Take a look at four ways hospitals are setting the standard for healthcare technology and innovation.
Wireless Sensors in the NICU
Researchers at Northwestern University developed a wireless technology to monitor a newborn’s vital signs in the NICU. The soft and flexible sensors are skin-like and placed on a baby’s chest and foot. They track heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, and other vital signs, just like traditional sensors. Because the technology is wireless, it is much easier for parents to hold and bond with their babies while in the NICU.
Learn more here.
High-Tech for the Heart
A Rochester Institute of Technology research team invented a toilet seat heart monitor for hospital patients at risk of congestive heart failure. Sensors in the toilet seat track heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygenation. Those readings are then transmitted to the patient’s doctor if their condition deteriorates.
Learn more here.
VR Vision
At UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, neurosurgeons are using virtual reality to prepare and calm their patients prior to brain surgery. Wearing a headset, a doctor can take patients and their families on a guided tour of the patient’s brain — showing them the tumor and surrounding blood vessels and nerves. This technology helps patients and their families better understand and feel informed heading into a procedure.
Learn more here.
Drone Delivery
A collaborative effort from physicians, researchers, and engineers has led to the first successful donor organ delivery by an unmanned drone. The drone took five minutes to deliver the kidney to the hospital team, who then successfully transplanted it. Speed is crucial for successful organ transplants. Simply put: “The faster an organ is transplanted, the better it works.” That’s why these quick drones have huge potential to transform the process for patients on the transplant list.
Learn more here.