3-D Printing: The Future of Medical Technology

The world of medicine is constantly evolving and adapting to meet the demands of the modern world. As the world around us changes, so do the problems presented before us. Nevertheless, technological advances allow for those problems to not only be addressed, but also resolved. The growth of technology has allowed us to solve some of the dire problems in the modern world. Technology can revolutionize virtually any industry. No industry benefits greater from technological advancements than the medical industry. Advancements in medical technology are not only saving lives, but also prolonging lives and solving complex problems that are nothing short of science fiction.

The growth of medical technology over the past decade has been monumental, and has paved the road for a prosperous future of human health. From understanding and developing vaccines for globally threatening viruses, to manipulating stem cells to grow functional human organs, technology has ushered medicine into a new era. Despite the leaps and bounds of medical technology over the past decade, a relatively new technology finds itself on the cusp of greatness. This technology is three-dimensional printing, also known as additive manufacturing.

Manufacturing Made Easy 

Imagine a world where the ability to produce a good was as simple as printing a document from the computer. This concept sounds closer to something found in a futuristic science fiction novel, but it’s quickly becoming a tangible reality. Three-dimensional printing is the process of constructing a solid, three-dimensional object through the layering of materials. The process begins with a design that is uploaded to a computer. Next, the production ingredient is chosen and the design is sent to the 3D printer. The end product is a functional, three dimensional object with limitless possibilities.

http://www.popular3dprinters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/3d-printing-how-it-works.jpg 


Medical Technology and 3D Printing 

Three-dimensional printing will not only change the world of manufacturing, but will also allow for immense growth of medical technology. This growth is exactly that—growth. 3-D printing has the potential to one-day print functional human organs. This process—known as bioprinting—works by harvesting human cells from stem cells. Scientists then allow the harvested cells to proliferate in a petri dish. The outcome of this process is a mixture that can be fed into a 3-D printer programmed to combine raw materials and different cell types into a solid three-dimensional object.

The concept of growing human organs in a laboratory may appear controversial to some, but for many scientists the idea of bioprinting is both enthralling and promising. Genuine printed human organs would have several useful applications, for example, vaccine testing. Not only would testing vaccines on printed organs provide researchers with more accurate data, it would also prevent less reliable and inhumane testing methods.

Bioprinting is still in the development process. The Methuselah Foundation, however, has accelerated the process. The Virginia based foundation supports the new regenerative medicine research and announced it would award a $1 million prize to the first organization to print a fully functioning liver.

 

Ethical Dilemmas of Bioprinting 

While scientists champion the idea of bioprinting, some are more hesitant toward the fledgling technology. One fear is that the technology will advance faster than the understanding, including the ramifications, of the technology. Despite the well-intended nature of bioprinting, the technology presents several dangers. One danger is controlling who has the ability to produce human organs. Organ trading already exists within global black markets, and without strict regulation the ability to grow complex organs could be jeopardized. A second stumbling block is the price. Health care spending in the United States is greater than anywhere else on the planet, and the cost of bioprinting may put the revolutionary technology out of reach for most.

A Work in Progress 

3-D printing is still very much a work in progress. The concept is there, but it may be several years unil bioprinting becomes a reality. In addition, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would ultimately determine implementing 3-D printed organs in a surgical procedure—a review process that could take nearly a decade alone. For now, scientists are focused on developing the technology, and the first step will be printing strips of tissue that can be utilized to repair damaged organs. As technology continues to revolutionize the world we live in, the darkness ahead of us is becoming more and more illuminated.

Medical Supplies for the Masses

Medical technology has come a long, long, way since the invention of the stethoscope about 200 years ago. No more do people die from such simple conditions as the common cold, the measles, or even polio. And why is that? Geniuses flexed their genius, in basic terms, and created medical equipment and antidotes that birthed businesses ready to supply said equipment to the masses, in order to keep hospitals and other practices running smoothly. Now a days, such companies thrive in an ever-growing market characterized by a need for surgical materials in order to alleviate any kind of ailment or accident.

So Many Options 

Among the many medical supply companies, there is one that stands out from Freehold, New Jersey called MPM Medical supply. They carry a wide array of products for any kind of major or minor surgical procedure. These procedures vary from sterilizations, to CT scans, to bone marrow aspirates, to X-rays, to prostate biopsies.

• OB/GYN Equipment: This includes such instruments as dilators, forceps, hooks, insertion kits, loop electrodes, pipelle, suction tubes, scissors, and the like. MPM prides themselves on using German Stainless Steel products that carry a 100% lifetime guarantee. These products can be used for such procedures as hysterectomies, colposcopies, LEEP procedures, sterilizations, pregnancies, menstrual disorders, etc.

• Mammography Equipment: This includes such instruments as biopsy needles, biopsy trays, breast tissue markers, disposable instrument packs, radiation eyewear, and sharps safe trays. They supply only the best products from such companies as Kopans, Mammalok, Hydromark, and UltraCLIP that are also 100% lifetime guaranteed German Stainless Steel.

• Hematology Oncology Equipment: This includes such instruments as bone marrow biopsy needles, bone marrow procedure trays, and bone marrow aspiration needles. All of these tools are disposable and can be expected at a high quality for a wholesale price. These products are used to perform bone marrow aspirates, where bone marrow is removed to test for anemia, bone marrow biopsies, where bone marrow tissue is removed and tested, and bone marrow transplants, where healthy marrow is transplanted in place of unhealthy marrow that can also heal hereditary blood diseases.

• Radiology Equipment: This includes such products as amniocentesis trays, arthrogram trays, disposable instrument trays, endometrial suction curettes, drainage bags, pacing cables, radiation eyewear, and vascular access needles. One can use these supplies for such procedures as breast and cardiac imaging, MRI, molecular imaging, PET, ultrasound, and X-ray.

• Radiation Oncology Equipment: This includes such products as disposable templates, prostate seeding sets, and sterile pre-cut spacers. They carry a large supply of 100% lifetime guaranteed German Stainless Steel goods from companies such as Mick, that provide disposable and non-disposable sets.

• Urology Equipment: This includes such instruments as biopsy needles, biopsy trays, Chiba/Franseen/Westcott needles, drainage bags/decanters, radiation eyewear, and radiation reducing gloves. They are all high quality products sold at wholesale prices. Said instruments can be used for such procedures as bladder slings, kidney CT scans, prostate biopsies, lithotripsies, and many physical therapy exercises.

 

The Purpose 

MPM Medical supply is dedicated to providing the best quality products at wholesale prices, always. They understand that physicians need to maintain costs without sacrificing the high quality care that they are known for, especially in a time when economic struggles are all too real for everyone. They offer a large range of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and OB/GYN equipment for any kind of medical equipment. And any hospital or private practice can count on the fact that all of the products are manufactured and tested in the United States.

The fact of the matter is: there are a large number of doctors and practicing physicians that need to order medical equipment at any time of the day from the comfort of their own computer. It’s basically a necessity in today’s modern, constantly “plugged in” culture to order basic products from the Internet. But not many know that the need for medical equipment, from online distributers such as MPM Medical Supply, is in even higher demand. With the higher demand for less invasive materials for minimally damaging procedures MPM Medical Supply is a step ahead and with over two million jobs being created by the medical technology field, there’s no doubt that this market will continue growing.

Efficiency is the Name of the Game

In 1816 the stethoscope was just being invented and those in the medical field, as well as the general public, were frustrated with the lack of technology to handle infections and diseases. Imagine living in a time when the most advanced piece of medical equipment is, basically, a pair of metallic headphones that can listen for a heartbeat. So, if anyone needed to know if they were dead or not, or just wanted to hear their heartbeat for free, the stethoscope was the best invention since sliced bread. Otherwise, by today’s medical standards, it was as if someone just re-invented the pencil: not a huge step, but a very small one. Regardless, within two years the first successful blood transfusion was performed and the medical field would never be the same, after, with advancements.

The Medical Technology Boom 

Between 1842 and 1852 alone two of the most important advances for surgery and general medical procedures were reached: using anesthesia as well as hypodermic needles successfully. After that there was a resurgence of productivity in the field that led to many more advances between 1852 and 2008, such as: a vaccine for cholera, the band-aid, insulin for diabetes, a vaccine for diphtheria and tetanus, devices for neurosurgery, Tylenol, the pacemaker, the CAT scan, the MRI machine, etc. All of these technological advances have helped to save millions of lives and thrust us into the 21st century where an ever-growing medical supply industry is in high demand.

Why is this? Hospitals, private practices, and even medical colleges rely on wholesalers that readily sell this kind of equipment: catheters, procedure trays, loop electrodes, surgical scissors, and any other implements necessary in the OB/GYN, oncology, radiology, or urology departments. Luckily, companies such as MPM Medical Supply, based in Freehold, New Jersey, carry these kinds of equipment that are all available at the click of virtual button, with many items that are constantly in stock without fail.

Treatment Improvements 

Without companies like MPM Medical Supply, hospitals would not be able to function properly. It is true that advancements in medical technology play a large part, but demand and supply are what keep facilities open. Think about a hospital that couldn’t get a hold of surgical scissors because no supply company had any in stock. The country would be facing a large number of fatalities as well as horrific diseases. The growing amount of available technology has led to vast increases with treatments.

• Speedy Diagnosis: In the 19th century, tests were rarely run on patients. It was a lot of trial and error. Now a days blood tests can reveal any kind of possible problem within 24 hours.

• Short Hospital Stays: Less invasive, more advanced treatments + better recovery plans = faster recovery

• Less Invasive Treatments: No need to worry about surgery causing weird side effects or massive hemorrhaging anymore. Surgery can be completed in a matter of hours, with recovery time taking a day or two at most.

In recent years medical technology has even evolved to work on smart phones, such as the iPhone Blood Pressure Monitor attachment. These new and improved items, like Nexagon gene therapy gels, bionic limbs, wireless heart monitors, skin cell guns, and STEM microscopes, are all available through medical supply companies willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy any customer’s needs.

 

Why a Wholesaler?

Why should hospitals, private practices, and medical colleges rely on a wholesaler, or “middle man,” for their supplies? It would probably be a whole lot easier for them to just buy items straight from the manufacturer, right? Wrong. Even though manufacturers produce these medical products it does not mean they also are knowledgeable in regards to them. Companies such as MPM Medical Supply are, indeed, erudite with the various types of merchandise and can alleviate any specific questions or problems one might have. They are a state of the art medical supply distributor that is “doctor trusted,” an honor bestowed to online sales companies that go above and beyond expectations in the field, and have over 20 years of experience, which allows them to stay up-to-date with the expanding amount of new technology becoming available every day.

Hygiene Today and the Infections of Tomorrow

Concerns that various infectious diseases are growing more and more immune to the antibacterial treatments that we have developed for them are growing among the medical community. As a result, it is more and more important to take precautionary and preventative measures when it comes to situations where you risk infection, as the overuse of antibiotics is what is contributing to the increasing immunity of infectious diseases against current treatments. Many of these preventative measures are, in fact, incredibly easy to undertake, but repeated reminding and education is important if they are to take hold and continue to be common practices!

by arnehaeger.
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One Hand Washes the Other 

Washing your hands before and after coming into contact with a potentially infectious material, whether it is feces, food, dirt, or bodily fluids, is a no-brainer, right? Yet many people fail to wash their hands, whether it is out of forgetfulness, ignorance, or just plain laziness. As a result, many diseases end up in your food, in your drink, and in your hand when you shake someone else’s hand. Still, the overwhelming frequency with which people wash their hands in the bathroom and in the kitchen saves most people from becoming infected with a wide variety of diseases. Did you know, however, that we were not always so clean?

Indeed, once upon a time washing your hands was not common practice among those most sterile of professionals, surgeons. In 1847, the Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis observed that fatal childbed, or puerperal, fever occurred most often in women who were assisted by medical students, as opposed to those women who were assisted by midwives. After studying the problem, Semmelweis discovered that those medical students who had assisted with childbirth often did so after they had performed an autopsy on a patient who had died from sepsis of a bacterial origin, a fairly common way to go in those days. Obviously, having not washed their hands, that bacteria was passed on in the delicate process of childbirth, leading to the mother’s fever.

Semmelweis subsequently instituted a strict policy of hand washing with a chlorinated antiseptic solution intended to help relieve the problem. As a result, mortality rates dropped by 10 to 20-fold within 3 months of the hand washing policy’s institution, which proved that the transmission of disease could be vastly reduced simply by instituting the practice of washing your hands!

Water, Water, Everywhere 

Washing your hands means little if you aren’t doing so with clean water, however. Once upon a time, outbreaks of bacterial cholera led to frequent outbreaks in massive proportions, with thousands dead and more ill. At the time, people believed that the cause of cholera was poisonous gases from the sewers, open graves, and other areas where decay was common. John Snow, a medical doctor in the 19th century England, knew differently.

Snow had observed that cholera appeared to be spread through sewage-contaminated water. Specifically, he mapped an area near Broad Street in London, noticing that most cholera-related deaths occurred near a pump on that street – where residents frequently stopped to drink water. He removed the pump handle, and the spread of the disease seemed to be suddenly contained. In time, Snow’s findings became major contributions to our understanding of infectious diseases and the importance of clean drinking water.

 

Prevention is the Key

Of course, today, we’ve developed all kinds of technological advances that allow us to live in a relatively safe, hygienic world where we don’t have to worry about tuberculosis, cholera, the bubonic plague, and other diseases that once decimated whole populations for hundreds of years. Instead, we are our own worst enemy, sometimes using antibiotics unnecessarily and increasing the resistance of some diseases against those antibiotics.

Precautionary measures like gloves and masks when working with food, drink, or potentially infectious materials, along with good hygienic habits like hand-washing, are far more effective when it comes to preventing infection, as opposed to waiting until you are infected and only then bombarding yourself with treatment after treatment of antibiotics. Even worse is the threat of a virus for which we have no cure; no antibiotic can help you then, which is why vaccination is so important. Prevention, of course, is still the best defense anyone has, and that means good habits and good equipment!