Like every other sector, pediatric healthcare is enjoying the innovations brought by technology. The “blink of the eye” advancements are proving beneficial in healthcare for children. Pediatricians must stay up-to-date with these revolutionary procedures that can make a significant difference in a child’s life.

The healthcare world is constantly improving by the changing trends in pediatric cardiology, rheumatology, oncology, mental health support, etc. Along with technical innovations, the rapid ability to adapt to pediatric changes has also been commendable. So, here are the most popular and functional innovations in pediatric care that are a must-know:

1.    Anemia checking app

Chronic anemia has affected several children around the world. This condition is a very uncomfortable experience, especially for a child. It necessitates the use of blood needle sticks to periodically draw blood. A former Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta patient, with several other biomedical engineers, pediatricians, and researchers, has developed this new smartphone app named AnemoCheck Mobile.

Through this application, patients need not draw blood every time. Instead, the app reads the color of the fingernail and processes it to give a hemoglobin reading to the patient. Although this app, by no means, is here to replace doctor’s supervision, it can help in monitoring a child’s iron supplement intake and display its effect.

2.    Advanced Imaging and Modeling

The collaborative efforts of Dr. Mathew Bramlet, a cardiologist at Illinois Children’s Hospital, and Jump Simulation engineers yielded this advanced imaging and modeling technology. This advanced method transforms the two-dimensional images of the heart into 3-D printed models that will help study the need for challenging pediatric surgeries better.

The Illinois University of Engineering, together with the Jump Simulation Engineers have developed models of anatomical digital images. These models can either get printed or implemented into interactive environments like augmented and virtual realities. There’s another related technology called a digital tattoo that can transform the lives of patients, especially diabetic children.

3.    Utero Spinal Bifida Surgery

Spina Bifida is a crippling birth defect that leads to a failure in closing the spine, potentially exposing the child’s back. The number of live births with these defects is high. Adding fuel to the fire is that there’s no known cure for this problem. Back in 2011, the Texas Children’s Hospital pioneered the operation of tiny patients within the fetus. However, this surgery causes several complications, real and potential

Therefore, today, a less-invasive fetoscopic procedure has been devised. Here, two tiny incisions of 4 mm will be made; a small camera called the fetoscope, and other tiny instruments will carry out the operation. Although it is a fair infancy innovation, the reported outcomes have been positive for both the mother and the baby.

4.    Monitoring blood glucose with digital apps

Another innovation in the pediatric care industry is blood glucose monitoring without causing pain to patients, especially infants. This innovation involves using an electronic skin patch, also known as a graphene patch, which detects the glucose amount in the sweat when higher than normal. Drugs get released immediately by heating the microneedles that get into the skin.

Its first model came from Dae-Hyeong Kim, an assistant professor with the MC10 researchers at Seoul National University. Currently, the MC10 company is working on various microchips and bio stamps that can detect different signs.

5.    Auricular Neurostimulation

To treat children with irritable bowel syndrome, Katja Kovacic, M.D. at Children’s Wisconsin, is forming a new technology. According to the hospital, Auricular Neurostimulation is an innovative and non-pharmacological alternative to medicines used to treat functional GI disorders in kids.

This technology involves attaching a small battery unit with four electrodes to the back of the ear with adhesives. This non-invasive process delivers 3.2 volts of alternating frequencies to the ear without any severe side effects.

6.    CHAMP App

Simplify control at home with this cutting-edge technology assisted by a PC or a tablet. The CHAMP app on your device works to treat children born with a single-heart defect in the ventricle. It is powerfully tailored for families to utilize inter-stage monitoring. The family and medical authorities can monitor the oxygen saturation level of the infants, their food intake, etc., and manage healthcare remotely.

7.    Congenital heart disease treatment with Renata Medical

Children born with congenital heart diseases require getting implants that are either off-label or not suitable for pediatrics. It leads them to undergo several surgeries through different phases of life. Renata Medical aims to treat this condition at the beginning through the adjustable stent device that will row with the patient. It’s initially 2 mm or even less while implantation at birth, which gets to 20 mm as the person grows.

8.    Rehabilitation Technology

There’s EEG monitoring of brain activity during rehabilitation that identifies the most therapeutic interventions for the patients minimally responsive after brain injury. Powered wheelchairs are available for young children of two years. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions can get conducted through virtual reality gaming.

Bottom Line

These innovations show that pediatric care is taking more than baby steps to make the procedure to healthy life for children quick, more comfortable, and better.