During the H1N1 flu pandemic of 2009, which spread across more than 200 countries and killed more than 18,000 people, it became clear that flu diagnosis was often taking too long and resulting in frequent false negatives.
Today, researchers from Boston University, Harvard, and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are reporting in the journal PLoS ONE that they have built a microfluidic chip that rivals in accuracy the gold-standard diagnostic test known as RT-PCR but is faster, cheaper, and disposable.

j. Glooko’s New Diabetes Management System FDA Cleared

Glooko (Palo Alto, CA) received FDA clearance for its latest Glooko System, a diabetes management package that includes the Glooko iPhone application, MeterSync Cable and online access for patients and healthcare providers.

The new iPhone app provides the ability for detailed tracking of taken drugs and consumed food, including easy entry using nutritional data compiled from popular restaurants. The MeterSync Cable is used to connect any one of 19 different glucometers to the iPhone to transfer glucose readings for charting and review by clinicians.



Science and Technology has always fascinated the today’s generation. People would be seen with sophisticated gadgets in their pockets and are always in a constant synchronization with the world around us. So, this technology is being used by the medical people in various ways. 

The technology has been successful in bringing the people a step closer to the medical requirements at the comfort of their home. Not only that, it has also helped a lot of hospitals and doctors to keep a track of the medical advances and increase the efficiency of the medical treatments. A few to state are as follows : 


a. Crunching data Cloud Computing : An effective way to increase productivity is the ease of access of data. A patient’s medical history and the status of the present medical examination can be available on the cloud for the doctors to access anywhere. It helps the doctors to keep a track of the patient history, stay up-to-date on medical research and analyze treatment options.

b. Communicating with patients : Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has developed Omnifluent Health, a translation program for doctors and others in the medical field. The suite of products includes a mobile app that lets doctors speak into the app — asking, for example, if a patient is allergic to penicillin — and translate the message instantly into another language. 

c. Linking doctors with other doctors : Could social networking help doctors work better together to take care of their patients? That’s the premise behind Doximity, a social network exclusive to physicians. Through Doximity, doctors throughout the United States can collaborate online on difficult cases. It’s received $27 million in funding and counts among its board members Konstantin Guericke, a co-founder of LinkedIn.

d. Connecting doctors and patients : In some cases it is impossible for the patient to visit the hospital at the earliest or is stuck in some location not near to a medical facility. Then the advanced technology offers patients medical consultations online and over the phone, potentially saving a trip to the ER. The medical advice doesn’t come from just anyone, but from some of the city’s top medical specialists.

e. Helping patients stay healthy : A growing number of mobile apps and gadgets aim to help people stay active, sleep well and eat healthy. Among them are Fitbit, a pedometer that tracks daily sleep and activity and uses social networking and gaming to motivate its users. Lark is a silent alarm clock and sleep monitor that tracks and analyzes a person’s quality of sleep over time, offering suggestions to help the person get better rest (it has since expanded to track daily activity, too). And there are dozens upon dozens of calorie-counting, food-monitoring and menu-tracking apps to aid the diet-conscious.

It’s clear that technology is giving the health care industry a much-needed upgrade, from medical translation tools to mobile apps that help patients live healthier lives. Though much is still in the early and experimental stages, the advances in technology could help save money in health care costs and improve patient treatment.

Patients who can connect with their doctors more easily, for instance, won’t need to make expensive and perhaps unnecessary trips to the ER or specialists. Doctors will be able to collaborate with other physicians and experts in new ways and use computers to analyze patient and medical data, allowing them to provide better and more efficient treatment for their patients. As technology continues to expand the horizons of medicine and medical interaction, it’s becoming clear that we’re entering a new era of health care — or as some people are beginning to call it, Health 2.0.

It is well known that that first medical practices started in India with the flavors of Ayurveda, the traditional medical science developed or lets say extracted through the natural herbs and plants of medicinal value. Since then, a lot has come into place and that the modern medical tenure is much more sophisticated yet the best as one could say. Though a lot has to achieved, and at this rate the tomorrow’s generation will have better health and medical technology and may also increase the human life expectancy. And in this aspect Apollo Hospitals have been always a step ahead in providing the best medical treatments by using the most advanced and cutting edge technology for improving the present day’s medical problems and the related issues. The following are a few which would help in identifying the status of modern health care facilities available and how efficiently they are being utilized for the benefit of the people and in improving their health. 


a. Radiosurgery :
Radiosurgery has been effective in treating tumors and cancers. Ushering in another new era in healthcare, the Apollo Hospitals Group has introduced the most advanced CyberKnife® Robotic Radio Surgery System, the world’s first and only robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumors anywhere in the body with sub-millimeter accuracy. And 
Novalis TX Radiosurgery & Radiotherapy is changing the face of cancer treatment.


b. Liver Transplant :
The Centers for Liver Diseases and Transplantation, Apollo Hospitals, are equipped with the state-of-the-art technology for liver surgery using the laparoscopic Argon Beam Laser as well as Tissue Link™ in combination with other methods of liver resection like CUSA™ and Laparoscopic Vascular Stapling. Bloodless Liver Surgery is also performed with high success rates.

c. Bone Marrow Transplant :
Bone Marrow Transplantation is a form of intensive treatment used to treat certain cancers like leukaemias, lymphomas and some non-cancerous diseases like thalassaemia.

d. Stem Cell Transplant :
Stem Cell Transplantation is an exciting area of medicine. It is a well established treatment for several cancers and diseases of blood since the last few decades.

e. Robotic Surgery :
Robotic surgical devices provide 3D high definition vision with up to ten times magnification and an immersive view of the surgical field through a tiny incision of 2 cm. Enhanced dexterity and greater accuracy make complex surgical maneuvers easier through smaller ports, minimizing patient trauma in confined spaces of the chest, abdomen or pelvis.

The above stated pointers are just a few of the many new technologies which are currently touching millions of lives. The medical science has a great future ahead and there is every chance of improving it much more to meet the medical requirements of every patient.