5 Invaluable Life-Saving Medical Devices

The survival rate for life threatening diseases and medical issues continues to increase. That’s because someone invented a life-saving medical device to diagnose, treat, or repair their medical issue. The medical field always leads the innovation and creation of new and better machines. Advances in medical technology continue to shape the world we live in and extend the life expectancy of us all.

Ventilators

Mechanical ventilators are invaluable for keeping patients alive that can’t breathe for themselves. Doctors use them during surgery when a patient goes under a general anesthetic and can’t breathe. In cases of paralysis, brain damage, or patients in comas, ventilators will breathe for them until they can do it themselves. It’s crucial, though, that these patients receive the proper care.

Pace Makers

Since its invention in 1950, the pacemaker has been an invaluable life-saving tool. A patient will have the pacemaker surgically implanted into the chest or abdomen. This small device helps the heart beat normally by using electric pulses. A normal functioning heart can control itself with its own electrical system. It controls the rate and the rhythm of the heartbeat by sending a signal from the top of the heart to the bottom, causing it to contract and pump blood. The pacemaker does this when the heart can’t. Advances in the technology made the pacemaker smaller and programmable to fit a patient’s specific needs.

MRI Scan Technology

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses nuclear magnetic resonance to combine a magnetic field and radio waves to create a detailed image of the tissues and organs inside the human body. The magnetic field temporarily realigns the hydrogen atoms in the body, then the radio waves cause the atoms to make very faint signals to create the cross-sectional MRI images. In short, the image is map of radio signals created by the body.

Insulin Pumps

Millions of people worldwide struggle with diabetes. Even with regular injections of insulin, many diabetics still suffer from huge swings in their blood sugar levels or have unpredictable side effects from the insulin. Insulin pumps now automate most of the daily insulin injections for people. They deliver a steady, measured, and continuous doses of insulin, or a surge dose on request at mealtimes. A flexible plastic tube is inserted into the fatty tissue of the skin to deliver the insulin. The pumps provide diabetics with better control over their illness.

Computed Tomography Scans

Better known as CT scans, this imaging marvel uses special x-ray equipment to create detailed scans of areas inside the body. It creates a 3D picture and can detect smaller abnormalities better than traditional x-rays or other methods. It is used to diagnose cancer, check head injuries, check the skeletal system, and find other diseases. Images created this way are far more detailed than ultrasounds and x-rays, and it allows doctors to accurately diagnose patients.