We Are Electric” by Sally Adee: Medgadget Interviews the Author

Researchers at George Washington University have created a swallowable capsule containing a video camera that can assist in identifying lesions in the stomach. However, unlike similar devices that have been developed previously, this capsule can drive around the stomach under the control of a clinician. This allows it to thoroughly navigate and screen the entire area to identify any health issues in the stomach mucosa, such as ulcers or bleeding. The technology requires an external magnet to be placed near the stomach, and the clinician can use a joystick, just like with a video game, to control the movement of the capsule. The researchers hope that the technique will provide a replacement for more invasive approaches, such as conventional endoscopies.

Millions of traditional endoscopies are performed in the US every year. The technique is useful in assessing and diagnosing a wide variety of health issues, from gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding to cancer. However, the procedure is mildly invasive, and not suitable for every patient – patients can require anesthesia and may need to take time from work to recover. Moreover, it is not typically possible to perform an endoscopy in a community clinic or in the ER, meaning that patients with severe stomach pain cannot receive a diagnosis without booking a second appointment for an endoscopy elsewhere in the hospital.

“I would have patients who came to the ER with concerns for a bleeding ulcer and, even if they were clinically stable, I would have no way to evaluate them without admitting them to the hospital for an endoscopy. We could not do an endoscopy in the ER and many patients faced unacceptable barriers to getting an outpatient endoscopy, a crucial diagnostic tool to preventing life-threatening hemorrhage,” said Andrew Meltzer, a researcher involved in the development of the new device. “To help address this problem, I started looking for less invasive ways to visualize the upper gastrointestinal tract for patients with suspected internal bleeding.”

Source: Medgadget