Inventor: John Gibbon
Description: The heart-lung bypass machine, also known as a cardiopulmonary bypass machine, is a critical piece of medical equipment used during open-heart surgery. It temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs during the procedure, ensuring that oxygen-rich blood continues to circulate throughout the patient’s body.
Functionality: This machine oxygenates the blood and removes carbon dioxide, akin to a lung’s function, while also pumping the blood, thereby substituting for the heart’s pumping action. By doing so, it allows surgeons to operate on a still and blood-free heart, making complex cardiac surgeries, such as coronary artery bypass grafting, valve repair, or heart transplants, feasible and safer. The use of this machine is pivotal in modern cardiac surgery, significantly improving surgical outcomes and patient survival rates.
Source: https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Articles/2019/06/19/06/46/The-History-of-Cardiopulmonary-Bypass
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Inventor: Fredrick Sanger
Description: DNA sequencing is a laboratory technique used to determine the precise sequence of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. It involves the process of identifying the order of the four bases – adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine – in a strand of DNA. Advanced sequencing technologies enable rapid processing of large amounts of DNA, allowing for detailed genetic analysis.
Functionality: DNA is extracted and then divided into small fragments. Each fragment is copied in a reaction that includes DNA polymerase, a mixture of normal nucleotides, and specially labeled terminator nucleotides that stop the sequence at specific points. These terminators are tagged with fluorescent labels that emit different colors for each of the four DNA bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine).During the sequencing process, the DNA fragments are separated by size using a technique called capillary electrophoresis. As the fragments pass a detector, the fluorescent tags emit light, which is recorded. The order in which the colors are detected corresponds to the sequence of bases in the DNA. The sequence data is then analyzed and interpreted using computer software.
Source: https://frontlinegenomics.com/a-history-of-sequencing/#:~:text=First%20generation,him%20his%20second%20Nobel%20Prize.
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Inventor: Dean Kamen
Description: An insulin pump is a small, computerized device that delivers insulin to the body to manage blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. It’s about the size of a small cellphone and can be worn on a belt, in a pocket, or under clothing. The pump administers insulin through a thin tube that is inserted under the skin, usually in the abdomen.
Functionality: The insulin pump It provides a continuous flow of rapid-acting insulin, known as basal insulin, and allows for manual doses, or boluses, of insulin to be delivered at mealtimes or when blood sugar is high. This method mimics the way a healthy pancreas releases insulin, offering more flexibility in lifestyle and potentially better glucose control compared to traditional insulin injections.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7261311/#:~:text=The%20first%20wearable%20insulin%20pump,the%20same%20year%20%5B57%5D.
]]>Inventor: Ian Donald
Description: Ultrasound, also known as sonography, is a medical imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of structures within the body.
Functionality: The Ultrasound involves the use of a small device called a transducer, which emits sound waves that bounce off tissues, organs, and fluids. The echoes are then captured by the transducer and translated into real-time images by a computer. Ultrasound is commonly used to view the fetus during pregnancy, but it’s also used to examine organs like the heart, liver, kidneys, and blood vessels.
Source: https://www.vista-health.co.uk/blog/history-ultrasound#:~:text=It%20was%20Ian%20Donald%20who,sits%20life%2Dsaving%20diagnostic%20potential.
]]>Inventor: Augustus Waller
Description: An Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a medical test that records the electrical activity of the heart. The ECG machine captures the electrical signals that make the heart muscle contract and relax, creating a waveform representation on paper or a screen. This test helps doctors diagnose and monitor a variety of heart conditions, such as arrhythmias, heart attacks, and heart disease, by detecting irregularities in heart rhythm, structure, and function.
Functionality: An Electrocardiogram (ECG) works by detecting and recording the tiny electrical impulses generated by the heart each time it beats. During the test, small electrode patches are attached to the skin on the chest, arms, and legs. These electrodes are connected to the ECG machine by wires. As the heart beats, it produces electrical signals that travel through these wires to the ECG machine, which translates these signals into waveforms. These waveforms are then displayed on a monitor or printed out on paper.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12766530/#:~:text=The%20first%20electrocardiogram%20(ECG)%20from,Mary’s%20Hospital%2C%20London.
]]>Inventor: Willem J. Kolff
Description: Dialysis is a medical treatment used to artificially filter and purify the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to perform this function naturally. This is typically required in advanced stages of kidney failure.
Functionality: Dialysis works by mimicking the natural function of the kidneys to remove waste, excess salt, and water from the body, as well as to regulate important chemicals in the blood, such as potassium and sodium. In hemodialysis, blood is circulated outside the body through a machine where it is filtered and cleaned before being returned to the body. In peritoneal dialysis, a special fluid is introduced into the abdomen where it absorbs waste products from the blood through the peritoneal membrane, and then the fluid is drained away, taking the waste with it.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dialysis/#:~:text=Dialysis%20is%20a%20procedure%20to,a%20machine%20to%20be%20cleaned.
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