Incredible technological advances have occurred in medicine over the last two decadesIn the not so distant past patient fractures were diagnosed by x-ray. Many times the x-ray didn't reveal the extent of the fracture. Do to the missed diagnosis of the injury many complications could have occurred. People could be walking on legs that had a fracture that wasn't shown on x-ray. The complications from walking on a unknown fracture could be anything from pain to displacement of the fracture. If displacement of the fracture occurred, surgery would be needed to repair the fracture. Thus the invention of the CAT scan revolutionized fracture recognition. Cat scanners are able to reveal, layer by layer and angle by angle, the affected bones and diagnose precisely the scope of the injury. Shortly after the CAT scanner was the newest diagnostic tool, a new scanner called MRI was introduced to further aid with diagnosis of injuries. This MRI would be used to diagnose soft tissue problems. The scanner is able to identify injuries such as ACL and MCL tears. In the past these injuries were only identified by symptoms. There was no ability to know the extent of the injury until surgery was performed. Surgery was performed without knowing what was actually needed. An incision could have been made and there was nothing abnormal discovered during the surgery. This unnecessary surgery could have complications such as blood clots and infection. These complications could have been prevented by not having the surgery in the first place.Current new technology in surgical practice is laparoscopic surgery. This technique uses laparoscopic tubes to enter the body at points needed to perform the correction. Physicians are able to repair the problem by looking thru the scope and correcting the problem thru the laparoscope. This technology has improved recovery time for patients who require surgery. There isn't a long incision and not as much manipulation in the body cavity, thus less pain for the patient. There's less potential of post operative infection due to the quickness and less invasive the surgery is.Newest on the market is robotic assisted surgery. The "robot" enables a surgeon to perform precise moves in very delicate structures in bodies. Robotics are currently being used in brain surgery, heart surgery, and prostrate surgery. This type of surgery allows precise movements, to designated areas, therefore lessening the chance of accidental movement that could mean grave consequences for the patient. The robotic surgery has lessened the chance of stroke, bleeding difficulties, residual paralysis, and many other complications usually associated with these types of surgeries.
All the above technological advances have cost millions to develop. However when I see the benefits of this technology in diagnostics and interventions, I believe health care has been improved by better diagnose and decreasing the complications that cause long hospital stays. It has been more cost effective in the treatment of patients then prior to these new technologies.
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I think some of the greatest technology we have are the instruments that allow us to be able to see inside the body without making any incisions. These procedures provide invaluable information about what is happening inside the body without having to perform surgery. I also agree that although the initial costs are high, it is well worth the investment in benefits to patients. The technology we have can detect abnormalities earlier and start treatment before things get too severe. I see this as saving money for patients.
ReplyDeleteI too agree that although the initial costs of new technology are high, it is important that we make these innovations as often as possible. The better a patient can be diagnosed and treated, the less likely they are to need follow up appointments or more surgeries due to poor results.
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