Ophthalmologists in Dallas, TX. are among the first to try a new, less invasive surgical technique for glaucoma that offers quicker recovery times.
The recently approved shunt, no larger than a grain of rice, is surgically implanted in the eye to allow an escape route for the pressure-causing fluid, thereby reducing intraocular pressure.
Its tiny size requires an incision 2-4 mm long, about half the size necessary to accommodate other shunts. Thus, surgery is less invasive and causes less scar tissue, and postoperative inflammation is minimal. The ophthalmologists also have observed an average 40% reduction in intraocular pressure, and that patients experience shorter healing times.
Heart Patient's Underwear Phones 911
An invention developed by a Dutch electronics company may one day improve the assessment of patients with arrhythmias and perhaps even improve their chances of survival in the event of a myocardial infarction. Sensors that measure body signals, such as heart rate, have been developed that can be sewn straight into clothing and even laundered. The sensors are connected to a thin chip module that monitors these body signals, storing up to three months of data.
The inventors hope the module will help physicians assess cardiac abnormalities. Furthermore, should the patient have a myocardial infarction, the system can trigger local alarms or even wirelessly link with a mobile phone to contact emergency services.
Sonar Canes Guide Visually Impaired
Bats' use of echolocation to hunt for food has inspired a British zoologist to develop a sonar cane for the visually impaired. The lightweight cane emits 60,000 sound pulses per second, undetectable to the human ear, and picks up reflections of these waves to map obstacles up to three meters away in three dimensions. Four gently pulsating pads on the walking stick's handle allow visually impaired people to feel the strength of the ultrasound reflections, thereby assisting them in navigation.
The sonar cane has thus far received positive feedback from the 25 visually impaired people in whom it has been tested, and it required just 30 minutes of training. The cane is expected to be made commercially available at the end of this year and to cost £400, or approximately $880 CAD.
Optimal Stroke Treatment May "REACH" Rural Residents
Due to the scarcity of neurologists in the more remote areas of the country, patients who have an acute stroke often may not receive thrombolytic tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), which must be administered within three hours of stroke onset to derive a benefit. The development of REACH, a remote video evaluation tool, may aid in precise and timely treatment for those who live in rural areas in the event of an acute stroke by means of teleconsultation.
The tool consists of a video camera, a PC workstation and monitor, and an ethernet connection, all assembled onto a mobile cart, and is a key component of the Remote Evaluation in Acute Ischemic Stroke (REACH) system developed by specialists at the Medical College of Georgia's Department of Neurology, GA. The consulting physician uses a custom-designed Web application that allows him to view the patient via the video camera, review lab data and CT scan results, and monitor a clock indicating how much time remains before the critical decision of tPA administration must be made. The program also calculates the proper dosage of tPA based on the patient's weight.
To evaluate REACH's precision and timeliness, neurologists from the Medical College of Georgia performed bedside evaluations of 20 patients with acute stroke symptoms. Within one hour, a second neurologist performed a remote evaluation with the REACH tool. They discovered that bedside and remote evaluations did not differ by more than three points on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and 6.43 minutes and 9.11 minutes were required for each, respectively.
Although the remote evaluation tool has been installed in only five hospitals in rural Georgia, its widespread use my help ease the burden currently assumed by physicians working in rural hospital emergency rooms.
Canada Provides Information Bridge to East African Physicians
Physicians in East African countries now have access to thousands of online medical publications due to the efforts of a Toronto-based surgeon. The unique project with the University of Toronto, called Ptolemy after the ancient ruler Alexandria who aspired to collect a library of the worlds' literature, allows the African physicians to access up to date medical literature from over 20,000 journals.
Those physicians in East Africa who are using Ptolemy have thus far spoken highly of the project, and 60% report that information they have received through the program has changed the way they practice medicine.
