Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1050827
NOVEMBER 2018 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 39 "Poor blood supply or failure of breast re- construction surgery can have a major impact on a breast cancer patient's recovery, progno- sis, and mental wellbeing. Clinical signs of fail- ure often occur late, and patients may be re- turned to the operating room on clinical sus- picion," said Professor Guang-Zhong Yang, di- rector of Imperial's Hamlyn Centre and the lead of the Smart Sensing for Surgery proj- ect, "Our new bio-patch tackles this problem by providing objective data as an early warn- ing system for medical staff, enabling earlier and simpler interventions, as well as giving pa- tients increased peace of mind." Breast reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy routinely includes transferring the patient's own tissue to help rebuild the breast. This procedure achieves high success rates, but early detection of possible problems could help to reduce post-surgical complications fur- ther and cut surgery failure rates. Harnessing a technique known as near-infra- red spectroscopy (NIRS), the new device safe- ly captures and transmits data using sensors sealed inside fully biocompatible materials. The data is encrypted to ensure security and privacy. Early trials have opened up the prospect of the bio-patch becoming available for wide- spread clinical use within two to three years. The project team is currently exploring the scope to secure commercial or National Insti- tute for Health Research (NIHR) support for the next stage of development and commer- cialization. The device is now being adapt- ed to help monitor conditions such as demen- tia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Smart Sensing for Surgery project has achieved other promising advances, includ- ing the development of sensors that can be implanted just under the skin to provide con- tinuous measurement of pulse rate, tempera- ture, and pH balance, and smart catheters or drains enabling problems to be spotted earli- er. The project ran from June 2014 to October 2018 and received just over £3 million in EP- SRC support. PCB007 Electronic Pacemaker Inventor Ed Bakken Passes Away Imperial College London—The new sensing device can provide early warning of potential failure of breastrecon- struction surgery. (Source: Imperial College London— Wireless) Earl Bakken, an electronics repairman who created the first wearable external pacemaker and co-founded one of the world's largest med- ical device companies, Medtronic, passed away on October 21, 2018. He was 94 years old. Medtronic Chairman and CEO Omar Ishrak, made a statement that Bakken's brilliance and vision have improved the lives of millions of people around the world. "The contributions Earl made to the field of medical technology simply cannot be overstated. His spirit will live on with us as we work to fulfill the mission he wrote nearly 60 years ago—to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bakken family during this difficult time," he said. Bakken founded Medtronic with his brother- in-law Palmer J. Hermundslie in 1949. Before retiring as chairman in 1989, he led Medtron- ic for 40 years, guiding the company from its humble roots to the world's premier medical technology company.