The advancement of technology has always had a huge impact on the medical world and innovations in medicine. Today, the advancement of technology is moving at a rapid pace, and medical technology advancements are flooding in as well. These advancements are making for a world in which pain can be reduced and life prolonged. Here are four incredible technologies that are in development or already out on the market helping to improve our lives.
Symphony CGM
Echo Therapeutics is developing the Symphony CGM System for collecting blood glucose data. It is a wireless, needle-free monitoring device that is placed on a patch of skin that has been prepped with Echo’s Prelude System. Prelude painlessly removes the top layer of skin (dead skin cells), making skin permeation greater. Due to this increased permeation, monitoring is made possible by the Symphony pad rather than requiring a needle. Patients with diabetes live with the pain of needles every day to monitor blood glucose levels, but Symphony CGM can end that pain.
iTClamp
Dr. Dennis Filips developed the iTClamp after being inspired by a hair clip. The iTClamp is a light weight device that is designed to create an airtight seal around a wound and stop hemorrhaging. While it isn’t made to replace a tourniquet, it does stop a patient from bleeding out from smaller, critical wounds. The iTClamp is especially useful in situations where medical attention cannot be immediately given. Who ever thought that inspiration for an innovative medical device could come from something as simple and menial as a hair clip?
Neurostimulation System
Autonomic Technologies, Inc created the implantable Neurostimulation System. It is designed to reduce the severity of cluster headaches by allowing the sufferer to control electrical stimulation pulses. A tiny neurostimulator is implanted in the upper gum by the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) nerve cluster on the side with the most dominate headache pain. The patient then holds a remote control over the neurostimulator on the outside of the face and controls their own therapy needs.
Organs in a Box
TransMedics have developed a revolutionary transplant device. Their OCS (Organ Care System) transportation system has made it possible to keep hearts and lungs alive longer than ever before. OCS is a warm blood perfusion system that maintains organs as if they were within a human body, while monitoring them for diseases or dysfunction. Cold storage of organs is the current method and only allows for minimal monitoring and a window of only four hours for transplant with an increased risk of damage. OCS can make it possible for a heart or lung to be transplanted from one country to another, opening up endless possibilities for saving lives of those waiting for a transplant.
Through tireless efforts, the medical field is expanding into territory once thought impregnable. The devices being developed today are improving the future for tomorrow, and devices will only grow more advanced and amazing as technology advances as well.
AUTHOR BIO: This article was written by Dixie Somers, a freelance writer who loves to write for business, finance, women’s interests, and technology. Dixie lives in Arizona with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She got her information for this article from the professionals of Curve Dental who provide dental practice management software systems.
