You knew I would follow up with some data info, right? I had to because there were a few new-to-me gadgets being used at the last surgery. It is fascinating how far we have come in the medical field.
Have you all worn, or seen someone else wear, a hospital wrist band that has the patient’s basic info on it? This time, while watching the nurses care for their patient, I saw them often scan a barcode on the wrist band! I didn’t want to ask the specifics as they were clearly busy – and doing a great job – but it appeared to be how they checked to make sure they had the right person, drug, etc., and I got the impression that it also took care of the charges for the items. Pretty nifty. Although, it did feel a little like my husband was a grocery store item.
Before the patient could leave, they were given a bladder scan – a what? Yes, bladder scan. Much like an expecting mother gets an ultrasound to see how the baby is progressing, people after certain surgeries have their bladders scanned to make sure their bladder is emptying properly – right at their bedside. No more waiting around until “things” are working properly.
Quite recently, I knew someone who had a hip replacement surgery that only took 40 minutes. They were walking by midafternoon and home for dinner! A dozen years ago – or sooner – it would have been several hours long, a much more invasive surgery, and the patient would have been in the hospital for days, then put in a rehabilitation center until they could get around properly. They would then have to continue to heal and practice on how not to move certain ways so as to not damage what had been done. Amazing.
There are many other surgeries and procedures like back surgery that have also improved greatly. The same process that would have taken 5-6 hours or more, takes a fraction of the time now. Our son had back surgery that was similar to what my husband’s back surgery was and instead of a fusion and having to wear a shoulder to waist piece of “armor,” (as I called it) for 3 months afterward and a 6-month recovery before he was released from medical care, our son was back to work in two weeks. Extraordinary!
The newest technologies in medicine are in bioengineering. Instead of invasive surgical biopsies for potential skin cancer, doctors are now beginning to use a handheld tool used for multispectral analysis of tissue morphology. It gives dermatologists more information to decide whether or not a biopsy is needed. It eliminates unneeded scars – and stress – and lowers costs.
If you have ever suffered from severe headaches, you will love the next one. Electronic Aspirin. It is a permanent nerve stimulating device implanted in the upper gum on the side of the head that is normally affected by headaches. When the person feels a headache coming on, they have a remote controller he or she places on the cheek nearest the implant that signals it to stimulate the troublesome nerves to block the pain-causing neurotransmitters.
Those with diabetes will be happy to hear that a patch is being developed to replace the poke (blood draw). It’s a transdermal biosensor that reads blood analytes through the skin cells and transmits the data wirelessly to a monitor which triggers alarms when levels go out of optimal ranges.
We will soon be seeing medical robots traversing hospital hallways to monitor patient’s vitals and drone-delivered medical supplies, urine, blood and tissue samples, and medical essentials like drugs and transfusable blood. (Sound like a Sci-fi movie yet?)
How about a wristband that can “read your mind,” enabling it to track the nerve signals your brain sends to your fingers while you’re typing?
But that’s enough for now! Wow, technology is awesome! In this world of troubles and pain, it is nice to see science stepping in to aid us. Thank you, all you inventors, creators, and medical personnel! What a different world we live in compared to our great grandparents.
AABME.org (You can go to their site for up-to-the-minute developments on the field of bioengineering.)
Companies researching and creating the new tools:
-MelaFind technology (MELA Sciences, Irvington, NY) / The MelaFind optical scanner
-Autonomic Technologies, Inc. (Redwood City, CA) / Electronic Aspirin
-Echo Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA)s – Diabetes patch
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