These 5 Health Tech Inventions from 2015 Will Fascinate You
The year 2015 was a productive one for the health technology industry, with major developments in the areas of mobile health allowing patients a greater amount of control over their personal wellbeing. Additionally, because of the groundwork laid by last year’s research, periodicals like CIO Magazine are predicting significant progress in health IT for 2016.
Before looking ahead to anticipate the advances of the medical industry this year, we should first look back at the major developments of the last year. Listed below are five new technologies from 2015 that provided medical professionals with innovative tools to improve the quality of care for their patients.
1. Corneal Implants
With 2015 came the FDA approval of an implant to assist those who need glasses due to the effects of presbyopia, a condition marked by farsightedness and caused by diminished elasticity in the eye’s lens. This condition generally occurs in adults between the ages of 40 and 50, and the implant is designed to help people between the ages of 45 and 60.
Patients who receive the implant undergo an operation wherein a surgeon makes a small cut in the cornea using a laser. The surgeon then inserts the ring-shaped implant into the pocket created by the cut. Once this is done, the implant works to bring the patient clearer near vision by blocking unfocused rays of light that enter the eye.
The implant on the market today is not meant for any individuals who have undergone cataract surgery, and is not recommended for anyone who is prone to dry eye or eye infections.
2. Imaging Glasses
The technology within a new pair of imaging glasses allows doctors to visualize peripheral and deep tissue vascular structure from a distance. By combining ultrasound waves with infrared light, the device shows medical professionals an accurate layout of a patient’s veins.
With the glasses, doctors and nurses can leave their hands free to conduct treatment while maintaining situational awareness. The product is designed primarily for use in the process of inserting IVs into patients’ arms, and may significantly diminish high levels of discomfort in patients with veins that are difficult to locate on the surface of the skin.
The glasses can be worn over corrective lenses and are lightweight. Additionally, the device can connect via Bluetooth, WiFi, or 3G to send data to physicians in remote locations. Communication with other medical professionals is facilitated by two-way speakers implanted within the device.
3. Laser-based Hearing Aid
A hearing device that uses laser technology in order to amplify sound within the wearer’s ear canal was approved by the FDA in fall 2015. In the past, hearing aids were designed essentially as small speakers that amplify sound conducted through the air. The new device relies instead on a laser diode used to vibrate the eardrum directly, effectively turning the eardrum into an internal speaker.
Patients with mild to severe hearing loss can be equipped with the product, which is composed of two parts. The first part, a tympanic membrane transducer, is non-surgically placed on the eardrum while an audio processor is placed behind the ear. Users are able to hear a wider range of frequencies, from 125 to 10,000 Hz.
The hearing aid is able to function because of the optoacoustic effect, in which sound waves are generated when specific kinds of light hit certain surfaces.
4. Fetal Pacemaker
Along with the development of a leadless cardiac pacemaker, 2015 also saw the development of a pacemaker that can be implanted within the heart of a fetus while it is still in utero. The product was designed in order to help save the lives of infants afflicted with complete congenital heart block in the womb.
In the past, infants with congenital heart defects had to wait until after birth in order to be equipped with a pacemaker, but the delay in care resulted in low levels of success. Previous attempts to position pacemakers in fetuses failed, due to the use of standard-sized devices which had to be placed externally, and could be dislodged by the natural movement of the child.
The new device is small enough to be self-contained and remains in place in spite of fetal motion. The pacemaker was recently designated a humanitarian use device by the FDA.
5. Pain-Free Blood Tests
Some experts estimate that up to 10 percent of the population experiences needle phobia, causing them to avoid common medical tests that require blood to be drawn. However, a new device developed in the United States in 2015 may put an end to this fear.
The device is shaped like a ping-pong ball and draws blood over the course of two minutes once pressed against the skin. Inside the mechanism, a small vacuum draws the blood into a sample tube attached to the outside, without breaking the skin or using any needles.
The amount of blood obtained by the device will allow medical professionals to complete most basic modern lab tests, including those for cholesterol, blood sugar, infection, and cancer cells. Though the technology has not yet been tested by the FDA, its inventors aim to obtain approval quickly in order to make the product available this year.
