Medical Advances of the Past Decade - Essay Example

Five Exciting Medical Advances of the Past Decade The new Century has witnessed many changes in the health care field. Advances in medicines, techniques and equipment have greatly improved the circumstances for all patients. Some of these changes are not as obvious such as evolution of information technologies which has dramatically improved the inner-workings of the healthcare system. Other medical advances such as robotics is futuristic and exciting, something more likely to make the television news. Important breakthroughs in treating cancer and heart disease are saving people’s lives that would not have been as fortunate just a decade ago. Stem cell and gene therapy are other areas that hold great promise for treating a variety of conditions. The wonders of medical science are progressing at an electrifying rate at a time when technology seemingly knows no boundaries. The digital age, information technologies and the Internet has altered the method of interactions within the healthcare community. This more efficient means of communication has changed the practice of medicine for the better and had made the patient’s life safer. Once admitted to the hospital, for example, patients receive a bracelet with a bar code stamped on it which gives the attending health care worker vital information in moments, information such as blood type, medication schedules and medical history. According to the Journal of the History of Medicine editor, Margaret Humphreys, MD, “The ways in which computer systems are improving hospital care are pervasive and radical.” (Cox, 2009). However, due to the extraordinary expense of digital technologies, many doctors and hospitals were slow to make the transition. In 2009, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, $20 billion was allocated to help update all medical care facilities with IT equipment. Gene and stem cell therapies are gaining recognition in treating Neurodegenerative diseases, nerve disorders that gradually cause the body to lose muscular control. Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s disease are all degenerative nerve conditions. It’s estimated that at least one member of every family is affected by a Neurodegenerative disease, one in four Americans. Because a predictor of this condition is family history, genetics is known to play a significant role in both contracting and combating the disorder. Just a few years ago, doctors and physical therapists were limited to treating only the patient’s symptoms. During this past decade, however, scientists have discovered gene therapy could repair the particular genes responsible for causing the disease. The patient’s defective cells are injected with healthy, modified genes, a process which has been shown to slow or stop the disease’s progression. “While it’s not a cure, ongoing studies show promising, measurable results of decreased disease activity.” (Trimarchi, 2012) Embryonic stem cells have shown great promise in treating and curing many maladies including heart disease, the most prolific killer of persons in the U.S. Stem cells have the ability to become nearly any other type of cell such as those of the heart muscle. When injected into the diseased heart of pigs and mice, stem cells have taken over and replaced dead and injured heart cells which increased recovery time. Other studies conclude stem cells have the potential to effectively treat spinal cord injuries and diabetes. (Weiss, 2012). It seems astounding but just a generation ago; a patient suffering from a heart attack was taken by hospital staff to a dark room and given a pain killer and some lidocaine, which was thought to calm an irregular heartbeat. That’s it. Experiencing a heart attack generally meant a quick death or a damaged and weakened heart that was soon to give out again. Today, doctors and hospital staff can offer life saving solutions provided the patient arrives quickly. Instead of shuffled off to a dark room to die, health care professionals work quickly to reduce the harmful effects of a heart attack. Clots can be dissolved with drugs such as the genetically designed protein, tissue plasminogen activator. Or a stent, a tiny tube inserted into the artery, is used to increase blood flow. More serious cases are immediately taken to surgery where doctors employ sophisticated techniques to bypass clogged or collapsed arteries. Furthermore, many helpful drugs are used today that didn’t exist just 20 years ago. Medications, mainly statins such as Crestor, simvastatin, mevacor and Lipitor are now regularly prescribed to slow the development of atherosclerosis, more commonly known as plaque, a hard, waxy material that causes the arteries to narrow. “As of today, we have seen a near 40 percent reduction in death due to coronary artery disease since 1998/2000,” said Clyde Yancy, MD According to Yancy, approximately half of the advances in heart disease are due to preventative measures, the other half from new treatments. “Importantly, what this means is that the community ‘gets it.’ Better control of blood pressure, preemptive lowering of blood cholesterol levels, better diets, and reduced smoking are resulting in fewer (cardiac) events,” he said. (Cox, 2009). In the late 1990s, two therapies changed the way both health care professionals and the general public react to a cancer diagnosis. Not long ago, the first question following a confirmation of cancer was “how much time do I have left?” Today, the question is “what do we do now?” Herceptin is a very promising new drug that targets cancer in the breast. It works even when chemotherapy treatments have been unsuccessful. Gleevec targets the gene mutation identified as bcr-abl which causes various types of cancerous cells to expand and reproduce including cells associated with stomach cancers and myeloid leukemia. These two revolutionary medications have provided great promise for other cancer drugs that target molecules that direct blood to tumors and promote cell growth. (Cox, 2009). In 2007, a patient at the Cleveland Clinic had a diseased kidney removed – through one very small incision in his navel. Just a decade ago, the patient would have left the clinic with at least a 10-inch scar. In 2009, at that same clinic, a woman had her kidney removed via her vagina. The technique is called “natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery.” (Cox, 2009). Both procedures were accomplished by means of robotic surgery. “Tiny metal hands carefully manipulating sutures deep inside the heart seems like a scenario pulled from ‘Star Trek,’ but the reality is that robotic surgery is occurring daily in a growing number of centers across the country” (Cox, 2009). The biggest benefit of smaller incisions made during surgery instead of the larger openings made by customary techniques is that the less invasive technique means less pain and shorter recovery periods. Sandra Moss, MD, a Medical historian is convinced of robotic surgery’s usefulness and ability to minimize pain and recovery time after experiencing the effects of the procedure within her own family. Her sister recently underwent a minimally-invasive surgery. “My younger sister and I had the same operation 20 years apart. I was (out of commission) for one month and loopy from pain meds for two weeks -- she was back at work in a few days on no pain medications.” The critics of robotic surgeries contend that the expenditure for robotic technology may offset any patient benefit. Additionally, critics argue, it is too early to be making general claims about its effectiveness. (Cox, 2009). The precise, computer-driven movement of robotic surgery, new drugs to fight cancer, techniques and procedures to minimized the deadly effects of heart disease, the miracle of gene and stem cell technologies and all medical information digitized to be recalled at a moment’s noticed anywhere it may be needed is exciting indeed. All of these “medical miracles” are among many others that are enabling patients to live longer and healthier than ever before. In just the past decade, the world of medicine has advanced well beyond what many could have imagined which makes one wonder what the next decade will bring to the health care world. Works Cited Cox, Lauren, “The Top 10 Medical Advances of the Decade” Medpage Today/ABC News (December 17, 2009). April 3, 2012 Trimarchi, Maria “10 Things Medical Science Has Discovered in the Past 10 Years” Discovery Channel (2012) April 3, 2012 Weiss, Rick. “The Stem Cell Divide.” The National Geographic (2012). April 3, 2012 < http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/stem-cell-divide/> Read More