The new knotless tissue control devices will allow surgeons to stitch and secure tissues without needing to tie knots in the sutures. The devices will be lined with barbs, which will be spaced 1mm apart and form a spiral along length of the string. The barbs will help maintain the tension in the suture while also providing anchor points that will eliminate the need to tie knots, thus allowing surgeons to close wounds more rapidly and reduce the amount of time patients are under...

It would be great to have a quicker test for tuberculosis. The standard diagnostic test for TB cannot detect forms that are resistant to drugs, and cell culture tests can take several weeks. With a new test the results are supposed to be ready in a couple of hours and determine if the patient has TB and whether or not it is drug resistant. Early detection of TB can drastically cut down on transference of the disease.

Why not create small pacemakers that can be inserted by a catheter, eliminating the need for invasive surgery? The pacemaker is supposed to be injected under the clavicle, where intercardiac leads then carry surges of electricity to the heart. The electricity will be sent exactly where it will needed, resulting in greater efficiency and less power requirements. Since the procedure is less invasive, it will be a simpler procedure to learn.

The idea is to develop an insulin delivery device able to control blood glucose levels overnight, automatically dispensing insulin as needed. The artificial pancreas will use a closed loop insulin delivery system to monitor the insulin levels in people with type 1 diabetes. The system will took insulin level readings every 15 minutes, and automatically dispense the correct amount of insulin.

Why not create a urine bag sensor which will be equipped with wireless technology, enabling it to send a message about the fill status and fluid temperature to any selected device? The device will consist of a fluid sensor, software, and wireless communication capabilities, and will be used with a conventional urine bag. Such a bag is supposed to help to reduce urine spills as well as monitor rising bladder temperature, which can serve as an early warning for infections.

Training dogs to sniff out lung cancer in the breath of humans could lead to an easy, early detection method that could help save lives. The dogs are able to recognize lung cancer in 71 out of 100 samples and also identify the absence of cancer in 372 samples out of 400. The next steps is to identify the lung cancer marker and develop an electronic nose that could be used to diagnose the disease by smell.

A new optical blood pressure monitor will be able to measure blood pressure without the need for direct pressure on the body. The monitor will take continuous blood pressure readings through its optical sensor, providing beat-to-beat readings in nanoseconds with no calibration necessary. The device can also be used to detect white coat hypertension, which is caused by the natural stress of a patient in a clinical setting. The technology could eventually be used to measure...

The new device will turn any smartphone into a scanner for oral cancer, and will be designed for low cost to aid in public health initiatives. The device will be about the size of a pack of gum and will contain two rows of fluorescent LED's that will illuminate the mouth to highlight dark spots and lesions. The incorporation of the phone will also make it easy to transmit images for off-site diagnosis. The oral scanner is expected to enable earlier diagnosis of oral cancers,...

It will be possible to remove the cast piece by piece as the bone heals, helping to speed recovery and cut physical therapy time. Intended for use on broken arms, the modular cast will secure the limb in the same as a regular cast, but its six removable pieces can be disassembled by the patient's doctor as the bone heals. This will allow different parts of the arm to gradually regain flexibility while also increasing blood flow, and can cut physical therapy time in half.

A new mattress-based patient monitoring system may help take the burden off medical staff. The system will monitor heart rate, respiration rate and patient movement through contact-free sensors placed under the mattress. The data will be converted to translate the patient's large body movements and respiratory motion pattern into more precise vital sign information, which will be displayed on the bedside, nurse's station and other necessary locations.