medical devices

New Medical Devices of 2019

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The healthcare industry has benefited greatly from technological advances. These advancements have improved living conditions for many and saved millions of lives. Here are eight medical technologies blossoming in 2019.

1. Personalized Medicine

Personalized medicine involves doctors looking at each individual and tailoring their treatment to their genetic makeup. It’s very promising for cancer treatment because the individualized method makes it easier to destroy cancer cells.

2. Telehealth

Technology dominates the world and healthcare is no exception. Telehealth allows patients to obtain medical care through their tablets, phones, and computers instead of going into the office. Patients can speak with doctors and receive a diagnosis on the spot.

3. Smart Inhalers

Inhalers are one of the most effective treatments for asthma, but most don’t utilize their inhalers appropriately. Researchers have created Bluetooth-enabled inhalers that record each dose and whether it was administered appropriately. The device links to the patient’s smartphone to help monitor and control their condition.

4. Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery assists with control, flexibility, and precision in less invasive surgical procedures. Surgeons won’t be replaced, but the new technology enables them to do surgeries that are much more difficult.

5. Wireless Dissolving Brain Sensors

Doctors can now use bioabsorbable electronics in the brain to measure metrics such as pressure and temperature. The sensors dissolve and eliminate the need to have another surgical procedure for removal in the future.

6. 3-D Printing

3-D printing has advanced by leaps and bounds. They can make joints and implants that patients need during surgery. 3-D printing has dramatically improved the availability of prosthetics since they can be made to perfectly match the patient’s measurements.

7. Wearable Devices

Bluetooth’s introduction in 2000 has spurred development for wearable devices. People can use their phone to track heart rate, steps, activity levels, and even sleeping patterns. Wearable devices allow patients to keep their health conditions in check by providing real-time information in an instant. The market for wearable health devices is predicted to reach a whopping $67 billion by the year 2024.

8. Virtual Reality

Virtual reality lets students and doctors replicate real-life situations to allow them to practice techniques and learn. Patients can also learn about their conditions, diagnosis, and treatment options.

Technology is only going to advance further as time goes on. These advancements create new treatments, methods, and jobs for those looking to enter the field.

This article was originally published on KurtHansbury.com 

How PaceMakers Improve Quality of Life

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benefits of pacemaker.pngA pacemaker is a small, electronic device that is implanted inside a person’s upper chest in order to regulate the pacing of one’s heartbeat. Its sole job is to mimic the body’s natural sinus rhythm or heart rate. It is designed to be surgically implanted fairly easily, requiring only minor surgery, and it is comprised of two main components: a generator and a group of leads, or electrodes. The way it works is by monitoring your heart rate and, if necessary, sending an electrical signal that acts as a stabilizer. It is smart enough to determine whether an increased heart rate is caused by activity or a faulty pacing system in the human body. There are several reasons why a person might need a pacemaker, but regardless of the reason, the main goal is to maintain a steady heartbeat in order to improve a person’s quality of life.

People might need to have a pacemaker installed for any number of reasons. One reason is if they suffer from an arrhythmia, which means an irregular heartbeat. Arrhythmias can be caused by any number of issues, but the most common ones are coronary artery disease, electrolyte imbalances, valve disorders, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, or the aftereffects of a heart attack. There are other variations of this irregularity, known as tachyarrhythmia, which means a fast heartbeat and bradycardia, which means a slow heartbeat. Regardless of which disorder the person suffers from, the symptoms are likely to be similar. These include shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, chest pain, or fainting.

Another reason people might need a pacemaker is because of the normal aging process, which might disrupt some people’s heart rate organically. This causes the heart to beat too slowly, prompting a need for a regulator. Another reason is that there might just be a genetic component to developing an abnormal heartbeat. In addition, sometimes the heart can be affected by the medications you take.

Although the surgery is considered relatively minor, there are precautions that are advised after having a pacemaker installed. It is strongly advised that you take a break from doing any heavy lifting or participating in what are considered rough contact sports. It’s also cautioned to avoid lifting your arms too high at first. Doctors also advise people to wear loose-fitting clothing to avoid irritating the incision site and monitor yourself for any signs of distress caused by the surgery, such as longstanding fevers or any swelling or redness.

How the Heartbeat Can Charge Medical Devices

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Defibrillators and pacemakers are medical heart devices that rely on battery power, but these have the disadvantage of requiring replacement every five to ten years. Whenever people need to undergo surgery, it can be costly and introduce new complications, even with routine operations like battery replacement. In order to help prevent these sorts of mandatory invasive surgeries, researchers at Dartmouth College are in the process of developing new methods that will generate electricity by means of leveraging the human heartbeat’s strength instead of relying on external factors.

Engineers in Dartmouth have been successful in designing a dime-sized piezoelectric cantilever; this is both porous and flexible. This new design has incorporated a thin film that is inside a dual-cantilever structure; this, in turn, is wrapped around the lead of a pacemaker with two free ends. These free ends stretch out from the pacemaker, extending to harvest the energy that is produced by the normal rhythm of the heart.

The researchers knew that the device had to be not only biocompatible, it also needed to be flexible, lightweight, and low in profile so it would fit into the structure of an existing pacemaker. It also needed to be scalable to allow for use in the future with multi-functionality. One engineering professor asserts that the team is trying to solve the ultimate problem for all implantable biomedical devices, which is to create an energy source that is effective enough for a device to do its required duty during the patient’s whole lifespan, and to perform in such a way that surgery to replace a battery will no longer be necessary. It is also essential that the power source lasts, not only for the entire duration of the patient’s existence but do so without interfering with the normal function of the body.

A research paper that was published last month presented the detailing of the first three years of the project’s research, including the results of testing on animals. The original test results showed a maximum electrical yield that could be nearly doubled by adding a proof mass of 31.6 mg upon the dual-cantilever tip. The research team is presently continuing research with two years remaining on a grant to complete the pre-clinical process. The next step is to obtain regulatory approval. In addition, program engineers have also begun to investigate the ways this technology can be utilized in charging other implanted devices.

This post was originally published on kurtHansbury.com.

The Most Popular Medical Devices of 2018

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The mission statement of the Galien Foundation is to recognize “innovation that improves the human condition”. Each year, the foundation awards the Prix Galien Award to examples of people in the biomedical and technology fields who have achieved this by inventing products that help improve lives. Here are just a few leaders that have stood out this past year.

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What is Bariatric Surgery?

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There are many types of weight loss programs available nowadays. For some people, however, mainstream programs and lifestyle changes aren’t an option so they are forced to seek out more drastic, invasive methods. People looking to explore surgical options for weight loss basically have four options. These four choices range in levels of severity and risk and must be carefully monitored by a doctor. The official terms for the four types are: the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, and a duodenal switch with biliopancreatic diversion.

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