Modern endoscopy techniques have revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, and duodenum) and the colon. The last remaining frontier has been the small intestine. The small intestine has been a difficult organ in which to make diagnoses and treat without performing surgery. Radiological procedures, specifically the upper GI, which involves following swallowed barium as it passes through the intestine with x-ray films, have been available for diagnosis but these radiological procedures are time-consuming and are not accurate in identifying small tumors and other subtle abnormalities of the small intestine.
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Smart Operating Rooms Are Coming to Community Hospitals
Smart technology is ubiquitous today but the best example in the modern hospital is the smart operating room (OR). Once found in only a few large academic medical centers, the technology is showing up in the surgical suites at mid-sized community hospitals like the 344-bed Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Just a few years ago, it was unthinkable that a community hospital like Sacred Heart Hospital could be one of the first in the country to use a technology configuration that includes the iCT (intra-operative computed tomography) and iMRI (intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging) for both diagnostic and surgical use. At Sacred Heart Hospital, patient treatment using advanced technology has improved quality out-comes and reduced the need for additional surgeries. It also has given the hospital state-of-the-art tools that have enabled it to draw top medical and surgical talent to the region.
Imaging is Going Mobile With Smart Phones
Radiologists can accurately diagnose acute appendicitis from a remote location with the use of a handheld device or mobile phone equipped with special software, according to a study presented last fall at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). A physician in the division of neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore presented results from a study that found that radiologists were able to correctly diagnose appendicitis using an iPhone 3G equipped with OsiriX Mobile medical imaging viewing software. Fifteen of the 25 patients were correctly identified as having acute appendicitis on 74 of 75 (99 percent) interpretations with one false negative. There were no false positive readings. The iPhone interpretations of the CT scans were as accurate as the interpretations viewed on dedicated picture-archiving and communication system (PACS) workstations according to the study’s author. The $20 application is far cheaper than most imaging software. However, physicians and hospitals will likely be reluctant to use mobile software until they feel confident that it is comparable to traditional alternatives when it comes to security and quality. Patients with smart phones could also download the software and potentially carry around a library of their personal medical images.
New Options for MRI — Open, Closed, or Standing
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, uses magnets, radio waves and computers to see detailed images of the internal structures of the body. This technology can be used to diagnose trauma, strokes, problems with the aorta and problems with soft tissues. There are two main types of MRI machines ― open and closed. They both have a top over the patient. The main difference is in their size and how much the machine surrounds the patient. A closed machine has a smaller and more narrow tube and provides the best images.
New International Property Measurement Standard for Office Buildings
As the result of a global effort to establish a uniform method of measuring property worldwide, a new international property measurement standard for office buildings — IPMS for Office Buildings — has been created. The IPMS for Office Buildings is compatible with, and complements, Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International’s current office standard Office Buildings: Standard Methods of Measurement (ANSI/BOMA Z65.1—2010). Historically, property has been measured differently throughout the world. According to research by global property firm JLL, depending on the standard used, the area quoted in different markets for an equivalent building could vary by as much as 24 percent. These inconsistencies have led to confusion in markets, and even led businesses to develop their own costly processes for measuring and benchmarking property assets. The work to create the IPMS for Office Buildings was spearheaded by a coalition of more than 50 professional organizations, including BOMA International, and was produced following global consultation by a team of 18 independent industry experts. The IPMS for Office Buildings document can be found at the IPMS website.
Robotic Pharmacy Aims to Improve Safety
As one of the nation’s most automated hospital pharmacies, the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) is using robotic technology and electronics with the goal of improving patient safety. Once computers at the pharmacy electronically receive medication orders from UCSF physicians and pharmacists, the robots pick, package, and dispense individual doses of pills. Machines assemble doses onto a thin plastic ring that contains all the medications for a patient for a 12-hour period, which is barcoded. Nurses use barcode readers to scan the medication at patients’ bedsides, verifying it is the correct dosage for the patient. The automated system also compounds sterile preparations of chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy doses and fills IV syringes or bags with the medications.