It is an exciting time to work in the medical field. So many new advancements are coming out that allow surgeons and physicians to approach health in new and interesting ways. Never before seen ideas and ways to look at the body, along with medical data that wasn’t accessible at the patient level before, are becoming everyday things.
Here are a few of the interesting medical advances.
Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize
Taking their cue from the Star Trek movies, Final Frontier Devices and Dynamical Biomarkers Group found their mark with their portable medical scanning devices. Final Frontier Devices won the first prize in the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize competition with their tricorder-like device they nicknamed “Dexter.” Focused on the consumer market, this US-based start-up developed a hand-held device that uses numerous sensors to check body chemistry, vital signs, and biological functionality. The device then pulls all of the information together to deduce what health problems the consumer may be experiencing.
The second-place prize went to Dynamical Biomarkers Group in Taiwan for their wireless device, which can screen for disease indicators, test blood and urine, and also looks at physiological indicators of a health problem.
Both devices provide ways to perform basic health tests at home or work without the need for a time-consuming doctor’s appointment.
3D Bioprinting
The idea of creating artificial skin isn’t new, but the medical application of it is. Organovo continues to push the boundary of what 3D printing can offer in the biomaterial arena. Liver tissue was successfully bio-printed in 2014. The company expects that within a few short years, they’ll be able to bio-print a whole liver for use in transplants.
Organovo plans to use human tissue generation for surgical therapy and to improve outcomes in organ transplantation. By using cells from the transplant patient to create new bio-printed skin and organs, it’s hoped that the rate of organ rejection will be substantially lowered.
Pacemakers without Leads
Since their accidental invention back in the 1960s, pacemakers have been working alongside sick hearts to help drive and regulate the heartbeat to keep patients alive. Both St. Jude Medical and the smart people at Medtronic have been busy advancing beyond the early pacemakers by creating ones that no longer require leads. The lack of leads by abandoning age-old transvenous cardiac pacemaker design reduces the incidence of infection significantly.
Getting Involved in the Medical Field
There are many career avenues to explore in the field of nursing. Generalized and specialized nursing courses allow motivated staff to focus on the areas that they’re most interested in studying. This can include the acute burns unit, the maternity ward, and other specializations.
An online BSN degree from Rutgers Online is a great way to expand your career prospects. The online nursing program is flexible and progressive in its teaching techniques to let students learn at their own pace using what free time they have available.
One thing that can be said about the medical profession is that it’s never boring. The level of innovation is growing rapidly as technological and medical advancements make it possible to extend the lives of sickly patients.
Contributed
Girl on Fire
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