HomeTechnology
Technology
Hospital group pioneers e-scripting
In a nod to the digital era, electronic prescriptions (e-scripting) at Netcare hospitals is making traditional handwritten prescriptions obsolete, and reducing the risks of...
Race versus skin tone debate in resolving pulse oximeters' false readings
Physicians and government regulators are increasingly aware that pulse oximeters measure oxygen levels less accurately in patients with darker skin. But the issue with...
Smart watches could interfere with heart devices – US study
Some of the newer smart watches, smart rings and other “smart” products can interfere with implanted electronic medical devices that control heart rhythms, such...
World's first ‘vagina chip’ designed to better understand women's health
Women’s health advocates have long argued that far more research is needed on women's bodies and health – and the first-ever “vagina on a...
The risks of ChatGPT in healthcare
The sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship is the cornerstone of the healthcare profession – a protected space steeped in tradition, the Hippocratic oath, medical...
Custom 3D-printed hearts could improve valve replacement procedures
Scientists are making custom 3D-printed replicas of human hearts in an effort to improve replacement valve procedures, according to a study, which could optimise...
First UK patient gets early heart failure alert implant
A cutting-edge procedure to implant an early warning device into a heart failure patient has been carried out for the first time in the...
US team designs novel mapping of colorectal cancer
From around the age of 45, regular colonoscopies are recommended. However, despite the availability of this highly visual screening process, treatment decisions for individual patients...
AI detects pneumonia through hearing a cough – Korean findings
New artificial intelligence-based technology can diagnose pneumonia by listening to someone cough, and scientists say if rolled out, people could diagnose themselves without going...
Blood test for concussions more accurate than CAT scans – US hospital
In just 15 minutes, a small, hand-held blood test can tell doctors whether a patient is likely to have suffered a concussion or traumatic...
Digital X-rays increase TB detection in asymptomatic South Africans
Medical experts say evidence is mounting that as with COVID-19, people can have active TB disease and be infectious without symptoms, and that more...
KZN surgeons insert world’s tiniest pacemaker into heart
Making medical history in KwaZulu-Natal last week, cardiologist and electrophysiologist Dr Brian Vezi inserted the world's tiniest, leadless pacemaker – 93% smaller than older...
SA student develops high-tech knee brace
In what is being hailed as a pioneering prototype that might well contribute to the advancement of the prosthetics industry, particularly in the African...
Tinnitus relief from cellphone app – New Zealand randomised trial
Tinnitus, that ringing, buzzing, whistling, or hissing noise in one or both ears when no external source of the sound is present, and suffered...
Device to ID Kaposi sarcoma escalates treatment for sub-Saharan patients
A hand-held portable diagnostic device has been deployed in clinical tests in Uganda to identify cases of Kaposi sarcoma, a common yet difficult-to-detect cancer...
MRI technique spots placental problems in foetuses in early weeks – US study
A new MRI imaging technique to assess placenta health in developing foetuses in early pregnancy has been developed that can reliably predict development complications...
Wearable devices to detect AF a cheap and easy option – US study
Compared with traditional methods, screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) with wearable devices, like those worn on the wrist, was easy and cost-effective, a recent...
Virtual reality helps with 27-hour surgery to separate Rio’s conjoined twins
In a groundbreaking surgical procedure, three-year-old conjoined twins Bernardo and Arthur Lima underwent surgeries in Rio de Janeiro, with direction from Great Ormond Street...
Pulse oximetry accuracy varies between race groups – US cohort study
Pulse oximetry is a standard use technology with applications in both ambulatory and inpatient settings, but despite its widespread use, there have been reports,...
Bio-glue could mean end to surgical sutures, staples – Canadian collaboration
Scientists have developed the first-ever hydrophobic (water-hating) fluid, which displaces body fluids surrounding an injury, allowing for near-instantaneous gelling, sealing and healing of injured...
Combating hospital ‘superbugs’ without antibiotics – US study
A novel surface treatment could reduce the risk of hospital and clinic infections from “superbugs”.
Such infections affect some 1.7m Americans annually, resulting in nearly...
MRI superior to echocardiography in heart failure diagnosis – UK study
Using MRI scans to detect heart failure could change how the condition is diagnosed, according to research from the University of East Anglia and...
Dispute as to whether device improves CPR results in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
An “indispensable” device that raises the head during CPR to improve blood circulation significantly boosted the likelihood that patients in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA)...
Portable MRIs almost as effective as standard MRIs in detecting strokes
Portable MRI machines, an emerging technology that makes medical imaging accessible even in remote locations, accurately detected ischaemic strokes, or strokes caused by clotting,...
SA teaching hospital cuts CRE superbug transmission with novel UV intervention
South Africa’s only private teaching hospital has published research showing that ultraviolet (UV) room decontamination technology, paired with manual cleaning protocols, can decrease the...
Swiss researchers develop novel, painless and reliable allergy test
Researchers at the University of Bern and Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, have now developed a novel test that massively simplifies the diagnosis of allergies...
Video game-based telehealth delivers in-person therapist outcomes
A motion-sensor video game, Recovery Rapids, that allows patients recovering from a stroke to improve their motor skills and affected arm movements at home...
Hugging a ‘breathing’ cushion to ease anxiety disorder – Bristol study
A mechanical huggable and “breathing” cushion was found to be as effective as guided meditation in easing anxiety among students preparing to write tests,...
Stimulation helps 3 paralysed patients stand and walk within hours of surgery
In what Swiss scientists has described as a breakthrough, personalised epidural electrical stimulation (EES) restored independent motor movements in three patients with complete sensorimotor...
Machine learning significantly outperforms clinical experts in classifying hip fractures
A novel machine learning process developed at the University of Bath to identify and classify hip fractures outperforms human clinicians by 19%, found a...
Switzerland gives legal approval to suicide pod
Switzerland has given legal approval of a coffin-shaped capsule that allows occupants to kill themselves. The process takes less than a minute, and death...
Wearable sensor measures airborne nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia and the University of Arizona in the United States have developed a battery-free, wearable device that monitors people’s...
Wristwatch monitoring device accurately predicts epileptic seizures
A study in Nature by Mayo Clinic researchers and international collaborators found patterns could be identified in patients who wear a special wristwatch monitoring...
Salt grain-sized camera overcomes previous limitations to endoscopy
An ultra-compact camera — the size of a coarse grain of salt — for use in the human body, has been developed at the...
Urine biomarker to determine prognosis in prostate cancer – East Anglia study
A urine test can assess intermediate prostate cancer risk without biopsy through the amount of Gleason pattern-4 biomarker, to potentially minimise over-diagnosis and over-treatment,...
Vaccine App a global solution for South African travellers
A vaccine record app, which extends beyond the COVI-19 shots to include the multitude of vaccinations that children and travellers are obligated to have,...
New device can diagnose COVID-19 from saliva samples
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University have designed a small tabletop device that can detect SARS-CoV-2 from a saliva sample...
Saliva test for COVID outperforms FDA-authorised nasal and oral swab tests
The DRUL saliva test with home collection, developed at Rockefeller University, outperforms US Food and Drug Administration authorised nasal and oral swab tests, found...
Vitanova tissue bank opens global biomedical possibilities for SA
The recent opening of the Vitanova connective tissue bank - a partnership between Bone SA and the Industrial Development Corporation - opens the door...
Snorkel masks a viable alternative to traditional PPE — Tuks/UCT study
Simulations at the universities of Pretoria and Cape Town found wide approval of full-face snorkel masks among the 52 doctors who tried them, according...