Medical devices professionals have been busy pioneering new ways that will reshape healthcare as we know it. In the last year, the headlines have been peppered with exciting new advances, and here’s a breakdown of our favourites:
THE BIONIC EYE
Dubbed ‘The Bionic Eye’, this excellent innovation is actually a retinal implant that aims to restore some of the vision that people lose through RP (Retinitis Pigmentosa), a disease which affects a staggering 1.5 million people worldwide, which can cause blindness in people as young as 40.
Whilst not restoring vision completely, the technology combines retinal prosthesis with highly advanced video camera tech to allow sufferers of RP to process light and dark in the environment, as well as movement.
RESPONSIVE NEUROSTIMULATOR
Whilst not yet available to epilepsy sufferers, this unique device detects signs of any impending seizures before any symptoms occur, emitting electrical signals to help prevent them. Installed just beneath the skull, the device aims to drastically reduce seizures caused by intractable epilepsy – where other treatment fails to control seizures.
PERSONAL SEDATION STATION
One of our favourite innovations in the medical sector within the last year is the ‘Personal Sedation Station’, which is about to be utilised in the US – saving the US government an estimated $1 billion a year in anaesthesiologists costs.
This new technology will allow lesser qualified healthcare professionals to administer light anaesthetics products so that an anaesthesiologist’s time can be more efficiently allocated - essentially reducing costs without reducing care.
