At its 2007 Medical Innovations Summit, a panel of Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists announced the top 10 innovations that will change healthcare in 2008 and beyond.
The chosen innovations had to meet four criteria. They all: have significant potential for short-term clinical impact; have a high probability of success; are on the market or close to being introduced; and have sufficient data available to support their nomination.
The Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2008
- Flexible Intralumenal Robotics: This catheter-based technology allows remote manipulations with precision and reproducibility that surpass human capabilities. It is likely to have applications in urology, cardiology, cardiac surgery and other specialties.
- Percutaneous Aortic Heart Valves: This technique can be used in high-risk patients and uses a balloon-expandable wire mesh valve with internal valve leaflets. The valve is fed through a catheter into position and the balloon inflates to secure the new valve.
- RNA-based Therapeutics: Using RNA antisense technology, this therapy could reduce the production of a protein that carries certain forms of cholesterol and triglycerides in the bloodstream. It is used to treat patients who are unable to reach their targeted cholesterol levels with statins alone or for those who are intolerant to statins.
- Convergence of Advances in Genome Scanning and Informatics to Support Clinical Applications: Genetic testing can be used to develop personalized risk assessments and disease management plans for a variety of genetically caused diseases.
- New Oral Anticoagulant Drugs for Treating and Preventing Thrombosis: Newer anticoagulation treatments, which include low molecular weight heparins, are being introduced with the goal of curbing complications such as bleeding and thrombosis.
- Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine for Children as Young as Six Months: Nasal drops containing live attenuated flu can be used as a vaccine in lieu of needles, providing effective protection from influenza in this high-risk population.
- Image Fusion for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Use: This innovation is used to diagnose anatomic and physiologic medical problems, as well as to assist minimally invasive procedures such as stent placement or tumor ablation.
- Implanted Device Allowing Neural Control of Objects by the Severely Disabled: Novel communication interfaces are being developed to provide the ability to control devices and to potentially restore limb movements to individuals with spinal core injuries, stroke, ALS, as well as other central nervous system injuries. This interface system is designed to restore functionality for severely motor-impaired individuals.
- Engineered Cartilage Products for Joint Repair: The use of biologic and engineering principles to design natural biomaterials that are used to replace joint cartilage tissue that is damaged from injury or arthritis. The materials are surgically implanted into the joint with the intent to restore the damaged cartilage and avoid artificial joint replacement.
- Dual Energy Source Computed Tomography (CT) Imaging: This technology features two X-ray sources and two radiation detectors that allow for imaging of patients more quickly and with less radiation. The speed at which the dualsource scanner operates allows physicians to image patients with high or irregular heart rates, which used to be a significant limitation of this technology.
