Clear Guide Medical, a Johns Hopkins spinoff firm we reported on last year, received FDA clearance for its Clear Guide ONE needle guidance system that works with any ultrasound system out there. Previous needle guidance devices, which help make central line placement, needle biopsies, and regional anesthesia easier to perform, use magnetic or mechanical tracking, markers, and require pre-procedure calibration and setup. The Clear Guide ONE simply snaps onto an ultrasound probe and it’s ready to go.

The system uses a camera to watch the orientation of the needle above the skin and a computer interpolates where the tip is in order to display the precise location of the needle on the screen.

The company also makes available the Clear Guide EDU system, which is tool for teaching guided needle placement using a real ultrasound and the Clear Guide device.

source:Clear Guide Medical