Roundup: Parkinson’s app uses metronome beats to improve walking and more briefs

New Parkinson’s app uses metronome beats to train gait 

A new mobile app for people with Parkinson’s Disease helps them walk better using metronome beats. 

The gait re-training tool, developed as part of a larger clinical trial for PD research, delivers rhythmic metronomic beats that trigger movement. 

Now developed separately as an app called Walking Tall, it now features training sessions on five different walks. 

AI developed to predict ECMO patients’ survival

A Monash University-led research team has come up with an AI model for predicting the likelihood of survival of an ICU patient on ECMO. 

Called the ECMO Predictive Algorithm or ECMO PAL, the model was trained using data from over 18,000 patients on ECMO in more than 400 centres across the world. It is said to be the first such ECMO survival score that was validated on a large international patient cohort. 

In a study, ECMO PAL “outperformed all existing, widely-used scores in terms of its ability to predict the outcomes of ECMO treatment,” particularly the risk of hospital death, according to Monash University. It was also proved to be highly reliable and generalisable across regions and was able to make accurate predictions across diverse groups of patients.

Navi bags $2.4M to improve paediatric surgery precision

Medical device startup Navi Medical Technology has raised $2.4 million in the latest funding round led by Breakthrough Victoria. 

The company is currently developing a catheter-locating system for paediatric surgery. Called Neonav ECG Tip Location System, the device uses a proprietary algorithm to provide real-time location of the catheter tip, allowing doctors to position the catheter quickly and safely during procedures. 

Based on a press statement, Navi will use its fresh funds to complete the development of the Neonav. It will also be used to conduct a major clinical trial in a bid to obtain regulatory approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration, which has already designated the device as a breakthrough innovation.