Millions are living longer, healthier lives thanks to medical technology’s major breakthroughs that have enabled new, high-quality and cost-effective treatments.
A pacemaker, which was used to treat arrhythmias in the heart, was half a century old. Today it is smaller than a AAA battery. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, medical technology has significantly reduced stroke and heart attack deaths since 1980. The average American life expectancy has increased by more than five years in that time period.
The advancements in medical technology have significantly improved patient outcomes and saved money on health. This has allowed people to live longer, healthier lives. Global medical device manufacturer St. Jude Medical (www.sjm.comAccording to a report by ), approximately 70 million people have been saved by its life-saving technology over its 40-year-old history.
The commitment to improving medical care is driving new pioneering technologies. St. Jude Medical and other companies are exploring innovative partnerships to increase disease awareness and improve patient outcomes. These are some of the latest innovations.
* Patients today can connect with their physicians through smart technology offering remote monitoring — transmitters that communicate data about a patient’s condition to their doctors without the patient having to leave home. Telemedicine can help people with chronic illnesses and vulnerable people access health services in remote or rural areas.
* In electrophysiology lab systems, used by doctors to manage heart-rhythm disorders, technological innovations have helped doctors reduce costs, streamline workflow and improve quality of care. St. Jude Medical integrates lab products that allow doctors to perform cardiac procedures with prerecorded images. This helps patients and health care workers to be less exposed to radiation.
* The use of colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy screening tests have prevented some 560,000 people from developing colorectal cancer, according to a Milken Institute study.
* Implantable spinal cord stimulation devices, which can provide relief from chronic pain by interrupting pain signals to the brain, are now available in upgradeable technology. Software updates will allow patients to access the latest, most effective therapies as soon as their devices are approved. Patients won’t need to go through repeated surgical procedures to replace their devices as new technology becomes available.
* Implantable devices that provide deep brain stimulation can help reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 1 million Americans are affected by Parkinson’s Disease.
* Insulin pump usage results in better blood-sugar control, resulting in fewer clinical complications, reduced emergency room visits and decreased hospital admissions, according to a study by the Milken Institute.
Medical technology faces many challenges, particularly in the face of expensive epidemic diseases like heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and other conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that cardiovascular disease will cost more than $1 trillion by 2030.
Today, St. Jude Medical is leading the way in solving some of the biggest challenges facing the health care industry. Innovators, scientists, engineers, and scientists combine imagination and science to transform the treatment and care of deadly epidemic diseases.
