» The US Food and Drug Administration approved Abbott Laboratories’ Proclaim XR neurostimulation system for chronic pain patients. The device is surgically placed under a patient’s skin and sends a mild electric current to the spinal cord, interfering with pain signals being sent to the brain. The device has a battery life of up to 10 years.
» Researchers at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City have found that steps measured through wrist-worn step trackers such as a Fitbit or Apple Watch can be used to estimate exercise capacity and determine a patient’s health status just as accurately as the standardized six-minute walk distance test that’s usually conducted in clinical settings.
» A smart shirt that measures lung function by sensing movements in the chest and abdomen appears to be as accurate as traditional testing equipment, according to researchers at Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. They’re now testing the shirts, which record heart rate remotely and movement, with patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the hopes physicians can diagnose downturns.
From the November 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
