The Top 10 Medical Innovations from the 2017 Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation

The Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit hosted more than 2,250 people from the medical industry. This summit gave the chance for the brightest in the medical field to come together as one and discuss their ideas. These new technologies covered many different fields, which means anyone could benefit from the Summit. There was a roster full of top-ranking speakers discussing all the current hot topics in the medical field, and, of course, you could always benefit from the multitude of professionals available to network with. It was a win-win situation for all involved.

This year, a twenty person committee judged over three hundred previously nominated medical innovations. Their job was to decide which of these innovations would have the biggest immediate impact on today’s medical industry. Here is a quick peek at the top ten medical innovations of 2018 according to the Summit’s committee:

1. Hybrid Closed-Loop Insulin Delivery System. This new diabetic treatment is being applauded as the world’s first ever synthetic pancreas. This modern piece of equipment enables a glucose monitoring device and an insulin pump to work together in order to balance blood glucose levels.

2. Neuromodulation (a sleep apnea treatment). Most of us know that the most recommended treatment for sleep apnea is for the patient to wear a CPAP or continuous airway pressure device. However, approximately 40% of sleep apnea patients decline to wear their CPAPs while they are sleeping. In response to this startling data, a group of researchers have created an implant designed to stimulate the airway muscles to open while the patient is sleeping to prevent sleep apnea. This device can be manipulated by a wearable patch or a remote.

3. Gene Therapy as a treatment for Inherited Retinal Diseases. Next year, the FDA should authorize a state-of-the-art gene therapy treatment to help treat different Inherited Retinal Diseases. This new treatment implants a new “normal” fully functional facsimile of the gene into retinal cells, which should vastly improve the patient’s vision.

4. Unprecedented Reduction of LDL Cholesterol. Bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can be reduced up to 75% by using some new drug combinations. However, this huge a reduction also carries an increased risk of strokes and heart attacks. Luckily, researchers have now found that these risks can be greatly reduced by taking statins with a new class of cholesterol reducing drugs in order to get your cholesterol levels extra low.

5. Distance Health Technologies. Distance health technologies, also known as telehealth, is gearing up for widespread integration into US hospitals as early as 2018. This technology includes equipment that can easily record and report medical information to doctors. It also aims to make healthcare more efficient and affordable.

6. Next Generation Vaccine Platforms. The swift creation of new vaccines and how we administer them is expected to be achieved in 2018 by new innovations in the vaccine field. Freeze-Dried vaccines and flu vaccines created from nanoparticles, tobacco plants and insects are just some of the expected new advancements.

7. Targeted Breast Cancer Therapies. Many of the highly used breast cancer treatments, like chemotherapy, radiation and hormone treatments, may not completely cure the patient of cancer. These treatments can also harm or destroy healthy cells. A new treatment designed by using an arsenal of targeted breast cancer treatments is suppose to hit the market next year and is expected to be more widely used to treat this disease.

8. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. ERAS or Enhanced Recovery After Surgery has many benefits for the patient. It now permits the patient to eat prior to surgery, offers alternative medications for opioids and promotes walking to lessen complications and expedite recovery.

9. Centralized Monitoring. Researchers have discovered that 44% of patients who experience cardiac arrest in the hospital are not discovered soon enough. Many caregivers struggle with “alarm fatigue.” The constant sound of machines beeping can desensitize hospital personnel and cause their response times to greatly fall. The use of off-site sensors and cameras that monitor heart rate, blood pressure and respiration can be used to alert hospital staff when necessary and also eliminate the constant noise and distractions coming from onsite equipment.

Scalp Cooling to Reduce Chemotherapy Hair Loss. Scalp cooling treatment is performed by lowering the temperature of the scalp prior to, throughout and following chemotherapy. This treatment was tested through the Cleveland Clinic and was found to have a great effect on hair loss in breast cancer patients.