Some of the latest advances in medicine include engineering genetics to aid cancer treatment, growing artificial organs and tissues for transplant, and smart pills. All of these advances are examples of changes in medical treatments brought on by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Advances in genomics, genetic engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are transforming healthcare and medicine.
Smart-Phone Connected Pacemakers
Implantable medical devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators send electrical impulses to the heart muscle chambers to help contract and pump blood through the body. These medical devices prevent or correct arrhythmias which can be remotely monitored by a physician. The latest advancements in pacemakers and defibrillators feature Bluetooth capability that connects them to wearers’ smartphones. Patients can track their cardiac treatment using a mobile app that gives them greater insight into the health data communicated from the pacemaker to the physician.
Respiratory illnesses are some of the world’s most common medical conditions. Millions of people in the United States suffer from different forms of lung disease, which is primarily caused by cigarette smoking, infectious viruses, and inherited gene traits. Brunswick Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine has years of experience testing and treating pulmonary diseases, sleep disorders, asthma, bronchitis, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Their team of specialists use state-of-the-art testing facilities and have a proven track record of quality patient care. They can treat symptoms of COPD, chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, lung cancer, pulmonary arterial hypertension (HP), tuberculosis, sleep apnea, sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and occupational lung diseases caused by long-term exposure to harmful irritants. Your respiratory health won’t improve by itself, and most respiratory illnesses worsen over time. The best way to improve your lung function and quality of breathing is to see a lung specialist.
Increased Access to Telemedicine
COVID-19 has challenged clinicians to adopt telemedical practices to deliver patient care online. The wide-spread adoption of a virtual care model is due in large part to fundamental policy shifts at both the federal and healthcare provider levels. State and federal regulators have acted quickly to reduce barriers to telehealth based on the understanding that virtual care speeds access to medical care while protecting healthcare workers and community members.
Regenerative Medicine
The cartilage in your knees wears out with age and doesn’t regenerate, leaving you to either rely on painkillers or undergo a cartilage replacement operation. Advances in stem-cell technology could play a big role in regenerating different parts of the body. Regenerative medicine is a branch of medicine that creates methods for regenerating, repairing, or replacing damaged or diseased cells, organs, and tissues. Ongoing advancements in regenerative medicine could help repair cardiac damage from a heart attack or allow for the growth of body tissues or organs needed for transplant.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is the newest innovation in cancer treatment and will soon become the cornerstone of oncology. The therapy uses the body’s immune system to fight disease by either stimulating or suppressing an immune response. The use of antibodies in lymphoma and leukemia treatments helps the immune system identify and destroy harmful cells more easily. The ongoing progress in understanding cancer at a cellular level shows that the immune system can effectively eliminate naturally occurring cancer cells.
Medical research is essential to medical breakthroughs and advancements. Funding for research can often be challenging to obtain, especially when it comes to myocarditis research. Eliminating myocarditis progression, heart dysfunction, heart failure, and sudden death through community awareness is the mission of the Myocarditis Foundation. They sponsor myocarditis research grants for professionals researching a cure for heart disease. The foundation works to educate both professionals and the public about myocarditis by sponsoring research grants, public education, and political activism. By supporting research, the treatment for myocarditis will become safer, more accurate, and faster-acting.
Precision Medicine
Precision medicine allows for customized medical treatments based on an individual patient’s genetic and biological makeup, environment, and lifestyle. This personalized approach is replacing “one size fits all” therapies that prescribe the same medications to all patients. Advances in genome mapping allow medical treatments to be tailored to a patient’s genetic makeup. Genome mapping can now be completed faster and more cost-efficiently which means the practice could be used regularly to make informed medical decisions.
Many people don’t worry about their oral health until there is something noticeably wrong. Gum discomfort or bleeding could be a sign of periodontal disease or gum disease. It’s usually caused by bacteria in plaque buildup that causes inflammation. Dentists or specialists can treat the mild form of periodontal disease, gingivitis. It can progress to periodontitis if left untreated.
The Rutgers School of Dental Medicine’s periodontics team treats periodontitis with the least invasive methods possible. Depending on the progression of periodontitis oral surgery and dental implants may be necessary to treat severe cases. At the first sign of red, swollen, bleeding gums you need to schedule an appointment with a specialist as soon as possible.
Fixing Defective Genes
Over 10,000 diseases are caused by genetic mutations which is why techniques to fix defective genes are being developed. The genetic mutation sickle-cell anemia damages organs and provokes stroke and death. Gene therapy could be an effective treatment that collects a patient’s stem cells, genetically alters them, and replaces them in the body to create healthy blood cells.
With all the ongoing advances in medicine, it’s important that healthcare providers adhere to regulatory compliance and health care laws. Moore Law Firm provides a high quality of legal services to injury victims who have been injured by no fault of their own. Their personal injury attorneys handle medical malpractice, personal injury, dog bite cases, dangerous drugs, and medical devices, defective products, traumatic brain injury, negligence, and wrongful death. During a free consultation with a personal injury attorney in Mobile, AL, you can seek legal advice about your ability to file and win a personal injury case and the maximum compensation you can fight for. Victims of negligence can turn to a personal injury lawyer to help them get through a difficult time.
Internet of Medical Things
Remembering to take the correct dosage of prescription medication at the right time every day can be difficult. A new pill that contains sensors can record when it is ingested and transmit the information to a topical patch worn by the patient. The information can be viewed on a smartphone to ensure medication is taken properly. This practice has been used to treat some types of mental illnesses.
These smart pills are one of many ideas on the internet of medical things (IoMT), which uses networks of connected devices to capture vital real-time data. Telemedicine also falls under the IoMT as patients can use wearable medical devices to measure blood pressure, monitor glucose levels, and test blood samples.
Universal Hepatitis C Treamtent
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) classifies hepatitis C as a silent epidemic and major public health issue in the United States. Hepatitis C can lead to liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer if left untreated. There is no vaccine for the virus and access to the medication has been limited. Advances in treatments have led to a fixed-dose combination of medication that can be used to universally treat and improve hepatitis C.
2020 has seen several ongoing advances in medicine that will continue for the decade to come. Advances in medicine allow medical professionals to better diagnose, treat, and in some instances, cure, medical diseases, and conditions that affect the quality of life.
