Browse Technologies

• 
• 
• 
• 

Researchers in Vanderbilt University's STORM Lab have developed a wireless palpation device that uses magnetic coupling between two units to provide valuable feedback about tissue properties and potential abnormalities. The wireless capabilities of this technology make it ideally suited for minimally invasive surgery and natural orifice procedures, as the device does not require the use of a surgical port.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a novel method for contactless simulation of the central nervous system. This technique involves the use of infrared neural stimulation (INS) to evoke the observable action potentials from neurons of the central nervous system. While infrared neural stimulation of the peripheral nervous system was accomplished almost a decade ago, this is the first technique for infrared stimulation of the central nervous system.

Heart valve disease is the 3rd most prevalent source of cardiovascular disease, leading to approximately 20,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone. Moreover, there are an estimated 41,000 mitral valve procedures performed in the U.S. each year. The only effective, long-term treatment for mitral valve disease is open-chest valve replacement surgery, which is highly undesirable for elderly patients. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop novel percutaneous strategies for treatment that will reduce the number of open-chest surgeries. David Merryman and colleagues have developed a new, combined catheter that uses cryo temperatures to adhere to moving mitral valve leaflets and radiofrequency ablation to alter the compliance of the leaflet tissue to prevent prolapse and regurgitation.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a novel device for accurately delivering a small aliquot of liquid pharmaceutical agent to a treatment site. This system enables more precise dosage and eliminates expensive waste found in conventional methods.