Prosthetic News and Research

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Prosthetic (Prosthesis) devices, such as an artificial leg, that replace a part of the body. Prostheses are typically used to replace parts lost by injury (traumatic) or missing from birth (congenital) or to supplement defective body parts. Inside the body, artificial heart valves are in common use with artificial hearts and lungs seeing less common use but under active technology development. Other medical devices and aids that can be considered prosthetics include artificial eyes, palatal obturator, gastric bands, and dentures.

Spinal cord treatment offers relief and sensation to lower limb amputees

Researchers from the USA used commercially available electrodes for closed-loop spinal cord stimulation in three individuals with transtibial amputation.

18 Dec 2023

Spinal cord stimulation restores sensation and eases phantom pain in amputees

Spinal cord stimulation can elicit sensation in the missing foot and alleviate phantom limb pain in people with lower limb amputations, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine rehabilitation scientists report today.

14 Dec 2023

Patients expected Profemur artificial hips to last. Then they snapped in half.

Bradley Little, a physical education teacher in Arizona, was leading his class through a school hallway in 2017 when he collapsed. Little feared he was having a stroke. Or, in a sign of the times, that he'd been shot. He tried to stand, but his leg wouldn't move.

5 Dec 2023

SGH and NTU Singapore to develop customized medical devices and implants using 3D printing

Singapore General Hospital (SGH) patients are expected to benefit from healthcare innovations, such as customized medical devices and implants, under a collaboration with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) to set up a Joint Research & Development Laboratory in additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing.

4 Dec 2023

Groundbreaking manufacturing process could revolutionize lower limb socket production

Lower limb prosthetic sockets could soon be printed in remote locations and even in users' homes, thanks to a groundbreaking process developed by manufacturing experts at Loughborough University.

4 Dec 2023

New prosthetic converts brain signals to speech in real time

A speech prosthetic developed by a collaborative team of Duke neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, and engineers can translate a person's brain signals into what they're trying to say.

6 Nov 2023

Study reveals significant deficit in the UK's prosthetic and orthotic workforce

A Staffordshire University study has revealed a significant deficit in the number of prosthetists, orthotists, prosthetic and orthotic technicians, and support workers in the UK.

6 Nov 2023

Autoethnographic study explores utility of AI tools for accessibility

Generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, an AI-powered language tool, and Midjourney, an AI-powered image generator, can potentially assist people with various disabilities.

2 Nov 2023

Study shows TAVR as a good alternative to open-heart surgery in younger patients with aortic stenosis

Patients with a dysfunctional aortic heart valve who received a new, prosthetic valve through a minimally invasive procedure had similar outcomes at five years as those who underwent open-heart surgery, a new study shows.

24 Oct 2023

Robotic prosthetic ankles allow amputees to move more "naturally"

Robotic prosthetic ankles that are controlled by nerve impulses allow amputees to move more "naturally," improving their stability, according to a new study from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

18 Oct 2023

Groundbreaking 3D printable prosthesis could offer amputees a low-cost solution to restore finger functionality

A groundbreaking, easy-to-use 3D printable finger prosthesis created by a recent University of Houston graduate could offer amputees a low-cost solution to restore finger functionality.

13 Oct 2023

Rare ‘flesh-eating’ bacterium spreads North as oceans warm

Debbie King barely gave it a second thought when she scraped her right shin climbing onto her friend's pontoon for a day of boating in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 13.

13 Oct 2023

Neonatal ICU mystery: Unraveling the secrets of the prevalent Staphylococcus strain

Researchers delve into the genomes of Staphylococcus capitis isolates prevalent in neonates, revealing transmission patterns and survival tactics of the NRCS-A strain in neonatal ICUs.

8 Oct 2023

NIH and VentureWell select winners and honorable mentions of the DEBUT Challenge

The National Institutes of Health and the higher education non-profit VentureWell have selected 10 winners and five honorable mentions of the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge, who are set to receive prizes totaling $145,000.

25 Aug 2023

Patients with heart conditions should practice good hygiene to prevent infective endocarditis

Patients with specific cardiac conditions such as valvular heart disease and congenital abnormalities, or those requiring a pacemaker, should practice good dental and skin hygiene to help prevent rare but potentially deadly infections of the heart's inner lining and valves, according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on infective endocarditis, published online today in European Heart Journal.

25 Aug 2023

What are the needs for clinical application of next-generation sequencing for microbiological diagnosis?

Scientists have surveyed to understand the need for clinical application of next-generation sequencing in microbiology laboratories.

23 Aug 2023

At-home trials set to begin for evaluating new prosthetic arm technology

A glove and armband that gives people with upper limb prosthetics a sense of touch through haptic feedback is in development at the University of Bath, with unique at-home trials set to begin in the coming weeks.

21 Aug 2023

Medical grade adhesives for medical device manufacturing

In this interview, Master Bond describes the features and benefits of medical grade adhesives for medical device manufacturing.

From Master Bond Inc. 8 Aug 2023

New technology could help amputees feel temperature in their phantom limbs

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) researchers have developed one of the world's smallest, most intense and fastest refrigeration devices, the wearable thin-film thermoelectric cooler (TFTEC), and teamed with neuroscientists to help amputees perceive a sense of temperature with their phantom limbs.

27 Jul 2023

Surgical breakthrough allows amputees to control bionic hands with single-finger precision

For the first time, a person with an arm amputation can manipulate each finger of a bionic hand as if it was his own.

13 Jul 2023