Transcripts

The Outlook For Medical Technology

SUSIE GHARIB: So what improvements in medical technology are on the way? If the technological changes over the next 30 years are anything like the past 30, we can expect some truly major developments. Angela Terrell Heath reports on some that are already in the works.

ANGELA TERRELL HEATH, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: At first it looks like any other day at George Washington University Hospital. A team of doctors is preparing for surgery, scrubbing for seven minutes. But these hands won't actually do the most delicate work. That's left to a robot. The Da Vinci, seen here, is a high-tech surgical system that's becoming more popular in operating rooms across the country. It's part of a trend towards minimally invasive surgical procedures. Through punctures about the size of a dime, the Da Vinci is able to do the work of a surgeon, but with more precision. Dr. Manyak says this technology will revolutionize the way surgery is done in the future.

MICHAEL MANYAK, CHAIR OF UROLOGY, GW UNIV. HOSPITAL: Try to make things smaller, better, faster, more efficient; very similar to what the computer world went through. And with the combination of computer systems and engineering technology and material science, we now have things that we can apply in the standard world. And you're seeing the first of that in the surgical field with this very sophisticated Da Vinci system.

HEATH: Another area where technology could have a major impact is in the treatment of diabetes. More than 18 million Americans suffer from the disease. Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) MiniMed is currently testing what it calls an artificial pancreas. It is designed to automatically transmit glucose levels to a pump that then calculates and delivers the proper amount of insulin. The system can be placed externally or implanted within the body. Since heart disease remains the nations number-one killer, technological advances are expected in that area as well. Drug-coated stents are becoming more popular for treatment of blocked arteries because of their speed and efficiency in delivering medication. These new stents are used to prop open arteries and also release a drug that prevents the artery from rejecting the stent. AdvaMed, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, represents medical device companies large and small. The group says there's potential for new products in many other areas, including...

STEPHEN J. UBL, EXECUTIVE VP, FEDERAL GOVT. RELATIONS, ADVAMED: Gene-based testing, I think the diagnostics industry is on the cusp of a revolution. Soon we'll have the ability to have a gene-based test that will match the treatment with the patient in a much more specific way. Information technology, we're sort of seeing the bridge between implantable devices like pacemakers and defibrillators with information technology so that patients will be able to upload information directly to the physician and monitor those devices.

HEATH: To meet the growing needs of Baby Boomers set to retire, the Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is researching and developing products to help seniors stay in their homes as they age. Wireless sensor technology is considered one way to do that. It's done through a combination of sensors and a glove that reminds seniors about everyday products in their homes. Eric Dishman leads a team of 10 researchers that is studying the application of this type of technology.

ERIC DISHMAN, DIR., PROACTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH, INTEL: We're going to have to develop remote technology so that your cell phone, your laptop, your television, all of those technologies connected with one another can deliver health and wellness information, diagnostic information based on real time diagnostics that you're getting from your mother or father's home. That's a very different paradigm than we have now, where we get all of our diagnostics based on sending somebody to hospital or clinic once every six months.

HEATH: Some of the biggest advances in medical technology are likely to be very small. Take nanotechnology. That's the manipulation of individual molecules and has tremendous potential for treating cancer and other diseases. Angela Terrell Heath, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Washington.