Technological progress is a natural process that accompanies the development of civilisation. By modernising the technologies they use, people are constantly striving to improve the world in which they live. This progress is visible in every area of life.

Technology is changing rapidly, changing the life of every generation. Huge progress is also visible in medicine, which has undergone a huge transformation over the last century. New technologies in the medical market enable effective diagnostics and treatment, as well as improve the conditions for patient care.

HOW DID THE TECHNOLOGY OF MODERN MEDICINE BEGIN?

The technology of modern medicine is a process that has been particularly visible in recent decades. Medicine is making incredible progress. Technologies used in medicine help to spare patients pain, accelerate convalescence, and even replace poorly functioning organs. Humanity is also entering more and more boldly into the world of genetic manipulation and control of human conception.

Pulseless heart, artificial kidney, spinal cord folding or cancer medicine are no longer just dreams, but real possibilities that are now in the research phase and can enter the implementation phase at any time. The technology of modern medicine is a phenomenon that has begun to be visible with the visible development of technology as such.

It is impossible to clearly separate the progress of technologies present in everyday human life from the progress of technology in medicine, because man constantly tries to improve all areas of his life. Medicine is an area of great importance for people, hence the changes taking place in this area are dynamic and often breakthrough.

FIRST ROBOTS AND TELEMEDICINE

Telemedicine combines elements of telecommunications, computer science and medicine. The use of new technologies makes it possible to overcome the limitations of therapy resulting from queues for specialist research.

Thanks to the use of new technologies it is also possible to break down geographical barriers and exchange information through the transmission of static and dynamic images.This makes it possible to make diagnoses at a distance.

A very large application of telemedicine is observed in the case of surgery. As a result, remote operations are a reality. Including robotics in the performance of surgical operations allows for more efficient and faster performance of operations, because robots have functions that eliminate shaking of the surgeon’s hands and compensate for his rapid movements.

These devices convert in real time the surgeon’s hand, wrist and thumb movements into the movements of surgical instruments placed in the robot’s arms. During the operation, the surgeon, sitting at the console, observes the operation in a three-dimensional image, which is transmitted by a camera placed in one of the arms of the robot.

Currently, several specialized robots are used to perform the operation. The rapid development of tele-surgery and medicine allows us to assume that the robots will be used on an ever-increasing scale.

INTELLIGENT AND RESISTANT TO HARMFUL MICROORGANISMS MEDICAL CLOTHING

It is estimated that bacterial infections are one of the most common causes of death in the world, and the cost of treating this type of infection is enormous. Therefore, revolutionary technology of coating objects with antibacterial materials was developed, which resulted in the creation of specialized medical clothing.

Antimicrobial clothing prevents the transmission of pathogens and reduces the risk of cross-contamination. Antimicrobial fabrics attack and kill all bacteria they come into contact with – excluding bacteria with positive functions.

An appropriate finish on the materials used provides long-lasting protection against the growth of bacteria and fungi. The antimicrobial agent is usually deeply enclosed in the fibre, providing protection for the wearer of medical clothing at all times.

3D PRINTERS AND THE BIG REVOLUTION

3D printers allow you to create objects with great precision and on a massive scale in a small print run. Their use for medical purposes gives great opportunities, including the creation of bone substitutes with high accuracy reproducing the defect. Implants printed with 3D printers can fulfil their roles much better and accelerate the recovery period, especially in the case of patients after accidents.

Such printers are also used to create models supporting complex medical operations. A great advantage is the ability to develop models that perfectly reflect the individual characteristics of patient structures. The technology, which is starting to be developed more and more, is bioprinting – 3D printing with the use of living cells.

Printers used for bioprinting allow for layer-by-layer application of new cells. In 2013, this is how the liver was created, which retains its functions for 40 days in the laboratory. In 2014, printed elements of the circulatory system were developed. However, a factor which is a significant problem in the creation of artificial organs is the inability to feed cells.

MEDICINE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

Great advances in medicine can be seen in the fight against cancer. Thanks to new technologies, patients constantly gain hope to overcome the disease. Specialized equipment allows for very early diagnosis, so that the treatment can be very effective.

An example is the combination of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, which results in the development of devices that allow for earlier and more accurate detection of cancer. Ion radiotherapy, thanks to which cancer cells are destroyed very precisely, seems to be very promising.

One of the new ways of fighting cancer is to use viral nanoparticles, which reach the source of the disease directly, so that the whole body is not exposed to chemicals.

A FEW CURIOSITIES FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICAL SCIENCE

Medical science is constantly providing us with new information that gives us hope of solving many of the problems that humanity is currently facing. Only in recent months has the world circulated information that could be the next milestones in the development of medicine.

The Japanese have developed a new version of the method to remove genetic defects from the DNA chain, the Chinese have managed to create a bandage to reduce blood loss by 60%, and a method to treat scarring-free skin has been discovered.

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING?

What will the future bring? This is a very difficult question to answer. The enormous pace of medical development allows us to assume that in the near future mankind will get rid of many of the problems that have accompanied it for centuries.

However, the development of civilization brings with it also new threats that we will have to deal with. Continuous drive towards the development of technology makes the future can be a big challenge and an extremely interesting adventure.