Reliability, biocompatibility and other standard medical device safety concerns still apply. However, a few areas stand out in robotic-assisted surgery, said Medical Microinstruments CEO Mark Toland, who led Corindus Vascular Robotics until helping sell it to Siemens for $1.1 billion.
Bill would require Medicare to cover breakthrough devices: Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, introduced legislation to require Medicare to cover medical devices that received breakthrough designation from the FDA for four (4) years. The bill would also require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to make a permanent coverage determination during the four-year period.
Technology could help predict miscarriage risk: Researchers in the Netherlands are combining 3D ultrasound imaging with virtual reality technology to determine if a developing embryo is maturing normally and help predict miscarriage risk, and they noted that the longer it takes to develop, the greater the risk of miscarriage appears to be. The technique creates a hologram of the embryo and offers clinicians more detailed information than they would get from simply measuring its size at various pregnancy stages.
AI quickly detects genetic mutations in brain tumor samples: A machine learning tool called DeepGlioma demonstrated a 93.2% average accuracy in molecular genetic classification of tumors in patients with diffuse gliomas within 90 seconds, according to a study in Nature Medicine. “Rapid methods for molecular classification hold great promise for rethinking clinical trial design and bringing new therapies to patients,” said Study Senior Author Daniel Orringer.
Blood assay can determine Alzheimer’s risk before diagnosis: A non-invasive, biomarker-based test that uses blood samples to predict an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease three and a half (3.5) years before receiving a diagnosis has been developed by King’s College London researchers. Researchers who worked on the assay exposed brain cells to blood from people with mild cognitive impairment and found that blood from individuals with Alzheimer’s led to increased cell death and reduced cell division and growth, as well as improved hippocampal neurogenesis.
Automated stem cell production system undergoes testing: The UK Stem Cell Bank is conducting a 12-month test of a fully automated stem cell production system. The device “has the potential to reduce human error in this process and produce a more consistent final product which will result in safer and more effective treatments,” said Marc Bailey, Chief Ccientific Officer at the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The second-ever stem cell-producing robot, being tested by the UK MHRA, could produce safer, cost-effective treatments for diseases like cancer.
AI Chatbots could help guide decisions about vaccination: Chatbots could be used to answer patients’ questions and respond to their concerns about vaccines and infectious diseases and persuade patients to take steps in support of their own health, according to a study published in Digital Health. Researchers designed an artificial intelligence chatbot based on communication theory that delivered persuasive messages about COVID-19 and vaccination in English and Spanish via text messaging and websites, and by the end of the study, the bots answered questions with 91.1% accuracy.
How Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled decision support can reduce clinical burnout: Artificial intelligence algorithms and AI-enabled technology can help reduce workforce burnout in health care by improving administrative efficiency, supporting patient engagement, augmenting clinical decision-making and bridging workforce shortages through virtual care and remote monitoring, said Radiation Oncologist Matthew Manning. AI can also help stratify patients by socioeconomic risk factors to enable interventions that address inequities and reduce missed visits, Manning said.
Residual disease test developed to determine leukemia relapse risk before transplant: National Institute of Health (NIH) researchers developed a blood test that uses DNA sequencing to determine the three-year survival and relapse risk of patients with acute myeloid leukemia before they undergo bone marrow transplantation. Residual FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations were associated with a 70% relapse rate, according to study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Hospital to test Virtual Reality (VR) therapy in patients with blood cancers: Massachusetts General Health (MGH) is planning to test a virtual reality digital therapeutic platform to see whether it can improve the quality of life, psychological distress, symptom burden and self-efficacy of patients with blood cancers who are undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplants. MGH is working with Rocket VR Health on the pilot, which will enroll 80 patients in a four-week program that includes physician holograms, interactive sessions, and meditations in nature-based settings.