Innovation in Medical Devices: 5 Recent Developments
Medical gadgets play a vital role in helping individuals manage
their medical issues. They also give doctors and health practitioners with the
information they need to follow their patients' development long after the
office visit is done. Technology is continually growing better and making it
easier for doctors and patients to keep track of medical concerns.
Medical devices do more than help a doctor or institution
diagnose what is happening – they bring a degree of ease for the patient that
they have never experienced before. A modern medical technology could reduce
the amount of time a person needs to spend at a doctor’s office, medical
clinic, or hospital conducting testing. Many diagnostics that used to be
conducted solely in a clinic can now be measured remotely as the subject goes
about their regular life. Let’s take a closer look at some current medical
device trends and how they are effecting the healthcare business.
Mobile Health Apps and Privacy
Regardless of the disease and device, going digital is a
key aspect of the latest medical technologies.
Wearable electronics or medical gadgets can monitor a patient’s
health and track symptoms, but the information the device is capturing is best
managed by a medical practitioner. Apps can keep medical practitioners
connected so they can keep ahead of how their patients are doing, without the
need for as many follow-up visits.
Patient confidentiality and privacy are crucial. The Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) specifies that medical
institutions and practitioners must safeguard the privacy of their patients’
personal information. Do patients expose themselves to privacy violations if
they’re utilizing mobile phone apps to monitor, track, and exchange their
medical data? It’s improbable.
Apple offers a large array of health and medical apps
accessible. As of 2018, there were more than 300,000 health and medical
apps on the market, and that figure was predicted to continue to increase.
Apple compels developers who are producing medical mobile apps to comply with
HIPAA requirements.
According to Apple, developers in the process of establishing a
health or medical app must clearly disclose how a user’s information may be
shared. They must also provide the user the chance to choose what portions of
their medical and personal data they wish to disclose. This ensures that any
information provided between a patient and a physician is agreed upon and
remains secret. In addition, whether you’re looking at a mobile app in the
Apple Store or Google Play, the app has passed extensive quality control
evaluations and testing before it was made public. You may rest certain that
the medical app you’re interested in downloading is secure and HIPAA-compliant.
New Tech Advancements for Diabetes
Diabetes is at the forefront of medical gadgets that detect and
monitor disorders. For many diabetics, the disease interferes with
their quality of life because of the demanding daily requirements to keep the
condition under control. Numerous diabetes sufferers must take daily blood
sugar tests, sometimes many times each day, to check blood sugar levels. More
severe cases may need to perform the blood sugar tests as often as 10 times per
day. The testing can be exhausting, especially because of the pinpricks required
to take blood.
Then there’s the drug. Many people take diabetes medicine
such as Toujeo, a kind of insulin that must be administered at least daily. In
the event of testing and administering insulin shots, it’s all too easy to
forget and mistakenly skip a dose or read. That’s where new technology comes
in.
A novel device is under development that could regulate
Type 1 diabetes more effectively by providing insulin automatically as needed.
Known as a "closed-loop delivery system," this technology is not a new
concept. The FDA authorized the first hybrid artificial pancreas
version in 2016. The latest technology under testing is known as the
Control-IQ system. It will use algorithms to alter a patient’s insulin
doses automatically, so they no longer have to regularly test their blood sugar
levels and remember to take their insulin injections.
New Advancements in Pacemakers
Millions of individuals worldwide wear pacemakers. The
life-saving medical equipment is crucial to many but comes with the enormous
inconvenience of needing surgery to have the battery replaced after several
years.
There have been improvements in pacemaker technology in the
previous few years. Pacemakers now capture device data which doctors can
remotely access and monitor. Newer models are MRI-safe, which was a major
difficulty for patients seeking a magnetic resonance scan prior. In addition,
the battery life in newer pacemaker devices lasts longer, delaying the need for
surgery to replace the battery.
All surgeries come with a risk. The dangerous replacement
procedure still needs to be done, even if the current state of battery
technology allows you to put off the surgery for a while longer. Fortunately,
recent developments have resulted in a pacemaker that can recharge itself.
Engineers at Dartmouth College have created a tiny device, about
the size of a dime, that can transform the motion of your heart into
electricity for a pacemaker. Recent results from their initial round of animal
testing have been positive. In the next five years, it is possible that a
pacemaker that can recharge itself will be on the market.
Detectors for Heart Failure
An ICD (Implantable Cardioverter-defibrillator) or CRT-D is a
tiny device implanted in patients who are at high risk for heart failure
(Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Device). The HeartLogic device, developed by
Boston Scientific, can be integrated into an ICD or CRT-D to provide weeks of
advance notice of impending heart failure. A variety of sensors in the
HeartLogic device keep an eye out for early indicators of heart failure. The
tiny gadget has sensors that can check a patient's heart rate, listen for
abnormal heart sounds, observe respiration, and detect signs of shortness of
breath.
There are additional wearable technological choices that can
monitor heart activity besides the HeartLogic gadget. Vital indications like
heart rate can be monitored by devices like the Fitbit and Apple Watch for
people with less severe heart issues. The test has the potential to detect
arrhythmias, which can cause stroke or cardiac failure.
Another fascinating advancement in medical technology is the
availability of a lung fluid vest, which monitors lung congestion and fluid
levels in the lungs to help lower the risk of heart failure. Regular (and more
invasive) chest X-rays are an alternative. The patient is less inconvenienced
by the wearable vest, and it is more effective at detecting the issue before it
worsens.
Clothing-Integrated Technology
Perhaps the biggest amount of changes are happening in wearable
technology like the Apple Watch, FitBit, or lung fluid vest. One possible
explanation for its widespread adoption is that it is less invasive than
conventional monitoring and diagnostic techniques.
Wearable devices not only let patients lead normal lives, but
also boost the reliability of data acquired from them. Data can be collected in
real-world settings from a person wearing a small or comfortable enough monitor
to wear day and night. The data gathered may help doctors understand the impact
of their patients' lifestyle choices on their health.
Innovative Medical Devices of the Future
Despite rapid technological advancement, years of testing are
required before any new medical device or technology may be made available to
the public. While AI-powered mobile apps like Allo have been around for a
while, the use of AI in the medical field is a relatively recent development.
Artificial intelligence-powered cardiac ultrasound software has recently been
given commercial clearance by the FDA. Potentially, a medical AI device is
currently in development.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to play a larger
role in the future transformation of healthcare devices as more gadgets and
technology pass through the FDA's procedure. As well as increased use of AI, wearable
technology is expected to grow in popularity. The future of cutting-edge,
ground-breaking medical equipment is promising.