Killer massager

So, I read a post about how a machine (specifically, a neck massage machine) is turning against human beings (specifically, killing a person). And, since I work with patents in the kinesitherapy arts (massage devices), I decided to look for the patent.

The post gave the name of the product, but it did not show what the massage mechanism looked like. After some searching on Google, I found the recall announcement by the FDA. The company name is "King International."

http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm269721.htm
This announcement gave more information about the device.
Location of King International: Beaverton, OR
Year the device started to sell: 2003

After searching some more on google, I found out how the device worked.

http://www.necksolutions.com/shoulder-flex.html

So, this device has a rotating part that has protrusions. It seems like the protrusions got caught on something (necklace or clothing) and strangled a user.

Then, using some quick text searching in Google Patents with terms like "deep massage," "neck" and "floor," the following results came up:
Google Patents Search Results

US Patent # 6,589,192
Name of inventor: King Yiu Chan and Si Ming Du
Address of inventors: Beaverton, OR
Year of patent: 2003
Figure 3 of the invention looks like the second row of figures on the necksolutions.com website.

Rough break for the inventors and it's sad that someone was lost because of a machine gone awry, but I guess these things happen. This was just very interesting to me, being able to connect the things I see in patents to the outside, consumer world. I even told me supervisor about this.

Also, by some rare chance, if anyone owns this device and sees this post, please act according to the FDA recall announcement.

Shocking for solutions

Very interesting..

Research subjects who received electrical stimulation of the anterior temporal lobes of the brain were 3 times more likely to come up with the fresh insight needed to solve a difficult, unfamiliar problem than people in a control group, according to Richard Chi and Allan Snyder of the University of Sydney. The researchers say they envision a future when noninvasive brain stimulation is briefly employed for solving problems that have evaded traditional cognitive approaches.

Give everyone a device that shocks your anterior temporal lobe to make everyone more innovative problem solvers. I would like one.

Source: HBR Daily Stat, Feb 22, 2011; Original Link

FDA reform

Lately, the FDA reform has been in medical device news; things from the departure of the 2nd-in-command at the FDA to the controversial 510(k) approval of the ReGen Meneflex Meniscus implant scaffold.

Partly due to the latter event, the FDA has decided to reform many of it's practices, including a revamp of the 510(k) process. There did not seem to be a very transparent process for 510(k) approval, according to this entry at MDG. Many factors of the process were often dependent on something else.

Another factor was the slow process of approval, which is hindering American innovation. PwC announced a study of healthcare innovation and the United States' score against international players, showing that other countries are catching up. Often times, manufacturers would seek approval in foreign countries because the process would be quicker than through the FDA. FDA will try to speed up the process, but it must be reasonable: “Unnecessary and unreasonable delays for safe and effective products not only hurt innovation, they unfairly punish patients who are relying on America's med-tech entrepreneurs for help.”

The FDA released 25 changes that they plan to implement. The FDA will also collaborate with external experts more. Also, according to the "Innovation Pathway," the FDA plans on trying to speed up the approval process of innovative devices that significantly improve treatments, treat a terminal disease with no treatment, address a public need or address national security (ODTmag). 


Now, we watch for the FDA to implement the changes and see if it can improve American healthcare innovation, while still maintaining patient safety.

Social networking in medicine

I read two articles today about social networking in medicine. Social networking is in every other industry, why not medicine? Just need to figure out how to use it.

1. TR
2. MDG

From the perspective of manufacturers, social networking can track how influential a medical practitioner is in spreading the use of a technology that they recently started prescribing or using. By mining medical-claims data and analyzing partnerships and referrals, manufacturers can market to those that are the most influential.

Analyzing the network of patients can even show some patterns like similar weight gain in a network. However, there could be other factors involved and correlation does not always mean causation.

More positively, social networking among patients can bring patients together through the web to exchange advice, encouragement and experiences. Specifically, the article talked about diabetes management. However, the article mentions many shortcomings to the websites such as lack of security and not enough disclaimers.

[Healthcare] "The Velluvial Matrix," Stanford School of Medicine Commencement Speech

by: Atul Gawande (yes, I searched his name on The New Yorker to read all these articles)


This is an excerpt near the end:

You are joining a special profession. Doctors and scientists, we are all in the survival business, but we are also in the mortality business. Our successes will always be restricted by the limits of knowledge and human capability, by the inevitability of suffering and death. Meaning comes from each of us finding ways to help people and communities make the most of what is known and cope with what is not.

Read more at The New Yorker

An inspiring statement for anyone working in the healthcare industry from the R&D researchers in medical device, biotech or pharma companies to the doctors and nurses on the front lines of healthcare. I guess that's what commencement speeches are for, a call to action after receiving all this education.

"Letting Go" by Atul Gawande

If you couldn't tell, I enjoy reading Dr. Gawande's writing.

"What should medicine do when it can't save your life?"

This article discusses the issue of continued treatment on terminal patients. He talks about many cases of how some patients opted to try every possible treatment or even experimental and untested treatments to battle disease, while others chose to cease treatments that resulted in side-effects that destroy the patient's quality of life and enter a palliative care or hospice program to end life peacefully.

Some things that struck me was:

1. The cost of the patient's healthcare was lower for those that decided for hospice care as opposed to those that continued treatments.
2. The length of life was not significantly longer in those that continued treatment versus those that went to palliative care.
3. Aetna conducted an experiment resulting in fewer emergency room, hospital and ICU visits for those that could continue treatment and have palliative care.

He concluded by saying the best way to determine the desired path of treatment is to discuss the possibility of death with the patient and family, yet remaining very sensitive about the topic.

Source: The New Yorker

[Healthcare] "The Hot Spotters" by Atul Gawande

"Can we lower medical costs by giving the neediest patients better care?"

In places like Camden and Atlantic City, they're changing the execution of health care. Doctors like Jeffrey Brenner (Camden) and Rushika Fernandopulle (AC) open clinics that focus on high-cost patients due to complicated chronic illnesses worsened by patient noncompliance ("hot spots"). Their clinics are stationed in low income areas and emphasize on high-touch, more personal care. Another unique thing they did was to hire social workers, hired from retail and service, not a healthcare background, called "health coaches" to stay in contact with patients through phone, email and visits.

Source: The New Yorker

It's a great read if you can spare some time. It is quite long, but it gives a new perspective to healthcare.

Some IT companies compile all the medical history of patients through insurance companies and they can analyze the health patterns. Analyzing this data, doctors can better evaluate their patients, especially when they visit various doctors. Of course, there'd be issues like HIPAA, but this information will improve (and potentially reduce the cost of) healthcare. Healthcare must focus on quality one patient at a time to reduce overall healthcare costs. We must move away from the attitude that "one man’s cost is another man’s income" and move toward one that rewards quality and keeps patients out of the hospitals.

Also, this shows that there seems to be a potential market in innovating products to improve patient compliance, especially in areas of low socio-economic classes. For example, patient education, alarms or devices to help enforce proper medication intake, off-loading of diabetic foot ulcers, refilling asthma inhalers, managing blood-sugar levels, understanding the on-set of a heart attack, etc.

Another area of innovation is continuous monitoring. There are plenty of medical devices with wireless technology that periodically sends information to a smart phone, computer or the doctor's office. These devices will become more common in the near future like implantable blood pressure monitors (Source: MIT Tech Review).


Or, you can listen to a talk by Dr. Gawande.
Source: NPR

And then the critics of the widespread use of this program, the Defeatists, Catastrophists and Triumphalists, and Dr. Gawande's responses.
Source: The New Yorker