can be further enhanced through the use of phase shift nano-droplets. The approach is even applicable to large vessels that can be extremely challenging to ablate due to the heat sink effect. Ultimately, the ability to occlude selected vasculature could aid in the treatment of vascular malformations, hemorrhage control, and tumor devascularization.