“Patient care has motivated me to become what I am today,” says Daniel Gelman, CEO of Aufero Medical. That passion and belief have guided the electrical and biomedical engineer over the past seven years to pioneer a device to help treat the most common and clinically significant form of heart arrhythmia – atrial fibrillation. Aufero Medical’s technology stabilizes the point of contact between a catheter – the medical device used to treat arrhythmia – and inside of the heart wall. “I truly believe that our technology is going to impact patient lives significantly,” he says. Heart chambers, called atria, generate electrical signals that eventually produce heartbeats. Diseased atria may result in rapid, irregular heartbeats known as atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with AF have an increased risk of stroke and often complain of chest pain, shortness of breath, light-headedness, and palpitations. Doctors typically treat AF by inserting a thin, long and flexible device (catheter) into the heart and deliver high-energy radiofrequency waves to burn (ablate) the diseased tissues. The method is not always successful.  Gelman noticed a problem around 2014-2015 during his Ph.D. studies. “During ablation procedures, it was challenging for physicians to maintain stable contact between the catheter tip and moving heart wall,”...

Canada’s medical technology firms are celebrated worldwide for advances that improve health outcomes and increase the efficiency of healthcare systems. These companies benefit from a network of federal and provincial programs that support research, development and innovation in the area of therapeutic products. Research networks foster the collaboration needed to conceive of and refine fresh ideas, while Canada’s regulatory process, aligned with global standards, facilitates access to global markets. Investors recognize these advantages and do their part to support the innovation cycle. The cycle is particularly strong in the sub‑sector of surgical technologies. Two firms, Baylis Medical Company and Intellijoint Surgical, succeed in a growing number of international markets thanks to a shared commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, with help from the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS). Baylis Medical Headquartered in Montréal, Quebec, Baylis Medical is one of Canada’s largest manufacturers and developers of medical devices. International sales account for the majority of Baylis’ revenues, as with most Canadian companies in the sector. “On its own, the Canadian market isn’t big enough to offset the costs of developing advanced medical technologies,” says Laura Conquergood, Baylis’ Vice President of Operations. “Our success is based on developing products that improve health outcomes and add value to health systems worldwide.” Laura Conquergood, Baylis’ Vice President of Operations...

Health care workers around the world have risen to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with creative solutions, from 3D-printing face shields, ventilator parts and nasopharyngeal swabs, to repurposing home breathing machines as makeshift ventilators. Physicians and researchers in Canada are adapting health technologies to triage and monitor patients with COVID-19, too. When the pandemic hit, Dr. Anthony Tang of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada was working on an e-health platform for patients with arrhythmias, including those with implantable cardiac devices. Patients with these devices require regular follow-up, and the platform, called VIRTUES, allows them to monitor how their device is functioning and other health information. With the pandemic delaying a randomized controlled trial of the platform, Tang says he couldn’t “waste time doing nothing.” So, he and his colleagues adapted the technology to monitor patients with COVID-19 who are isolating at home. Patients can use an app to log their symptoms, including oxygen saturation and pulse rate, and communicate with their care team to avoid unnecessary visits to emergency departments and clinics. Meanwhile, clinicians can review trends in their patients’ recoveries to help identify those that may require hospitalization. London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario launched a pilot...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a progressive, irregular and often rapid heart rate that increases the risk of stroke, and heart failure. The most common type of heart arrhythmia, AF affects about 200,000 Canadians. Symptoms include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue. For some, AF can also be asymptomatic. The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation estimates a quarter of all strokes for those over the age of 40 are caused by AF. Although AF can’t be cured, it can often be managed with medication or ablation — a minimally invasive procedure involving strategically scarring the heart to stop the abnormal electrical signals causing the issues with the heartbeat. Medication and different types of ablation have been used to manage AF for the last two decades, but there are questions as to which is best as an initial treatment. Dr. Carlos Morillo, MD, a cardiologist and researcher at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and specialist in the electrical system of heart, is trying to answer those questions. He is co-investigator of a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The national, multi-centre study looked at whether it is better to treat early (paroxysmal) AF, which is...

A ground-breaking B.C.-led study will change how atrial fibrillation – a common heart rhythm problem – is treated in the province. After five years of rigorous research, learn how this new study will help improve quality of life for cardiac patients. ​For some people, atrial fibrillation feels like you have a fish flopping in your chest. For others, this common heart rhythm problem feels like a fast, pounding heartbeat, a tight chest, dizziness, weakness or anxiety. Some might not feel anything at all. Although people’s experiences are very different, the underlying health risks of atrial fibrillation remain the same, and include reduced quality of life, and increased risk of stroke or heart failure. Now, we have new evidence for how to better treat atrial fibrillation early, safely and effectively, thanks to findings from a recent B.C.-based study led by Jason Andrade, Cardiac Services BC’s medical chair, B.C. Cardiovascular Disease Network for heart rhythm disease.  To mark Heart Month in February, learn more about the links between clinical research and health system excellence. Providing a more complete picture of cardiac care When this study started in 2015, there wasn’t clear evidence on how catheter ablation compared to medications as an initial treatment for atrial...

Recent findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine, highlight the success of the CANet-funded project, ‘Early Invasive vs. Delayed Intervention for Atrial Fibrillation (EARLY-AF).’ Outcomes indicate that cryoballoon ablation was associated with significant improvement over antiarrhythmic drugs as a first-line intervention in preventing atrial fibrillation (AF) events. EARLY-AF is one of several CANet-funded projects aimed at reducing AF-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations in Canada. Centering on evaluating the impact of the early invasive management of atrial fibrillation (AF), the EARLY-AF pan-Canadian study included 303 patients with treatment-naive, symptomatic AF who were randomly assigned early surgical intervention (first-line ablation) or an antiarrhythmic drug. EARLY-AF used implantable loop recorders to monitor for atrial arrhythmia in both groups, who were enrolled a median of 1 year after diagnosis. The first-line cryoballoon ablation procedure uses a radiofrequency transseptal needle, made by Baylis Medical, and a cryoballoon ablation catheter, made by Medtronic, to destroy tiny areas in the heart that cause rapid and irregular heartbeats. “The key results of the study highlight that an early, first-line ablation approach, was associated with a significant reduction in all arrhythmia endpoints,” said CANet Investigator Dr. Jason Andrade, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, Canada. “Specifically, we observed reductions in...

TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2020 /CNW/ – Clearbridge Mobile is proud to have played a vital role in assisting the Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada (CANet) launch, VIRTUES, an online web-based application developed to reduce emergency department visits and improve COVID-19 patient-driven care. With many of Canada’s telehealth solutions under tremendous strain due to the pandemic, the need for a digital solution was inevitable and presented a fantastic opportunity for both organizations to partner and collectively support Canadian citizens and frontline healthcare professionals. With a proven track record of meeting aggressive timelines, previous experience working with enterprises in the healthcare sector across Canada and the United States, and industry-specific expertise in mobile and web app development, partnering with Clearbridge Mobile was an obvious choice for this project. “As a made-in-Canada solution, partnering with a local North American vendor was extremely important to us,” says CANet CEO and Scientific Director Dr. Anthony Tang. “This ensured we would have unrestricted access to their team of experts whenever needed, and allowed for open and transparent communication. Clearbridge Mobile was very customer-centric and dedicated to a refined process that helped us achieve success in launching this app.” The web-app launched within its four-week deadline and...

Patients are now being enrolled in the COVID-19 Virtual Care at Home study from the Urgent COVID-19 Care Clinic at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in London, Ontario. This research study through Lawson Health Research Institute, the research arm of LHSC and St. Joseph’s Health Care London, implements and evaluates a virtual, patient-centered platform created by CANet to guide COVID-19 positive patients with out-of-hospital management at home in their communities. VIRTUES COVID-19 is an online web-based application developed to reduce emergency department visits and improve COVID-19 patient care and satisfaction. With VIRTUES, patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 will have the ability to manage their care remotely with a multidisciplinary, inter-professional approach (Allied Health, Cardiology, Emergency Department, General Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Neurology, and Respirology). “The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of global virtual healthcare,” says Dr. Anthony Tang, CEO and Scientific Director, CANet. “Our goal is to deliver a model of virtual care, supported by technology solutions. Solutions that will monitor the patients at home, thereby improving access to care, improve quality of care, and reduce the stress of patients infected by COVID-19.” As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, CANet took decisive action to adapt the VIRTUES digital health...

Media Release For Immediate Release September 9, 2020   LONDON, ONTARIO– A research study from the Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada (CANet) and Lawson Health Research Institute is testing the use of a new online patient care platform designed to help track symptoms for COVID-19 positive patients. Patients are now being enrolled in the study from the Urgent COVID-19 Care Clinic at London Health Sciences Centre. This virtual clinic helps identify, triage, monitor and manage potential complications for people recovering from COVID-19 at home. Patients can self-monitor their health with ongoing access to virtual physician support. The COVID-19 Virtual Care at Home research study is testing the use of VIRTUES (Virtual Integrated Reliable Transformative User-Driven E-health System), a virtual, patient-centred platform created by CANet to help guide COVID-19 positive patients in managing their illness. They will have remote access to a team of health care providers including those specialized in the fields of cardiology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, infectious disease, neurology and respirology. “Using VIRTUES, the care team can monitor a range of symptoms remotely that tells us a lot about how the patient is doing. In addition to tracking their temperature, we are using a home-based pulse oximeter to measure pulse rate and oxygen saturation,” says project co-lead Dr. Marko Mrkobrada, LHSC physician and Lawson...

TORONTO, ONTARIO – July 6th, 2020 – Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (TSXV: FLT;   OTC: TAKOF;  Frankfurt:  A2AMGZ or ABB.F) (the “Company” or “DDC”) is pleased to announce that on June 26th, 2020 it successfully completed Phase Two of its AED (Automated External Defibrillator) On The Fly project with Peel Region Paramedics and Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine. Building on the success of Phase One of the study, the Company was able to demonstrate ease of use of its AED drone solution when provided to community responders in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario. The testing further validates that using DDC’s proprietary drone delivery platform with cargo drop functionality to deliver rapid first responder technology via drone may reduce response time to cardiac arrest patients in the field while being utilized by lay responders. On June 26th, 2019, the Company had announced a 100% successful Phase One of the project.  Phase Two utilized the Sparrow, with the new cargo drop capability and a new audio announcement system, to drop an AED where a designated lay bystander would then retrieve the AED and apply it to a simulated cardiac arrest patient in a rural environment.  Multiple pairs of lay bystanders and simulated cardiac arrest patients...