In this article, we take a closer look at some of the revolutionary MedTech innovations that are changing our approach to healthcare.
Maddie Zapletal
Technical WriterIt’s estimated that, globally, around 1 in 3 adults suffer from multiple chronic conditions. For those experiencing disability or long-term ill health, alleviating symptoms and maintaining quality of life can be a significant challenge.
Fortunately, within the world of MedTech, new transformative technologies are emerging all the time. These technologies offer a glimmer of hope to these individuals who may finally get to experience improved symptom management, enhanced daily functioning, and a more positive outlook for the future ahead.
Let’s take a look at what they are and how they’re helping to shape the future of healthcare.
The sooner individuals obtain an accurate diagnosis, the wider the array of treatment options becomes, leading to an improved prognosis. Yet, when a patient presents with atypical or ambiguous symptoms, it can be much more difficult to pinpoint the cause.
In this scenario, patients are likely to be subjected to multiple tests, scans and medical background checks, all of which may take a considerable length of time to complete. When factoring in increasing wait times, it can take months, even years, for some patients to receive a diagnosis, by which point their treatment options may have drastically reduced.
To ensure faster, more accurate diagnoses, those within the MedTech field have enlisted the help of AI to create ground-breaking diagnostic tools that can identify a wealth of conditions and detect abnormalities early on.
X-Ray Image Analysis for Covid-19 Detection
One such example of this is Custom-CNN, an AI algorithm that can detect COVID-19 infection from chest X-rays with 98% accuracy. Although we now have a much better understanding of COVID than we did at the start of the pandemic, symptoms often overlap with other respiratory conditions, such as pneumonia, making it hard to diagnose based on clinical signs alone.
To avoid misdiagnosis, X-ray imaging is being used to complement Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing. However, the downside to this is that it requires radiologists to manually analyse radiographs which can be time-consuming and subject to human error.
To prevent these issues, Custom-CNN’s deep learning can quickly identify biomarkers whilst helping radiologists to differentiate between normal X-rays, X-rays from people with pneumonia, and X-rays from people with COVID-19. This incredible AI-aided approach has the promise to drastically improve diagnoses, particularly in countries where there are a limited number of radiologists available and COVID-19 infection rates are still high.
AI for Breast Cancer Screening
Research conducted at Lund University in Sweden has also demonstrated the powerful accuracy of AI when analysing mammograms for signs of breast cancer. In the UK and other neighbouring countries, it is common practice for mammograms to be subjected to a double reading whereby images are assessed by two or more radiologists, with each offering an individual opinion on their findings. This is done to prevent false positive results and misdiagnosis.
To find out if AI could have a part to play in enhancing this process, researchers at the university decided to try replacing one of these radiologists with a machine to see if it could act as a safe and viable alternative.
After screening over 80,000 women, the team found that AI-assisted analysis reduced the radiologists’ workload by 44%, did not increase false positives and helped to detect 20% more cancers. This illustrates the powerful role that AI can play in streamlining workflows and improving diagnostic outcomes.
In light of the positive results from their study, the researchers are now interested in conducting additional investigations which will take place in prospective settings, employing diverse AI methodologies and involving different radiologists.
By doing this, they hope to establish the generalisability of their findings and assess the robustness of their conclusions across various conditions.
Over the last few years, both VR and its lesser-known sister technology, AR, have proven to be invaluable tools within the healthcare industry. Their applications have been wide-ranging, helping to support with everything from surgical training and medical education to patient therapy and rehabilitation.
VR for Neurorehabilitation and Enhanced Motor Skills
Most experts agree that, for those who have recently suffered from a major brain injury, rehabilitation must take place as early as possible to prevent further complications and ensure the best chances of recovery. One way that hospitals are attempting to improve the efficacy of this process, is by offering patients virtual reality headsets that can be used in conjunction with traditional rehabilitation methods.
Stroke Recovery
In a randomised trial focusing on post-stroke hand motor function from 2023, a group of Spanish researchers decided to find out if combining conventional rehabilitation with specialist virtual reality devices would be more successful than traditional rehabilitation alone. Over three weeks, participants took part in 15 sessions of treatment lasting 150 minutes. During the trial, the control group were given conventional rehabilitation treatment whilst the experimental group received a combination of both.
After analysing their results, it was found that certain VR technologies do indeed improve outcomes when used in conjunction with conventional methods. This study highlighted the capability of VR to enhance motor function in the hands, promote voluntary movement, and help to normalise muscle tone among subacute stroke patients.
Improved Executive Function and Balance in Parkinson’s Patients
VR has also been shown to be effective in helping patients with long-term conditions. A study from 2023 showed how dual-task exergames have the potential to improve executive function and balance in Parkinson’s patients. During their study, the researchers invited participants to take part in a number of boxing-inspired VR games that were designed to challenge their motor and cognitive abilities in a fully immersive virtual environment. While the researchers did point out that results to indicate enhanced motor function were not statistically significant, other key benefits such as increased step count and improved balance were reported, along with high scores for participant motivation and satisfaction.
Even short bursts of VR have been shown to reduce perceived pain levels by over 30% in those with chronic pain conditions.
These physical and mental benefits are an encouraging sign that, with ongoing research and the right application, VR will continue to enhance rehabilitation and provide outcomes for patients going forward.
AR for Surgical Procedures
During complex surgeries, the operating theatre can be an extremely high-pressure environment. Surgical staff need exceptional manual dexterity, a high stamina and the ability to stay calm when unforeseen events occur.
This is where AR technology can make a real difference.
Unlike VR, which is a completely simulated environment, augmented reality merges the real world with computer-generated content. For surgeons, this means having access to important data, patient scans and computer-generated holograms – all from a single headset. At any given time, a surgeon could be viewing deep internal organs, blood vessels, patient vitals, and other helpful simulated tools.
During an operation, the AR headset overlays these virtual components onto the surgeon’s field of view. This allows them to work faster, make more informed decisions, and execute procedures with enhanced precision.
In fact, in one study concerned with testing “the feasibility and accuracy of thoracic pedicle screw placement using augmented reality surgical navigation (ARSN)”, researchers identified a general accuracy rate of 85% with AR-guided surgery, in contrast to a 64% accuracy rate achieved with the traditional free-hand technique. This shows the dramatic difference that ARSN can make, particularly in surgeries that require exact precision.
Another benefit to using AR is that it can help to make surgeries less invasive. With real-time guidance and a clearer picture of the full patient anatomy, surgeons can stay within pre-defined boundaries and make fewer incisions. This has the potential to vastly reduce recovery times and decrease the risk of post-op complications.
Eager to see ARSN in action? Take a look at this fascinating clip from Medivis Admin.
XR Surgical Training
As well as enhancing the execution of real-time surgical procedures, XR technologies (an umbrella term for AR & VR) are being used as training tools for both undergrads and experienced surgeons.
With XR, there is no need to use actual patients as surgical subjects. This helps to eliminate risk and frees up a substantial amount of time, money and resources.
Another advantage of these technologies is that they’re portable and can be accessed quickly when required. Earlier surgery simulators were often stationary and tended to be bulkier, whereas AR and VR systems provide the flexibility for practitioners to engage in immersive training experiences virtually anywhere. This makes them suitable for both classroom-based and on-the-go learning.
For people with sensory disabilities living in a world designed for typical sensory functioning, navigating day-to-day tasks can pose unique challenges and, in some cases, may require additional adaptations to improve quality of life.
Fortunately, Med Tech pioneers are passionate about tackling these challenges head-on and building a better future with the aid of transformative assistive technologies.
AI-assisted Hearing
OrCam Hear is a recent innovation designed to support deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with communication in social settings. The device uses artificial intelligence to create unique speaker profiles for each person in a conversation and then allows the user to select who they want to listen to by tapping on an app. OrCam Hear is a relatively discrete piece of kit consisting of a pair of earbuds that amplify the voice of the targeted speaker, and a dongle which filters out other voices and ambient noise.
The main aim of the device is to help people overcome the difficulty of understanding speech in loud environments, also known as " the cocktail party problem". This is a challenge for traditional hearing aids, which tend to amplify all sounds equally.
To combat this, OrCam Hear enables people to focus on specific voices in various social situations, such as crowded conventions or noisy bars. This allows the user to tune into only the voices that they want to hear, thus facilitating clearer communication, increased confidence, and easier daily living.
Assisted Technology for the Blind
Blind and partially sighted people face their own sets of challenges when navigating the world, however, new mobile applications are helping them to overcome these.
According to Chancey Fleet, Assistive Technology Coordinator at the New York Public Library, a vast number of blind smartphone users are using the Danish mobile app “Be My Eyes” to gain detailed image descriptions of everyday objects, places and individuals. Powered by GPT-4, the innovative app offers users the option of either using AI to get a computer-generated description or connecting with a human by video so that they can hear a live description of what is in front of them.
Be My Eyes was invented by visually impaired furniture craftsman, Jørgen Wiberg, who came up with the idea after speaking with a friend who had used video calls to get visual descriptions from friends and family. After this conversation, Jørgen realised that he could use the concept and make it available to blind and low-vision people with the help of a network of sighted volunteers around the world.
According to the Be My Eyes website, the app now has over half a million blind users and approximately 7,187,947 registered volunteers.
AI and other advanced technologies are helping to transform lives every single day, but the fight for better healthcare isn’t over yet.
If you need help with an existing Med Tech project or would like to partner with us to create something truly revolutionary, we want to hear from you!
Email hello@newicon.net or call us on 0117 332 5661 to get started.
Want to find out more about the exciting Med Tech projects that we’ve been involved with? Check out our SehaMed case study or read about our involvement with the life-changing communication technology, EarSwitch.
I'm Maddie Zapletal
Technical Writer at NewiconSubscribe to get our best content. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe at any time.
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