A portable optic scanner for skin cancer detection, non-intrusive cataract surgery and a unique medicine for headaches are among the TOP10 of the leading medical innovations in 2013 selected by the group of scientists and researchers.
The governmental program also compiled the list of selection criteria: the breakthrough should improve the quality of medical care services as well as have a great chance of success. The solutions should also be present in the market or is about to be introduced in the market in the shortest time.
Here is the list of the most outstanding technologies that are going to change the healthcare sphere.
No 10. The “healthy choice” reward.
About 96% of Medicare budget (the insurance program for low-income or weak Americans) is spent on treating the patients with reversible chronic diseases. Medicare presented the Congress with a three-year program implying regular routine preventive visits to evaluate the patient’s condition including his or her BMI (body mass index), blood pressure, diabetes criteria, vaccination and smoking. Thus, the program participants will save Madicare’s funds and receive their award by the monitoring examination results.
No 9. 3D mammography that is also known as breast tomosynthesis .
This technology can be applied in course of traditional mammography aiming at more correct screening. The X-ray tube moves along the semicircle path at different angles and then a 3D image is generated. The primary research data collected from 25,000 women examination proved the growth of cancer detection by 47% if tomosynthesis was applied.
No 8. Modular aneurism stent.
Aortic aneurism (i.e. the blood-filled bulge in the wall of the human blood vessel) can cause death due to the vessel rupture. Big aneurism treatment (5.5-6 cm in diameter) is more preferable with the minimum invasion during the graft stent installation in the affected vessel area. But the stents that are currently available in the market fit anatomically about 40% of the patients only. A new modular stent (is being tested at the multi-centers) will allow the surgeons to cope with complicated aneurisms saving the lives of the high-risk group patients.
No 7. Extracorporeal pulmonary perfusion.
A great number of people that need the lung graft can’t get it due to the short life of the donor’s organ. Complications often make these organs inadequate for transplantation and thus the organs are taken from 15% of the dead donors only. The new technology of “lung washing” – extracorporeal pulmonary perfusion – can prevent the donors’ organs injury due to their “washing” with patent fluids and medications for infection neutralization (if necessary). Experts think that about 40% of lungs that were considered inadequate for transplantation can be now restored due to this technology application that has already been approved in Europe and Canada.
No 6. Femtosecond laser cataract surgery.
Cataract (lens clouding) surgery is the most widely-used surgery option at the USA that can make your sight better in over 95% of cases. A new FDA-approved (Food and Drug Administration of USA) non-intrusive technology uses LASIC (ophthalmic laser) in pulse mode during the operation with the femtosecond light pulse length (one billionth part of a second). The technology is advantageous due to more correctness as compared to the traditional cataract surgery lancet methods as well as more stability during intraocular lens implantation.
No 5. Portable manual melanoma scanner.
Melanoma (the most malignant skin cancer form) develops with over 76,000 of Americans. About 9,600 people die from it every year. A new FDA-approved portable device applies the reflection technology developed by the army for missile operation for non-invasion birthmarks and problem skin areas examination. The light includes about 10 optical waves: it penetrates through the skin and then the special software compares the test results with 10,000 archive melanoma and other skin cancer images. The device identified 98% of melanomas during the clinical testing on 1,300 patients.
No 4. Improved medicines for extensive prostate cancer treatment.
Five new medicines were approved for extensive prostate cancer treatment during the last 2 years. They are: Sipuleucel-T, Denosumab, Abiraterone, Cabazitaxel and Enzalutamide. Most expert think these medicines as well as the ones that will be synthesized in course of the branch development will guarantee the transformation of advanced prostate cancer into the medicable chronic disease.
No 3. Mass spectrometry for bacteria identification.
When a patient has a dangerous bacterial infection contemporary diagnostics and special therapy can save his or her life. In the previous years, bacteria cultivation could take about several days. Laboratory mass spectrometry technology made bacteria identification in the patients’ samples possible within several minutes with the test cost of about 50 cents only.
No 2. Neuromodulator therapy for serious headaches.
A minute almond-shaped implant can neutralize pain without any medicine with the patients suffering from bilious or cluster headaches. A neural stimulator is implanted through a small surgical gingival incision. Then the patients use the remote control to activate the pain-blocking implant as soon as the headache appears. European studies proved that neuromodulator therapy helped to reduce pain with 68% of patients suffering from cluster headaches. At the present, the device is being tested for its influence on bilious headaches.
No 1. Bariatric diabetes control surgery.
The type 2 diabetes reversible character was detected after the weight correction surgery. Doctors started studying this operation as the means for treating obese patients from badly controlled type 2 diabetes. As compared to the diabetes patients having medical drugs and working on their life style correction, the patients that had bariatric operation were about to get free from diabetes. They also had lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure. Many experts noticed that this type of surgery can be an efficient type 2 diabetes treatment method.
