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Healthcare Technology
Patient Care
Sharon Roth-DeFulvio
4/20/2006
Agenda
Technology Watch List
 Technology #3: Heartsbreath Breathalyzers
 Technology #2: Dynamic 3D
Echocardiography in Virtual Reality
 Technology #1: Nanocarriers to Fight
Cancer
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Technology Watch List
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Nanocarriers to Fight Cancer
Dynamic 3D echocardiography in virtual reality
Heartsbreath Breathalyzers
Enzyme-based computers
Spray-on Nanocomputers
A laser that sees through solid objects
Iris Identification
PACS (Picture Archival & Communication System) used
with Diagnostic Radiology
Artemis
E-Prescribing
3-D Face Imaging
FIRAT (Force Sensing Integrated Readout and Active Tip)
Genetically engineered mice with glowing hearts
3D ads in the sky
Nanoarmors
Technology #3:
Heartsbreath Breathalyzers
Heartsbreath scanner (Credit: Menssana Research).
A breath sensor, a billion times
more sensitive than police
breathalyzers, can already check
for asthma, ulcers or trouble with
a heart transplant, and if the
chemical fingerprint of a disease
is known, it can test for it. Crucial
to the test is not the shallow
breath from the upper part of our
lungs but the breath derived from
alveoli, the tiny chambers at the
tips of the bronchial air passages,
deep inside. Alveoli are lined with
membranes loaded with tiny
blood vessels. The chemicals in
the blood easily cross this
membrane so that the alveolar
breath "mirrors the composition
of the blood."
Technology#3
Heartsbreathalyzers Opportunity
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In the future, hand-held devices similar to a
Palm Pilot may be routinely used for the early
detection of breast, colon and other cancers,
tuberculosis, diabetes and pre-eclampsia.
Home monitoring: hand-held breath monitors
will on day be used at home to check our
health and the evolution of our diseases.
Increase testing for disease/health conditions
Technology #3
Heartsbreathalyzer Benefits
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Early detection of diseases and conditions.
Reduction in costs of testing
Innovative and less invasive test for diseases
and health conditions.
Reduction in the cost of traditional tests for
diseases and health conditions
At home patient monitoring of progression of
disease and present condition.
Technology #2
Dynamic 3D echocardiography
in virtual reality
Doctors are using a virtual reality
system to visualize the heart in three
dimensions and detect if it is healthy
or not. In a pilot study, ten doctors
were able to move around virtual
three-dimensional animated images or
'holograms' of the heart and to make
correct diagnosis after a ten-minute
training.
►This figure shows a
researcher in the I-Space,
looking at the
3D hologram wearing a
lightweight pair of glasses
with polarizing lenses.
Within the I-space the
head and hand movements
of the viewer is being
tracking by four infrared
cameras, allowing a natural
interaction with the images
that are displayed.
▲An impression of a 6-walled
I-space virtual reality system. The
I-space installed at the Erasmus is
a 4-walled system, without ceiling
and sliding back wall.
Images courtesy of Barco N.V.
◄ A 3D hologram of a
patient with an
atrioventricular septal
defect is seen from a
ventricular view. The
arrow points out the
commissure between the
superior (SBL) and
inferior bridging leaflets
(IBL) (RV = right
ventricle).
Heart Disease Facts
Technology #2
Dynamic 3D echocardiography
in virtual reality - Opportunities
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Until now, the 3D echocardiographic reconstructions could
only be seen on a 2D screen, but virtual reality makes it
possible to 'dive' into the actual 3D anatomy of the heart.
Professionals, familiar with intracardiac anatomy, can
learn how to handle the technique and cut through these
holograms within 10 minutes.
Subsequently, they were all able to correctly diagnose the
intracardiac anatomy or pathology of the mitral valve.
At the moment, I-Space technology is only available in a
few dedicated research centres throughout the world.
Therefore, the combination of the 3D echocardiography
and virtual reality is very uncommon and the applicability
and usefulness in clinical practice is still limited.
Technology #2
Dynamic 3D echocardiography
in virtual reality - Benefits
Improve patient quality of care.
 Detection of abnormalities and
heart disease in the earliest
stages.
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Technology #1
Nanocarriers to Fight Cancer
Technology #1
Nanocarriers to Fight Cancer
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Anticancer drugs are now being administered to
patients using methods that cause the
indiscriminate killing of both diseased and healthy
cells.
Such chemotherapy leads to side-effects, such as
nausea, fatigue, and hair loss, and makes the
patient weak and frail.
For these reasons, there is a crucial need for the
development of more effective cancer therapy,
which not only minimizes side-effects but also
directly targets diseased cells.
Technology #1
Nanocarriers to Fight Cancer
Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering
and Nanotechnology (IBN) in Singapore have
designed 'smart' nanocarriers which deliver
the drugs exactly where they are needed,
reducing side effects and suppressing cancer
growth. Their core-shell nanoparticles are
both sensitive to temperature and to acidic
levels. When these nanocarriers encounter
acidic environments such as tumor tissues,
they break apart and release the molecules
they contain.
Technology #1 - Opportunity
Nanocarriers to Fight Cancer
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Intelligent drug delivery.
Opportunity for a more effective
cancer therapy - Directly targets
diseased cells.
Minimizes side-effects of current
radiation treatments.
This technology may also be used in
in-vitro and animal studies for drug
discovery.
Technology #1 - Benefits
Nanocarriers to Fight Cancer
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Intelligent drug delivery
Quality of life: patient and family
Reduction in the risk to healthcare
professionals.
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The powerful drugs used in chemotherapy
can themselves cause cancer and pose a
risk to nurses, pharmacists and others
who handle them.
Significant reduction in healthcare
costs.
Sources
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American Cancer Society;
American Heart Association;
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology;
Marsa, Linda, Special to The Los Angeles Times,
November 19, 2005;
http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/