Results for search "Medical Technology: Misc.".
22 Feb
A new study finds smart watches and other wellness trackers may interfere with pacemakers and other implantable cardiac devices.
08 Sep
A review of 2,400 cases finds diagnoses made via telemedicine often match those made at the doctor’s office.
Just like adults, young children with type 1 diabetes may get the blood sugar control they need using an "artificial pancreas," new research shows.
The Control-IQ artificial pancreas system was tested in a clinical trial in children aged 2 to 6.
Using the technology developed at the University of Virginia (UVA), these children spent approximately three more hours per day in their ...
Newer scanning technology may spot more breast cancers and lower the rate of dreaded false positives, a large, new study shows.
Now available in a growing number of health care facilities, tomosynthesis uses low-dose X-rays and computer reconstructions to create 3D images of the breasts to find cancers. In contrast, traditional mammography creates 2D images of the breasts.
"Tom...
A quicker, safer option for treating an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation might be just months away.
Atrial fibrillation is currently treated with drugs or a procedure known as thermal ablation. Thermal ablation uses extreme temperatures to disable areas of the heart causing the abnormal heart rhythm. The new system -- called pulsed field ablation -- uses electricity instead ...
A stick-on sensor may help keep people with heart failure out of the hospital, new research suggests.
Investigators found that when doctors had actionable information about patients’ conditions, delivered remotely through this noninvasive device, it prompted them to adjust medications earlier and prevent complications from escalating. Patients with heart failure who used this device we...
Swedish scientists say they have grown electrodes in living tissue, paving the way for formation of fully integrated electronic circuits in living organisms.
The development, which blurs the lines between biology and technology, could one day lead to therapies for neurological disorders.
“For several decades, we have tried to create electronics that mimic biology. Now we let biolo...
If you’re one of the millions of people with a pacemaker or an implantable defibrillator to help control abnormal heart rhythms, certain health-tracking devices may do more harm than good.
Smartwatches, rings or scales that emit electrical currents can interfere with these lifesaving implantable heart devices, causing them to malfunction, a new study suggests.
“While the el...
It’s a brutal reality that confronts many recovering stroke patients: After six months or so of rehab, any arm and hand movement not yet restored is unlikely to return.
But new cutting-edge research aims to use electrical stimulation to jumpstart stroke-interrupted communication be...
After living with disabling low back pain for nearly 30 years, Dennis Bassett, 64, finally has a new lease on life.
The Hempstead, N.Y., native injured his back in the 1980s when helping a friend. He tried everything to relieve his back pain, from self-medication, acupuncture, and chiropractor work to steroid injections, physical therapy and exercise.
“My back only got worse,” r...
An artificial pancreas has long been considered the holy grail for people with type 1 diabetes, and new research suggests a more convenient version of this technology may help the millions of people living with type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 is the more c...
Patients with an incurable, genetic liver disease have new hope after an animal study showed that a single drug could reverse its effects.
Alagille syndrome is caused by a mutation that prevents the formation and regeneration of bile ducts in the liver.
About 4,000 babies a year are born with this condition. Often, they require a liver transplant, which is not always available. With...
A small toilet-based sound sensor that can tell the difference between peeing, pooping and diarrhea may one day help prevent cholera outbreaks.
"The hope is that this sensor, which is small in footprint and noninvasive in approach, could be deployed to areas where cholera outbreaks are a persistent risk," said researcher
A severely paralyzed person no longer needs to go through brain surgery to try and steer a motorized wheelchair with their mind, researchers report.
Through an electrode-studded cap placed on their head, several people with quadriplegia -- no function in all four limbs -- were able to produce brain waves that guided their wheelchair through a kind of hospital "obstacle course."
The ...
Telemedicine became widespread during the pandemic, and that may have shifted patient views about using technology as way to communicate with their doctors, a new study suggests.
Certain groups, including Black patients and those with lower education levels, became especially more apt to use it.
"Our findings suggest that more Americans are becoming comfortable with telehealth and u...
Flash radiotherapy, a new technology that uses targeted proton beams, is safe and effective in relieving pain for terminal cancer patients, a new, small study suggests.
Flash radiotherapy delivers radiation at dose rates more than 300 times higher than those used in conventional radiation...
These days, you can test yourself for COVID-19, HIV, potential problems in your DNA or even a urinary tract infection while never leaving your home.
Researchers set out to find what older folks thought of the tests, whether they use them and how often they reported their results to a physician who could provide care if there was a problem.
"As more companies bring these direct-to-co...
It's official: Older Americans with hearing loss can now stroll into a big box store or pharmacy — or just visit a website — and buy hearing aids without a prescription.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved this
Pancreatic cancer is often fatal, but a molecular test that can accurately distinguish benign cysts from those that could become cancerous may be a key to saving lives.
Researchers tested the technology — called PancreaSeq — to see if it could work in a clinical setting and found success.
“Based on the results of this study, molecular testing of pancreatic cysts is poised to e...
Wearing a fitness tracker may help you get more steps in -- even if you never give it a glance.
A new study found that folks who wore a pedometer averaged 318 more steps a day than those who didn't, even without specific
Adults with hearing loss soon will be able to amble into a big box store or pharmacy — or just visit a website — and buy hearing aids without a prescription.
Over-the-counter hearing aids will be on the market by mid-October, available for purchas...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning patients who use a particular insulin pump system that unauthorized people could access it and change how much insulin a patient receives.
The pump at the center of the FDA alert is the Medtronic MiniMed 600 Series Insulin Pump S...
Thermometers that read body temperature via the forehead have become a common sight throughout the pandemic, but whether they always spot a fever may depend on the color of someone's skin.
In a new study, researchers found that, similar to problems seen with
Children born as a result of a common fertility procedure involving frozen embryos may have higher risk of cancer, Swedish researchers report.
In frozen-thawed embryo transfer, an embryo is created in a laboratory from an egg and sperm, frozen and later thawed before implant...
A new smartwatch could be a key player in preventing heart attacks among people suffering from risky heart conditions, a new study claims.
Using the smartwatch to track their heart health, patients in a home-based cardiac rehab program were more than 20% less likely to land in the hospital t...
Every year, anywhere from 700,000 to 1 million people fall while in U.S. hospitals, and this often triggers a downward health spiral.
Little has been shown to make a dent in those numbers. Until now.
Enter Smart Socks, which are wired with sensors that send an alert...
A smartphone video could detect a blocked blood vessel in your neck that could cause a stroke, a new study suggests.
The American Heart Association says videos may provide a non-invasive way to screen people who are at risk of stroke.
Nearly 87% of strokes are the ischemic type, which happens when fatty depos...
When it comes to taking your blood pressure at home, smart devices with lots of bells and whistles are no better than old-school monitors, which happen to cost much less.
This is the main finding of a new study that compared high-tech devices that link to your smartph...
Your fitness tracker, pedometer or smartwatch may motivate you to exercise more and lose weight, Australian researchers say.
In a large research review, the investigators found that tracking your activity might inspire you to
Early in the pandemic, scores of Americans bought pulse oximeters to help determine how sick they were while infected with COVID-19, but new research finds the devices often miss dangerously low blood oxygen levels in Black veterans.
This is not the first time such inaccuracies...
Hinting at a future alternative to opioid painkillers, scientists have developed a tiny implant designed to ease post-surgery pain and then dissolve once the job is done.
So far, the research has been limited to lab animals, and it will be several years before the technology could be ready for human testing....
As a bill that would expand Medicare coverage for telehealth services makes its way through the U.S. Senate, a new study of people with advanced cancer suggests the practice could improve the lives of patients.
The use of telehealth skyrocketed during the pandemic: A U.S. Health and Human Services ...
Open-source automated insulin delivery (AID) systems are an effective and safe way for people with type 1 diabetes to control their blood sugar levels, researchers say.
The AID systems combine an insulin pump, a contin...
A 3-D printed ear made with the patient's own cells has been transplanted onto a 20-year-old woman, the company that made the ear says.
The achievement announced June 2 by 3DBio Therapeutics of New York City is believed to be the first known example of a 3-D printed implant made of living tissues. Experts hailed it as a major advance in...
With the United States facing an epidemic of drug overdoses, researchers are developing a wearable patch that can detect an oncoming opioid OD and deliver doses of a drug that could save lives.
The Indiana University Bloomington research team has received a three-year, $3.8 million grant from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop the patch, which combines two separate cutti...
Children with Down syndrome are more likely than other kids to have sleep apnea, and existing treatments often fail to work.
Now, an implanted device that stimulates tongue nerves shows promise in reducing their sleep disruptions, a new study finds.
A device called a hypoglossal nerve stimulator is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults with
Fitness trackers can tell you how well you're sleeping, how fast you're walking and, of course, how many steps you've taken.
But during the pandemic, researchers have also investigated the ability of smart watches to help detect COVID-19 or provide data on recovery.
The latest study uses several measures of heart rate data to help track the progression of symptoms in someone wh...
If you're thinking about getting a device to help you sleep better, an expert offers some advice.
Sleep-tracking devices range from those that record how much you sleep to those that monitor your sleep stages, but it can be difficult to know if they'll provide good re...
A noninvasive ultrasound technique is capable of quickly pulverizing kidney stones, an early study shows - in what researchers call a first step toward a simpler, anesthesia-free treatment for the painful problem.
The study reports on the first 19 patients who've had kidney stones treated with the ultrasound "bursts." So far, it's been able to completely, or nearly completely, break up st...
A handful of "locked-in" amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients can now work a laptop computer using their brain waves, thanks to an implant lodged in a major vein inside their skull.
The implant - a stent lined with 16 miniscule electrodes - is nestled in a vein located near the motor cortex of complete...
Millions of Americans use smartwatches or fitness trackers to check on their heart rate, but the accuracy may fall short for people of color, a new research review finds.
The analysis, of 10 published studies, found that in four of them, wearable devices were clea...
Health and fitness apps are growing in popularity, but not among the people who might benefit most from them - seniors and people with chronic health conditions.
Nearly two out of three American adults are living with a chronic health problem like heart disease, diabetes or asthma, a new HealthDay/Harris Poll survey found.
Are you managing a chronic health problem, be it obesity or diabetes or heart disease or asthma?
There's likely an app for that.
Health apps are becoming more and more sophisticated, offering smartphone users help in dealing with chronic ailments, said Dr. David Bates, chief of internal med...
Some portable tech devices equipped with powerful magnets can interfere with your heart implant's ability to regulate dangerous irregular heart rhythms, a new study reports.
Swiss researchers found that Apple AirPods Pro, the Microsoft Surface Pen and the Apple Pencil all can temporarily throw a pacemaker/defibrillator off if they are held too close to the implant.
"These devic...
A robot performed challenging keyhole surgery on pigs without any human help in what could be a major step toward fully automated surgery on people.
"Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery: the reconnection of two ends of an intestine," said senior study author Axel Krieger. He is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at J...
Having a child with type 1 diabetes can be a challenging health condition for parents to manage, but new research suggests an "artificial pancreas" system may beat standard treatment in controlling the blood sugar disease in young children.
Forms of the technology -- which automatically monitors and regulates blood sugar -- are already available for adults and kids with
The U.S. Army says it has developed a COVID-19 vaccine it believes could work against any and all coronavirus variants, including Omicron.
Results from early human trials of the Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle (SpFN) COVID vaccine are expected by the end of the month, the Army added.
Lab studies have already shown that the new vaccine protects monkeys from the original strain of COVID-...
People who get cochlear implants to treat severe hearing loss may develop new bone growth in the ear -- and it may lessen any hearing they have left, a new study hints.
The researchers found that among 100-plus adults with cochlear implants, two-thirds showed evidence of new bone formation near the implant within four years. And of patients who still had some hearing when they received th...
Physiotherapist David Putrino was working on a vibrating glove to help deaf people experience live music when a friend mentioned that the same technology might stop tremors in people with Parkinson's disease.
Putrino, director of rehabilitation innovation for Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, was intrigued. The friend's father had Parkinson's, so they placed the new device on hi...
Despite stereotypes about seniors and technology, a small study suggests that older adults in the early stages of dementia can use smartphone apps as memory aids.
The researchers found that older people with mild impairments in memory and thinking were not only able to learn how to use the apps, they said the digital aids made their daily lives easier.
The apps were not specially de...
Claire Wiedmaier experiences epileptic seizures so bad that she's broken teeth while in their grip.
"I have some fake teeth. I broke my two bottom front teeth," said Wiedmaier, 23, of Ankeny, Iowa, who these days can expect to have at least four seizures a month.
Knowing when to expect a seizure would be a big help to her.
"It would be nice to know, because then I could get so...
Severe spinal cord injuries are incurable today in humans, but a new injectable therapy that restored motion in laboratory mice could pave the way for healing paralyzed people.
The therapy -- liquid nanofibers that gel around the damaged spinal cord like a soothing blanket -- produces chemical signals that promote healing and reduce scarring, researchers report.
The treatment p...