MIT Develops Robotic Thread Designed To Travel Through Brain’s Blood Vessels
Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a “magnetically steerable” robotic thread that can “actively glide through narrow, winding pathways such as the labrynthine vasculature of the brain.” The engineers believe that the robotic thread will soon be capable of pairing with existing endovascular technologies, allowing clinicians to remotely guide the thread through patients’ brain vessels to treat blockages and lesions that can cause aneurysms and strokes. In a statement on the research completed on the thread-like technology, Kyujin Cho, professor of mechanical engineering at Seoul National University shared: “One of the challenges in surgery has been to be able to navigate through complicated blood vessels in the brain, which has a very small diameter, where commercial catheters can’t reach. This research has shown potential to overcome this challenge and enable surgical procedures in the brain without open surgery.”
Advent Health Launches AI- Powered Clinical Command Center
Clinical health system, Advent Health has opened 12,000 square-foot AI clinical command center to ensure efficient patient care across it’s nine hospitals. Built in partnership with GE Healthcare, the center will utilize artificial intelligence to inform and guide decisions across a number of departments and areas including patient transfers between units and facilities, dispatch of ambulances and helicopters, and prioritizations of placement across the hospital’s multiple locations. Considered to be the largest hospital mission center of its kind, the center will operate 24 hours a day and will feature 60 monitors displaying real-time data including patient-status, ambulance status, and more.
Figures Reveals Healthcare Sector Most Vulnerable to Data Breaches
A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request from data security solutions firm Egress reveals that organizations within the healthcare industry are the most likely to fall victim to a personal data breach, with 18% of all breaches coming from the healthcare sector. The data further demonstrated that more than 60% of personal data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office this year were caused by human error. In a statement, CEO of Egress, Tony Pepper explained: “The healthcare sector persistently tops the list when analysing the sectors affected by data breaches. This is very concerning, especially given the nature of the data. Why this particular industry continues to suffer from internal breaches is worrying and the sector must quickly take action to identify how it can work towards mitigating the insider threat.”
Apple Health Records Joins Several Allscripts Platforms
Apple Health Records has integrated with a number of Allscripts EHR platforms, enabling iPhone users to assemble their personal health information across numerous difference organizations. Providers and patients documenting patient data with Allscripts’ Sunrise, TouchWorks EHR, and Professional EHR products will be given access to Apple’s platform. Patient’s will be able to view and share medication history, test results, procedures, immunizations, and various other medical data. In a released statement, Allscripts CEO Paul M. Black shared: “With Health Records on iPhone, patients can become more active members of their own care team. Health Records on iPhone empowers individuals to direct how their own health data is stored and used. We are proud to offer this and other FHIR-connected applications for our clients and their patients.”