New radiation protection and a new generation of minimally invasive instruments

Dear Readers,

The reflective time of Christmas is upon us and the year is drawing to a close. In our last newsletter of the year, we would still like to inform you about the latest innovations and events at Somatex.

In addition to innovations in the area of radiation protection for CT scans of the head, we presented instruments from the etablished range of products with new and improved features at this year´s Medica in Düsseldorf. The soft drainage range of products was expanded by two new sets: the "ONE-STEP FLEX" with its flexible stretcher, which makes working in the CT that much easier particularly under spatial limitations, and the "ONE-STEP SHORT", which was specially developed for interventions near the gantry or the treatment of obese patients.

Compared  to previous instruments for bronchoscopically guided fine needle aspiration, the new Broncho-Cut Expert has a transparent guiding catheter, which allows direct visual control for vascular punctures. The greater length of the catheter also ensures better handling and more elbowroom between doctor and assistent. In addition, the Brnocho-Cut Expert fits all bronchoscopes with a working channal from 2.00 mm. This and other news we have compiled for you below.

We wish you, your families, coworkers and colleagues a most reflective Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Your SOMATEX team

Venous anatomy of vertebral bodies                  
(author: Thammo Weise)

One of the main reasons for a leakage during a vertebroplasty / kyphoplasty is the run-off of bone cement through the opening in the bone. A vertebral body is not considered a closed structure, but is latticed with a number of vessels. These primarily belong to the vertebral venous system (VSS), which runs horizontally within the vertebrae. This system is divided into three areas. The external vertebral venous system (EVVS) tightly embraces the entire external surface of the bone and has indirect access to the right atrium of the heart through both veins running laterally. As a result, an extravasation in this vessel can be very quickly and easily carried off and lead to a pulmonary embolism. The basisvertebral system (BS) lies in the vertebral body itself and consists of one or two paired veins, which accept smaller vessels in the trabecula structure. All veins merge in the middle and are then connected with the EVVS or IVVS. The internal vertebral venous system (IVVS) is located in the epidural fat directly and describes a ring of several small vessels surrounding the spinal canal. Similar to the EVVS, the veins are connected to each other and also flow into the veins running laterally to the heart through two passages at the height of the vertebral arch joints. Depending on the bone anatomy, the structure of the venous system for each vertebra is the same in principle.
....(entire article to be downloaded here)

New eye protectors and a new generation of minimally invasive instruments 

Teltow 12th November, 2007. At the Medica trade fair in Düsseldorf from 14th to 17th November, SOMATEX Medical Technologies will present, amongst other innivations, its newly developed radiation protector, designed for use during CT scans of the head. The new protector represents an important contribution to a more active patient protection, as it greatly reduces the exposure of radiation to sensitive eyes, this significantly lessening the risk of eye cataracts developing as a result of repeated CT scans.

At the SOMATEX stand D55 in Hall 16, the visitor will also be able to view various new, improved generations of etablished products. The soft drainage sets range has been augmented by the arrival of two new sets: the ONE-STEP FLEX, whose flexible extension arm allows for a better deployment of CT in confined spaces, and the ONE-STEP SHORT, developed specially for close gantry examinations or the treatment of obese patients.
....(read more)

 SOMATEX Distributor of the Year

On the occasion of Medica on November 14th, the prize for "SOMATEX Distributor of the Year" was presented at the SOMATEX booth. Presented for the first time this year, the prize for the three best suppliers was awarded by Dr. Wolfgang Krüger, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economics, Brandenburg.

1st: EUROFLEX GmbH,Pforzheim                                                                2nd: PROMOTEC Medizintechnik,Stahnsdorf                                                 3rd: Möller Medcial GmbH & Co.KG, Fulda

At this point, once again, congratulations! Thank you for the outstanding cooperation and we look forward to a continued fruitful partnership.

Broncho-Cut Expert - Transbronchial Aspiration Needle

Broncho-Cut Expert enables improved identification of stage of the bronchial carcinoma, improves the planning of surgeries on malignant lymphoma and it is a valuable alternative to surgical biopsy methods. Broncho-Cut Expert is compatibel with bronchoscopes with a working channel from 2.00 mm to 2.6 mm and is available in two needle sizes: 0.7 x 15 mm and 1.0 x 18 mm.

Do you have any further questions concerning our products? Please visit us on our homepage www.somatex.com or just give us a call!! +49 (0)3328 3076-19

You are welcome to write us an e-mail:info@somatex.com.