Health Care Quality Special Reports

New Technologies Unveiled To Reduce Costs, Improve Access December 2009 Innovations Richard L. Reece, MD Earlier this year, General Electric Co. unveiled a new handheld ultrasound machine, the Vscan. The device resembles a cellular telephone and has been called the “stethoscope of the 21st century.” Portable ultrasound enables primary care and other physicians to diagnose a wide array of serious conditions and guide procedures at the point of care. While office-based ultrasound may not be the newest idea, a handheld device that does what much larger machines have done is a good example of how a new technology may radically change the practice of medicine. The Cleveland Clinic (www.clevelandclinic.org) hosts an annual Innovations Summit for experts in medicine and technology to review the latest advances and medical devices. Each year, the top ten up-and-coming innovations for the following year are listed on the clinic’s Web site along with a “where are they now” list of past picks. This year’s list holds some promising new innovations. Take, for instance, the number two item on the list: a low-volume, low-pressure tracheal tube cuff to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia. Pneumonia has a high incidence among patients in intensive care who need to be mechanically ventilated, often extending patients’ length of stay, and is the most frequent cause of ICU-acquired mortality. The new cuff forms an effective airway seal, eliminating the accumulation of fluid from the throat in the lungs. This pooled fluid is where pneumonia takes root. Also of note are two new non-vitamin K agonist oral anticoagulants, which have the potential to eliminate the numerous difficulties clinicians find in dealing with warfarin. Both agents have been approved in Europe and Canada. Because they come in pill form, they could eliminate the need for warfarin injections, enabling patients to administer their own anticoagulants. .... You must sign-in to read complete article. If you are not registered click here. Username: Forgot it? Password: Financial support for this Website is provided by Premier Healthcare Resource.

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