Medical Innovations to look forward to in 2018

2017 has seen its share of medical breakthroughs and pioneering research work. Its evident that the future of healthcare is going to change dramatically with medical and dental technology. With some ready to go and other still in development, these medical innovations, advances are certain to have a dramatic impact on health care.
Here are some of the medical breakthroughs just over the horizon that could have a profound impact on your life. 

1. Centralized Monitoring of Hospital Patients-

Reports indicate that up to 45% of inpatient cardiac arrest are not detected appropriately. This is due to hospitals having “alarm fatigue” when busy caregivers become desensitized to the constant noise emanating from cardiac telemetry monitoring systems. “Centralized monitoring has emerged as the answer, as part of a "mission control" operation in which off-site personnel uses advanced equipment, including sensors and high-definition cameras to monitor blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and more. Complex data are assimilated to trigger on-site intervention when appropriate while filtering out unimportant alarms.”, says Dr. Faulkner, Ohio State University Hospital.

2. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery-

The concept of “fast track” or “enhanced” recovery after the surgery has been under development since past few years. As for decades the common procedure before any surgery was to not eat before surgery, using pain medications, staying in bed during recovery. To substantial growth in medical technology, innovators are overhauling post- surgery strategies, and delivering imposing results. The ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) procedure permits the patient to eat before surgery, limits opioids by prescribing alternative medicines and encourages regular walking which reduces compilation rates and speed recovery.

3. The Emergence of Distance Health-

Bringing the healthcare environment to the patient's home has been a dream goal for scientist and doctors for decades. It will help the patient as well as the doctor as it will remove the “traveling barriers” which will result in the optimal outcome as well as significant cost saving. Hospitals are getting ready for a widespread adoption of the technology in 2018 due to an increase in connectivity through mobile technology and consumer demand. The patients will be equipped with attachable devices that record and report medical information to doctor to monitor their condition. Over 19 million patients are projected to use these remote monitoring devices in 2018.

4. Neuromodulation to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea-

Sleep apnea is the most common sleep disturbance which can leads to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. While continuous positive airway pressure device, (C.P.A.P.) is the gold standard treatment, it is estimated that more than 40% of sleep apnea patients refuse to wear the device. Innovators have found out a way to help such people. The device acts like a pacemaker which helps to synchronize the intake of air with the action of the tongue and is controlled by a remote or a wearable patch. These neuromodulation systems have had positive results in clinical testing and are to be gifted to the world this year.

5. Laser Dentistry-

Medical experts use lasers, which are focused light beam at one point, to remove or alter tissues of a small amount. It will help the patient to enjoy the dental experience as the dentist won't need a drill or administer anesthesia. Dentists use lasers for a variety of procedures involving the inside of the mouth, be it to remove overgrown tissue, to whiten teeth, or to reshape the gums. Also, lasers can reduce symptoms and healing times associated with traditional therapies; reduce the number of bacteria in both diseased gum tissue and in tooth cavities, and control bleeding during surgery.