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Medical Technology: 4 Fascinating Devices New to The Market
13 Oct, 20258+ minutes
The med tech industry is one of the most important pillars in healthcare. And at the rate that technology is evolving, more innovative health devices, services, software and tools are hitting the market than ever before.
Whether it’s through the application of AI, robotics, 3D printing, or virtual reality, medical technology is helping across the entire healthcare pathway. As well as providing cheaper and more effective solutions to diseases, it helps to catch and diagnose conditions before the damage is done.
Below we've outlined four fascinating medical devices which are the first of their kind to hit the market. From eyeglasses that can slow down shortsightedness to a breakthrough resuscitation device for non-shockable cardiac arrests, they have the potential to massively improve patient outcomes and better millions of lives.
The First Pair of Eyeglasses for Slowing Nearsightedness in Children Becomes FDA-Approved
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common vision problem that affects roughly 9% of school children and 30% of adolescents. While it is more common in children whose parents are nearsighted, myopia is on the rise overall – potentially due to increases in screen time and closeup tasks like video gaming.
In a recent groundbreaking approval, the FDA has cleared the first ever pair of eyeglasses to help slow down the progression of myopia in younger children between the ages of 6 and 12.
The company, EssilorLuxottica, has successfully developed their one-of-a-kind Stellest lenses, which have been shown to slow down nearsightedness progression by 67% on average.
They work by using Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target (HALT) technology that forms a signal of myopic defocus in front of the retina. This blurring effect prevents the eye from elongating and eventually causing myopia to worsen. There is also a clear vision zone in the center of the lenses where children can see clearly as if they were wearing traditional glasses.
While similar technology already exists in the form of disposable contact lenses, EssilorLuxottica has filled a large gap in the market for children who struggle with contacts and find it easier to wear traditional glasses with frames (which as you can imagine, is the majority).
Apple’s Latest Smartwatch Detects Chronic High Blood Pressure
For Apple Watch wearers, the latest model (part of the Apple Watch Series 11) will be able to detect hypertension – and is predicted to catch 1 million cases in its users within a year.
The recently approved feature means that their new watches can sense how hard your heart is beating. Unlike traditional cuffs that squeeze the arm to detect blood pressure, Apple’s watch can analyze a user’s condition with just its sensor.
The technical feature was developed from biosensor data taken from over 100,000 people and from across multiple studies. It was then successfully tested in a clinical study of over 2000 participants.
Hypertension increases a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke, and more often than not doesn’t present symptoms. Apple’s watch sensor means the condition can be diagnosed without regular blood pressure checks that usually take place at a doctor’s practice or pharmacy. It does this by monitoring heart rate data over 30 days.
According to Fierce Biotech, Apple plans to roll out the feature globally in October of this year, following clearances from the FDA and European authorities.
The FDA Approves Medtronic’s New Device for Urinary Incontinence
Medtronic, the global med tech company who developed RAS system Hugo, has received FDA approval for a small device that works to improve bladder control in patients with urinary incontinence.
Their Altaviva system can be inserted with a minor 2cm incision and without sedation or imaging. Unlike other neuromodulation devices designed for urge urinary incontinence (UUI), it is implanted near the upper ankle rather than in the lower back region – making it more accessible and more convenient to surgically place.
According to the company, the system ‘automatically delivers therapy stimulation on a schedule to the tibial nerve, helping to reduce UUI symptoms’ by restoring communication between the bladder and the brain. It is also a long-lasting device that can deliver 15 years of therapy to its patients and can be recharged in less than half an hour.
With its recent approval, the Altaviva system has already treated its first patient – and will soon be an option for the millions who silently struggle with bladder control problems.
The Latest Addition in the World of Resuscitation
Despite common perceptions, the vast majority (81%) of cardiac arrest patients cannot be treated with an electric shock and are ineligible for defibrillation.
For the high number of non-shockable cases, very exciting news has come to light.
The world’s first intelligent balloon catheter for cardiac arrest has now been CE marked. This breakthrough technology, which was developed by Neurescue over the past decade, now has the potential to save patients from non-shockable cardiac arrests.
Once inserted into the patient’s femoral artery and threaded up into the aorta, the NUERESCUE device automatically inflates its soft balloon to block blood flow to the body’s extremities and force it back to vital organs like the heart and brain.
According to the company, only 1 out of 20 people survive a non-shockable cardiac arrest. But now, with their latest technology, Neurescue plans to achieve more immediate resuscitations and keep patients alive long enough to receive vital treatments like heart pumps and stents.
Thanks to their recent approval, the NEURESCUE device will bridge the gap for millions of people facing non-shockable heart attacks.
