FM OCTOBER 2018 ISSUE - digital edition

them further improve patient
outcomes.
Baxter's new
bone graft
gets US nod
The US FDA has granted
approval for the Actifuse
Flow Bone Graft Substitute for
use in a variety of orthopaedic
surgical procedures, said Baxter
International Inc.
Actifuse Flow offers
accelerated bone growth in a
new, easy-to-use, prepackaged
delivery syringe for precise
placement into small bony
voids or gaps in the skeletal
system. It comes ready to use
with no mixing or preparation
involved and maintains
its flowable consistency
throughout surgery.
The bone graft substitute
is delivered directly from a
preloaded syringe with the
ability to start and stop delivery,
making it compatible with
open and less invasive surgical
techniques and well-suited for
filling small bone defects and
complex geometries. As the
graft substitute resorbs, it is
replaced by the patient’s own
bone during the body’s healing
process.
Actifuse Flow is a bone
void filler intended only for
orthopaedic applications as a
filler for gaps and voids that
are not intrinsic to the stability
of the bone structure. It is
indicated to be packed gently
into bony voids or gaps of the
skeletal system, i.e., extremities,
pelvis, and spine, including use
in posterolateral spinal fusion
procedures with appropriate
stabilizing hardware. These
defects may be surgically
created osseous defects or
osseous defects created from
traumatic injury to the bone.
Baxter expects it to be
used in a variety of orthopaedic
surgeries in the pelvis,
extremities, and posterolateral
spine.
NephroPlus
launches buttonhole
needles
N
ephroPlus, a network of
dialysis centres in India,
has introduced the buttonhole
needles for painless dialysis.
Buttonhole cannulation is a
technique used often in home
hemodialysis where blunt
needles are used instead of
sharp ones.
Most dialysis patients
report pain during the insertion
of the needles as their biggest
fear in a dialysis treatment. The
Buttonhole needles addresses
this issue by reducing the
amount of pain drastically,
according to a release.
In this technique, first a
tract is formed in the flesh
by pricking a sharp needle
at the same point at the
same angle during five to six
successive dialysis sessions.
Subsequently, a blunt needle
is used for cannulation that
goes through this tract without
Apple Watch Series 4 to
track ECG
The US Food and Drug
Administration has
cleared the Apple Watch
Series 4 to operate as an
OTC device to monitor ECG.
The FDA approval makes
Apple Watch the first device
available to consumers over
the counter to monitor ECG.
The new Apple Watch
Series 4 version has
electrodes placed in the
sapphire crystal and digital
crown that allows users to
take an ECG at any time
using the app provided. The
Apple Watch can show
its first ECG to users
without a doctor
review.
The Health app
allows all ECG
recordings stored
in so that they
can be shared
with healthcare
professionals at a
later time.
Apple plans to add
more capabilities in the
device later this year to
aid detect atrial fibrillation.
Health-care products
on ubiquitous devices, like
smart watches, may help
users seek treatment earlier
and will empower them
with more information
about their health, the FDA
Commissioner Scott Gottlieb
said in a statement. "The
FDA worked closely with the
company as they developed
and tested these software
products, which may help
millions of users identify
health concerns more
quickly," he added.
The Apple Watch Series
4 line starts at $399. It is
$70 more than the starting
price of last year's model.
82 / FUTURE MEDICINE / OCTOBER 2018