6.7 : Computers in medicine Flashcards
where are computers are used in medicine ?
- keeping patients records and pharmcy records
- the use of 3D printing many areas of surgery and customised medicines
whu do doctors and hospitals keep accureate records of all their patients ?
to ensure the correct diagnosis and treatment
why is data shared between medical practitioners and pharmacies ?
to ensure no drugs prescribed which interact with each other in unsafe manner
what does databases allow ?
- quick and easy search for patient records , this could be important in emergency situations , when accessing patients medical history could meant the difference between life and death , it also means that the medication can be prescribed without issuing papers they can just send and e-mail .
what sort of data is required on a ptaient data bise :
- a unique identification number
- name and address
- gender
- date of birth
- doctor
- any known allergies
- medical history
- blood groups
- any current diagnosis
- any current treatments
- additinal information such as X-rays or CT scans
where do we use 3D printers in medicine ?
- surgical and diagnostic aids
- prosthetics
- artificial vessels
- tissue engineering
- customised medicines
what does the 3d printer enables ?
to print out anatomical parts u
why are anatomical parts used
in aid towards diagnosis and surgical procedures
what are the devices that the patient is scanned by ?
CT
MRI
explain what is a CT ?
CT stands for computed tomography
- CT involves producing images of the internal parts of the body in a series of thin slices less than 0.1 mm thick
explain what is MRI ?
- MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging )
- MRI uses strong magnetic fields , and radio waves to produce a series of images of the internal organs in the body
what does a 3d printer allow in a surgery situation ?
- when the doctor prints a 3D image of the organ it will help him doing an accurate diagnosis and when shown to the patient it will make him more engaged rather than the traditional way of consulting , it also will help the doctor with pre-surgical as he can plan out the surgery which would reduce the chance of any errors , for example they can use the hard nylon objects . for example if the patient leg is broken they can use this object to test out the screws and the position of the plate etc.
what are prosthetics ?
( false arms , hands and legs )
what is the benefits of prosthetics ?
while state-of-the art myoelectric prosthetics costs tens of thousands of dollars , a 3D printed prosthetic can cost up to 100 dollar , so more people now can afford to buy it ,but there is still much research needed in this field
what did the 3D printing of bio-compatible materials ( cells and supporting structure) ?
it enabled the producing of artificial cells and tissue within supporting structures
what is biocompatibility ?
- it is defined as having the properties that make a material or a device compatible with the human body
who is required to enter info in the process of 3D bio-printing ?
biologists , medical engineer , physicists , and other engineers
what has 3D bio-printing been used for creating and has sucessed ?
multi-layered skin tissue , bone tissue , heart/artery grafts , and tracheal splints
what is the hope of bio-printing in the future ?
- to be able to create artificial organs that can be used in humans , so they don’t have to keep waiting in the transplantations list , and to stop the need of harvesting organs and blood vessels for medical research
what is meant by biomimetic ?
it refers to the imitations of elements that occur in nature such as the human cells , to create solutions to human anatomy problems
what are bio-inks ?
- these are biological inks that has been developed to work with 3D inkjet printers , they use 3D-layering to produce artificial living tissue , these biological inks are made up of human cells and other materials ( most often it is biopolymer gels)
what is patient-centric medicine ?
it is a medicine that is made to suit the individual
what are printlets ?
they are printed tablets
what does creating personalised medicine allow ?
allows automatically controlled release of the medicine into the patient, it even allows multi medicine in the same printlet , to make fixed-dose combination and allow for optimum release of each medicine into the body
how does a 3D printing achieve all this by what ?
- by adopting a new 3D ink-jet technology known as vapour printing
explain vapour printing ?
- it is a new technique where the layering of multiple medicine is done by spraying them as a fine gas
how does the vapour printing process work ?
by evaporating the powdered medicine and then combining it with nitrogen gas then spraying it onto a cool surface so it crystallises and forms a thin film the building up of several of these films , forms the desired tablet with a carefully controlled geometry
how are traditional tablets made ?
- they are formed by compression of the powder , each compressed tablet has the same shape , by exploring the connection between the geometry of the tablet and the release of the medicine , it is possible to create the most effective medicine release profile for each patient .
what are some advantages of custom made medicines ?
- tailor-made to suit the individual
- saves money (many modern medicines are expensive )
- better control of the release of medicine
- less chance of overdoes and reducing the side-effects for example in chemo-therapy not will it only make it better , but it will reduce the harmful side-effects
- better targeting of the medicine so its effects can be optimised
what does this mean to pharmacies ?
- in the future it should be possible to send out medicine to pharmacies in the form of a blue-print each blue-print is custom made to suit the individual , by supplying the materials needed , the medicine can be printed out for each patient using the blue-print
