Medical Futures list

K-Balls Pin Protectors
This is an ingeniously simple solution to protect sharp wires and pins used in Orthopaedic surgery. One common way of treating broken bones is the use of external fixators in which pins and wires stick out from the skin, but the dangerous sharp ends need to be covered to prevent injury. A creative orthopaedic surgeon from Exeter, was practicing his hobby of making children's toys from heated plastic when his eureka moment occurred. The K-Balls made out of thermoplastic materials are brightly coloured beads that look like smarties. When heated they can be moulded onto the sharp end of the wire and once they set they stay there safely protecting the wires until they need to be removed. The surgeon has found his colourful invention, especially popular with children.


Cardiovascular Disease Predictor
A doctor from Belfast has developed a revolutionary testing system to diagnose heart and blood vessel disease simply by looking at the eyeball. Using ultrasound technology coupled with years of research, the Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine has proven that his tool is capable of predicting who is harboring early stages of disease, allowing them to receive treatment or adjust their diet and lifestyle years before they ever get symptoms. The team aims to make this into a point of care testing system that will be available in GP surgeries.


Mirror Specs
This is a really simple yet effective treatment to help amputees and those who lose the function of a limb following a stroke. Worn like a pair of glasses they use special mirrors to look at the normal limb and trick the patient's brain into thinking that they are moving the affected limb. This optical illusion has been shown to relieve the often intractable phantom limb pain that plagues amputees and can also help stroke sufferers regain the use of their limbs. Compared with expensive virtual reality software that is being tested in the US to achieve the same goals, this solution is cheap and simple to use, making it more accessible to patients in the NHS. Trials are underway and they should be commercially available within a year.

SensaGest - Fabric Technology
This is a novel smart fabric that aims to bring independence to sufferers of spinal injuries or stroke. Following an accident ten years ago, an engineer from Bristol, who was left paralysed, felt helpless during his hospital stay because he was unable to use his hands to call the nurse. He started by developing a nurse call system that is activated by tiny movements on a fabric pad placed under the patient. Using programmable fabric keyboards, he hopes to adapt the technology to new solutions that will bring independence to its users both in hospital and in their homes. The inventor has set up a company and the products are expected to be available later this year.

The K5 Vacuum Syringe
K5 is a novel modification to existing syringes. K5 is a patented squeeze mechanism that creates a vacuum inside the barrel of a syringe, allowing the user to make sure the needle is not inadvertently inside a blood vessel, when giving intramuscular injections. In normal syringes the operator needs to pull back on the plunger to create this vacuum, which can cause movement of the needle and pain to the patient. The K5 team aim to license the technology to existing syringe manufacturers so that it becomes standard in all of the estimated 20 billion syringes used annually around the world, just like Lycra or Intel are to clothes or computers.

StickSafe
This is a novel design solution to reduce needle stick injuries. Whilst many large manufacturers have produced safety needles they are expensive and have failed to be adopted. A team from London have come up with a cost effective solution that does not require a hospital to spend capital expenditure purchasing expensive safety needles. Instead they have modified the paper tray used to carry the needles to and from the patient. Their tray, which costs pennies, allows the needle to be re-sheathed in a one handed mechanism, without risk of needle stick injury. The team aim to license the technology to existing paper tray manufacturers enabling quick and rapid uptake in the NHS.

Mediracer - Carpal Tunnel Diagnosis
This is a new device that can diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome in an out patient setting. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful condition most commonly affecting middle aged women. Symptoms include pain and tingling in the fingers and often sufferers drop things accidentally. The cause is squashing of a nerve in the wrist and diagnosis is confirmed using a special nerve test that can take 9 months to arrange in many centres due to long waiting lists. This new device is hand held and allows instant diagnosis in an out-patient setting. It was developed in Finland but tested by a team of British Orthopaedic surgeons who have now developed a one stop service for treating carpal tunnel syndrome and have virtually abolished their waiting lists from 106 weeks to nil.

Vibration Bone Impactor
This is a new device to help build up weakened bones during revision hip surgery. In the UK, 65,000 hip replacements are performed each year, but because they only last 10-15 years, the need for revision hip surgery is increasing rapidly. Once the old hip replacement is taken out there is often loss of bone stock that needs replacing before the new hip replacement can be inserted. Inspired by the way roads are constructed a team of surgeons from Southampton have developed a vibration impactor to produce a tight fit of bone graft around the replacement joint, which they hope will translate to longer lasting hip replacements. The technique is currently in trials on patients in Southampton.

Sensory Project
This is a combination of a service and a device to help those suffering from anxiety or self harm. An Occupational Therapist from Cornwall, has developed a service called the Sensory Project, which utilises modified sensory stimulation such as light, music, aroma and touch to alter behaviour and calm patients in a crisis. As part of her sensory project, she built a sensory room in a portable trolley called the BeSmartCart, which can be pre-loaded with a patient's preferred music, light patterns and touch objects, which can be taken to the patient when they need it. She is planning to license the BeSmartCart and to focus on running the Sensory Project and train others in the technique.

Magnet Hip
This is a new type of hip replacement that aims to last a lifetime. Invented by an orthopaedic surgeon, the new hip replacement has a built in magnet and a special reservoir to collect wear debris, the commonest cause of failure and loosening. He got his inspiration whilst studying motor engines which also use magnets and reservoirs to collect debris. In hip replacements microscopic metallic wear particles, produced by the grinding of metal on metal at the joint interface, cause an immune reaction and loosening of the prosthesis. The inventor aims to license his magnetic solution to all the manufacturers of the 65,000 hip replacements carried out each year in the UK.

Elderly Dehydration Cure
This is a simple yet elegant solution to combat dehydration in elderly patients in hospitals and care homes. A designer from Cornwall, has developed a table-top water dispenser with built in sensors to determine how much water has been drunk. The neatly designed solution, incorporates a light that pulses gently to encourage patients to drink. If the patient has not drunk a predetermined amount the light gets brighter and pulses more frequently and can only be stopped by drinking a glass of water. The inventor would love to see his invention taken up by the NHS.

What Colour is My Cancer?
This is a fabulous education and engagement service for children with cancer. A nurse from Leeds was inspired to develop service when one of her patients asked her "what colour is my cancer?". Realising that children find it hard to come to terms with their illness, she pulled together all of the doctors involved in diagnosing cancer and set up a service to allow adolescents to view their cancer under a microscope, gain insight and develop ownership of their disease. One child, George described his cancer as black and evil and withdrew from social interaction after diagnosis. Within months of attending her programme, he described his cancer as "a beautiful planet" and his social problems improved dramatically.

Vascular Access Service
This is a model of care for patients in hospitals that require intravenous access lines for complex treatments such as chemotherapy. In most hospitals these lines are put in on various wards by doctors in a very unstandardised way with risk of infection or damage to other structures. A consultant radiologist and his team from Preston have created a one stop shop for all patients requiring intravenous access, using state of the art ultrasound techniques. Because all the patients are treated in a dedicated place by experienced operators, it offers vastly improved efficiency and a superior standard of patient care. The team now wish to see widespread dissemination of their practice.

Resus:Station
This is a novel design & technology solution to help improve the resuscitation of the 43,000 patients a year in the UK who have a cardiac or respiratory arrest on a hospital ward. With its advanced touch screen software it can guide, monitor and record the resus teams' actions, enabling improved patient care. It will also allow the team to receive feedback to improve their future performance, hopefully allowing the average survival rate of 19% to be increased.

Surviving Major Surgery
This is a state-of-the-art assessment system for patients planning to undergo major surgery. Doctors from York have developed a rigorous pre-surgical testing system that includes a session on an exercise bicycle. The team then decide whether the patient is fit enough for surgery, and if not, how they can be improved. Their system is much more rigorous than pre-assessments elsewhere and also directs treatment using drugs or lifestyle changes, to improve the patient's outcome. So far results have been highly impressive with survival rates in their unit improving 100% and patients spending far fewer days in intensive care. The team hope that their system can become standard practice across the NHS.

Glide Solid Dose Injector
This is a novel method of delivering medications without using needles. This drug delivery device fires miniature pellets through the skin at high speed and claims to reduce the fear associated with needles as well as abolishing the risk of accidental needle stick injury and the spread of blood borne illnesses. Because the solid drug formulation has a longer shelf life and does not require refrigeration, it is an ideal platform for delivering large vaccination programmes in the developing world.


Nanopolymer Bypass Grafts
This is a 'NASA style' nanotechnology to coat bypass grafts used in heart and blood vessel surgery. When blood vessels become blocked, one of the surgical treatments is to bypass the vessel using a vein taken from the patients leg. But these veins are of inferior quality and don't last as long as the thicker arteries they are replacing. Whilst many teams have tried to manufacture artificial vessels they have so far failed because they clog up quickly after surgery. A team of scientists from London have developed a polymer coating that in animal models has been highly effective at preventing clogging. This innovation could revolutionise cardiac surgery and may have wider application in preventing organ rejection.

Confocal Laser to Diagnose & Treat Bowel Cancer
This is a novel diagnostic and treatment for early bowel cancer. A doctor from Sheffield has developed a technique to attach a special microscope to the end of a colonoscope, the instrument used to inspect the lining of the bowel. If during the out-patient procedure the doctor sees a suspected cancer, he can use a special laser to see through the bowel wall in real time and tell whether the cancer has spread. Traditional colonoscopy uses a telescope and white light, allowing the doctor to see only the surface of the tissue. Because the new technique can see through the wall it allows for an instant diagnosis and a quick decision on whether to treat the cancer there and then or refer the patient on for surgery. The device is currently in trials but preliminary results have been extremely encouraging.


Psynova - Blood Test for Mental Illness
This is a blood test to diagnose mental health diseases such as depression or schizophrenia. Using novel bio-markers the team are developing a simple blood test to pick up those predisposed to mental illness long before they ever present with symptoms. They also hope to be able to assist in the production of targeted therapeutics in psychiatry. Mental illness now affects one in four people including celebrities such as Stephen Fry and the World Health Organisation predict that depression will be the second biggest healthcare burden on mankind by 2020, ahead of cancer and HIV, demonstrating the need for this technology.


Monitoring Service for Haematology Cancers
This is a service to monitor patients with haematological cancer, such as lymphoma. Whilst most of these cancers progress very slowly, occasionally they can transform aggresively meaning that monitoring is vital. However, many of the patients are elderly and live many miles away, making repeated clinic visits costly and inconvenient. An NHS team from Leeds have developed a community based service that uses IT to integrate results of blood tests and patient questionnaires to identify which patients need earlier assessment. This has streamlined access to care, freed up clinic appointments and given back patients control of their own disease.


RAPAm - Electronic Tagging System for Cancer Patients
This is an electronic tracking service for cancer patients. A team from Nottinghamshire have developed an IT solution that ensures that all cancer patients admitted via A&E to hospital have their own doctor and case manager automatically notified. Previously, patients admitted to hospital under other teams for a problem unrelated to their cancer, could be on the wards for days before anyone thought to inform their cancer specialist that they are in hospital. The new system is linked to the electronic patient record and automatically informs the case managers on their Blackberry hand-held devices as soon one of their patients is admitted to hospital. This enables immediate attention and streamlined care, improving efficiency and allowing patients to be discharged earlier.


Epilert - Fit Detection System
This is a novel technology solution to provide peace of mind to the family and carers of those suffering from epilepsy. Currently, carers have no way of knowing when the patient suffers a fit and in most cases they only find out after the event or once they have been admitted to hospital. A paediatric neurologist from Israel has built a small wrist strap, the size of a watch that can diagnose when a fit is taking place and inform the user, the carer or the emergency services in real time, using wireless technology. The device and the Epilert service should be available in 2008 and is expected to be a must for any family affected by epilepsy.


GeneSearch Breast Cancer Diagnosis
This is an exceptional NHS service using a state-of-the-art technology to speed up the diagnosis of breast cancer. Affecting over 37,000 women each year, breast cancer is the commonest female cancer in the UK. During surgery, a lymph gland is taken from the armpit and sent to the laboratory to check for spread, although in many hospitals the results can take up to five days. If the gland is positive then the patient will be recalled for a second operation to remove further lymph glands. A surgical team from Cardiff have developed a service which utilises the latest DNA technology to test the lymph gland in the theatre at the time of surgery. If positive the surgery on the armpit takes place there and then, saving up to a third of women the need to undergo a second operation. The team aim to promote their service across the NHS, improving patient experiences and saving significant costs.


Get Fit Wellness
A team of nutritionists, fitness & IT experts have come together to create an online solution to get England active and off the sofa. Longer working hours, stress in the workplace, sedentary lifestyles and poor diet are placing a growing strain on public health services and businesses alike. Using evidence based behavioural change techniques, GetFit profiles each individual and then actively supports them to make and sustain healthy lifestyle choices. Using the GetFit web solution, large corporates and health insurers have been able to provide a white label solution to positively impact on a population's health, reducing healthcare costs and increasing productivity.


Life Minus Violence
This is a care programme of intensive psychological treatment for mentally ill offenders whose lives and the lives of those around them have been blighted by violence. The programme was developed by a dedicated team of expert psychologists and hopes to make a real difference to the quality of life for violent offenders and their families.


Cancer BioMarkers
This is an ingenious biotechnology that could revolutionise cancer screening. Each year, well over a quarter of a million people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK alone. Detection of early stage disease through screening is an important way to reduce cancer deaths, as the earlier a tumour is diagnosed the greater the chance of survival. Scientists from Cambridge have identified a novel marker that is present in cancer cells but not in normal cells. They believe their new system is more accurate and will pick up certain cancers, such as cervical, bowel or lung cancer, earlier and more accurately. The technology is currently in clinical trials can could be widely available within the next 2 years.

Brainsway - Deep Brain Stimulator
A team of Israeli neuroscientists have developed a non-invasive way to treat anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. They have produced an electro-magnetic coil that can activate deep brain pathways from outside the head using a device which looks much like a hood salon-hairdryer. Fortnightly treatments take just a few minutes and side effects are limited to transient headaches. In preliminary tests it has proven effective in treating many psychiatric illnesses that until now have required drugs or electroconvulsive therapy. The team have created a company and are in more substantial clinical trials, with results expected later this year.


Positive Mental Attitude League
This is a football league for those suffering from mental disability. The idea came to an NHS Occupational Therapist who used football to help her patients in hospital, but noted that they had no one to play with when they were discharged to the community. Despite resistance from prevailing attitudes in mainstream football she set up the Positive Mental Attitude League (PMAL) using her experience of being a past professional footballer. The PMAL now has 14 teams and 20 waiting to join and has demonstrated better physical and mental health for its players, many having lost weight, stopped smoking and secured employment. In addition, because her league is closely linked into social services, absence from training allows a player who is relapsing to be picked up much sooner. She aims to scale up the league across the country and eventually into Europe.