Here is a project from the folks at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, and its Mechatronics in Medicine Laboratory, who are bent on developing an "active robot designed to take blood samples from the ante-cubital fossa..."

The Bloodbot identifies the location of a suitable vein by pressing a probe against the surface tissue of the ante-cubital fossa and measuring the force on the probe. The difference in the characteristics of the tissue from its surroundings, in response to the applied force, indicates the presence of a vein.
Once a suitable vein has been found, it inserts a needle under force control. When the needle penetrates the vein (identified by its force/position profile), the control system prevents further insertion, thus avoiding overshooting the vein.

We think they need to combine this robot with VeinViewer for a more accurate, and probably spookier, experience.

Original Source

 Siemens has entered into a value-added reseller agreement with leading Turkish healthcare solutions company, Simeks Tibbi Sistemler Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, to sell Soarian MedSuite, Siemens’ innovative Hospital Information System (HIS). Simeks has been specifically licensed to sell MedSuite HIS software licenses, services, and support plans to healthcare providers in Turkey.

“The joint vision of Siemens and Simeks is to provide significant value to our customers in Turkey through innovative products, solutions, and services,” said Mr. Gercek Sunman, CEO, Simeks. “Soarian MedSuite, with its advanced architecture design, will allow us to deliver the solution with greater flexibility and extendibility to meet our customers’ expectations. It also gives us great pleasure to be associated with a group like Siemens that brings over 35 years of healthcare IT experience accompanied by a zest for future innovation.”

Read More

Johnson & Johnson and Elan Corporation plc announced that JANSSEN Alzheimer Immunotherapy, a newly formed subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets and rights of Elan related to its Alzheimer’s Immunotherapy Program (AIP).  In addition, Johnson & Johnson, through its affiliate, Janssen Pharmaceutical, has invested $885 million in exchange for newly issued American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) of Elan, representing 18.4% of Elan’s outstanding ordinary shares.

Read More

 Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, held a meeting for the investment community today where it highlighted the strengths, strategies and innovations that are expected to drive the Company’s growth in 2010 and beyond. In addition, the meeting included two interactive physician panels discussing the latest developments in several of the Company’s key product lines.

Chairman, President and CEO Richard J. Meelia spoke about the Company’s accomplishments in 2009 and the key factors which will drive the Company’s growth over the next few years.

Read More