All articles by Amit Thadani
Amit Thadani
Canon Medical to buy Danish medical X-ray systems company NRT
Through the acquisition, Canon Medical aims to enhance its technology, development, and manufacturing of advanced digital imaging solutions in Europe
Lilly announces Institute for Genetic Medicine; invests $700m in Boston Seaport site
The advanced facility will harbour research efforts in Boston and New York to advance the development of RNA and DNA-based medicines
The future of laboratory automation
Quickly understanding a patient’s condition is crucial to keeping public health ticking over – but that can be tough without robust diagnostic tests. Nicolas Quoix, EU senior marketing manager at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, explains what his company can offer.
Automation at Wisplinghoff Laboratories
Automation is transforming the way we do things, and that rings true for many of the everyday tasks that take place in laboratories. Wisplinghoff Laboratories in Cologne is well known for its automation approach to processing. Professor Dr Hilmar Wisplinghoff, its microbiology lead, talks about how the technology makes a difference, and what could be next on its innovation agenda.
Beckman Coulter’s new urinalysis solution improves laboratory workflow, reduces manual microscopy review to less than 3% and cuts sample processing time by up to 78%
The automated, high-throughput DxU Iris solution features load-and-go walkaway capability and Edit-Free Release (EFR) technology to minimise interruptions and operator intervention.
The OR of tomorrow
Hybrid operating rooms enable surgeons to use minimally invasive techniques that save patients’ lives and reduce risk – but the ongoing financial costs are still high. Will every OR eventually be hybrid, or are there times when an old-fashioned surgical theatre would do the job just as well? Kim Thomas asks Lars Kock, head of the department for vascular and endovascular surgery at Albertinen Hospital; Mark Slack, chief medical officer and co-founder of CMR Surgical; and Anthony Fernando, president and CEO of Asensus Surgical.
Helping hands
While the pandemic has brought hand hygiene front of mind for healthcare professionals and the public alike, it’s not yet clear if it will prompt any lasting changes in attitudes and behaviours. Monica Karpinski talks to Rachel Ben Salem, deputy director for infection prevention control and head of nursing at King’s College Hospital; Dr Mamdooh Alzyood, infection prevention specialist and public health lecturer at Oxford Brookes University; and Dr Manjula Meda, consultant clinical microbiologist and infection control doctor at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, about what can be done to encourage hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers.
Keep your finger on the pulse
With a respiratory pandemic raging, pulse oximeters have become more important than ever. But alongside the benefits, previously underplayed weaknesses in their design have become more apparent. Tim Gunn speaks to Michael Sjoding, assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care and hospital medicine at the University of Michigan, and Olamide Dada, founder of UK charity Melanin Medics, about how pulse oximetry fails people of colour, and what doctors can do to make up for it.
The fight against resistance
With antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on the rise, knowing the correct antibiotics to use on patients with bacterial infections is as important as ever. By conducting an antimicrobial susceptibility test, a physician can identify the most effective antibiotics to give patients, which ultimately results in better clinical outcomes. Abi Millar looks at advances and challenges in this diagnostic approach, and its role in the fight against AMR.
Life-saving data
Sepsis is a serious condition that is thought to kill more than 11 million people worldwide each year. It can be difficult to diagnose due to its complex symptoms, yet early detection is critical. Lynette Eyb speaks with Penny Cooper, director of data science and governance at Augusta Health, about how her hospital has used artificial intelligence to harness clinical data and drastically cut mortality rates.