Each year new medical innovations are coming out that brings medicine to new heights. These inventions help improve quality of life, detect early warning signs of diseases, and even provide cures for other illnesses. Some of these innovations may sound far-fetched, but they are already being implemented around the world. Here are just 4 medical innovations that are already in use today.
The Bionic Eye
The Bionic Eye – officially known as the Argus II – is one of the most incredible inventions you’ll ever see. It is a large step towards giving sight back to those who have lost it. The Argus II takes a video signal from a camera that is built into a pair of sunglasses. This signal is then transmitted from the sunglasses to an implant inside the retinas. This device has been around for a few years over in Europe, but it has now been approved for use in the United States. While the system isn’t perfect – it has a hard time with words and becomes less effective over time – it is still a great step forward in helping those without the ability to see.
The NeuroPace
The NeuroPace is a system of sensors implanted in the brain that can recognize when a person is about to have a seizure. It then sends pulses throughout the brain that will counteract the incorrect signals in the brain that were causing the seizure. What this system essentially does is stop seizures before they can even really begin – a great relief to those roughly 840,000 people who suffer from epilepsy. Even better is that this system has the ability to be fine-tuned to improve performance. In its first year it was able to reduce seizures by an average of 40 percent. This number rose to 53 percent just two years later.
The Fecal Transplant
This innovation may sound disgusting – transplanting a donor’s feces into an infected patient – but if you are diagnosed with C. difficile, you will be happy it is around. C. difficile is a nasty bacteria that can kill up to 15,000 people each year. With this procedure the helpful bacteria that is living in the donor is transplanted into the patient, where the good bacteria can go to work. If this is something that still grosses you out, you’re in luck. A group in Canada has found a way to extract only the good bacteria from the donor and place it into an oral pill.
The Robot Doctor
Lastly, we have the most futuristic sounding of the bunch – The Robot Doctor. Officially known as the Sedasys, this computer monitors a patient’s vitals and doles out the right amount of sedative during a procedure. This allows for doctors to give out a small amount of sedation on their own, without the need for an anesthesiologist on hand.
Medical Devices For The Future
While the innovations mentioned above are some of the highlights, there are many developments being made in medicine each day. Companies like DeviceLab – a medical device development company – work with medical professionals to bring their ideas and needs to life in order to benefit more patients. It is this kind of cooperation between engineers and medical professionals that have lead us to some of the most amazing and futuristic medical innovations seen today.