Mount the 'generator' for the body

Saying that the robot is true but not the robot. Today's medical technology can create almost every part of the body. Imagine someday in the future when all the organs of the five organs in the human body will blink green and red due to the electronic device attached inside .

Reed S. Kohn is a pathetic patient. Having epilepsy from the age of 8, Kohn has been treated with all methods, from medicine to surgery to help end the convulsions. Once at a time, the doctor removed some broken nerve cells in Kohn's brain. However, all were hopeless and the bachelor's programmers still lived with their parents at the age of 34 and had never found a job. Since the seizure first occurred in 1978, Kohn said he had suffered at least 10,000 seizures.

Not long ago, Kohn underwent surgery for the 12th time. First, the doctor studied the image of the patient's brain and inserted the electrode into eight ' hot spots ' deep in the brain, and implanted under a skull a device that looked like Heart aids are made from NeuroPace (California). The size is equal to the microcassette tape, the device has a programmed microprocessor that identifies the brain wave manifestations that occur before the seizure. Whenever a seizure wave occurs, the device immediately attacks with a series of small electrical impulses to block it . Since the installation, Kohn has seizures 10-15 times / month, less than 50-70 times previously .

Almost all body parts can be ' wired ' (Photo: Employee)

More than 45 years ago, scientists succeeded in installing pacemakers for the first time in the United States, giving hope to extend the lives of millions of cardiovascular patients. Currently, the pacemaker industry is worth $ 10 billion a year. And now medical technology has been able to build all kinds of machines that support broken parts in the human body.

From now until the end of this century, it is hoped that an electric impulse device can cure all kinds of diseases, from mental breakdown, post-traumatic paralysis, migraine, insomnia to even strep throat. obesity, tinnitus and digestive disorders . The next step is to kill Alzheimer's (dementia in the elderly); Forced appetite (bulimia) and many brain related diseases. Medical technology is becoming one of the key sectors of the medical industry.

The use of mini ' generators ' in the body is gaining popularity faster than you think. Currently, 190,000 American patients are receiving electrodes in their heads to control tremor caused by Parkinson's disease or electrical impulses attached to the spine to relieve pain. About 30,000 other patients are being " wired " to treat epilepsy and another 60,000 now have earphones attached to their ears to treat deafness. One of the promising devices is a $ 15,000 neuronal activation device used to treat chronic depression produced by Cyberonics Inc. approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). .

Patient Candy Bradshaw can tell us how electronic devices work. Attached to an intra-abdominal gastrointestinal control device a few years ago at the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston (as part of Transneuronix Inc's pilot program), now Candy Bradshaw weighs 90 kg, 37 kg less than before being installed. Still exercising regularly and controlling his diet every day, Candy Bradshaw felt he was getting faster and no longer had the same urge to eat as before.

At Indiana University Medical Research Center (Indianapolis), researchers are hoping an electronic device that helps paralyzed patients can walk normally . The device emits very small (microvolt) currents through six electrodes installed in the spinal injury area. In the experiment with 10 volunteer subjects, the device helped activate nerve movement control after 14 weeks of treatment. The two patients even moved their legs and a person with impotence also regained the active erection! As the microprocessor is smaller and more powerful in the near future, researchers believe that the implant series will create a revolution in medicine.

Advanced Bionics Corp is currently testing a device that can be so small that it can be installed almost anywhere in the body to help cure paralysis. However, it should be emphasized that the whirlwind 'generator set' for the body also poses many risks. When implantable microcephaly equipment, the incidence of infection is 3% -4%, which is double the rate of surgery. The battery for these devices generally only works for 5-10 years, meaning the patient has to undergo surgery for the second or third time.

In addition, people are also concerned about the possibility of patients being made difficult at the airport when the security detector detects electronic devices (in the body)! Nor can it be excluded that the device is broken. In 2004, Medtronic had to recall thousands of defibrillators after detecting their batteries too quickly. At least four people were killed by this technical error.

VU ANH