Mircotechnologies in the Hospital
- pdf version of the abstract

Abstract:
Cardiovascular diseases have been and continue to be the number one cause of hospitalization in the United States and the number one cause of death in the world. In recent years, devices based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microsystems technologies (MST) are being used alongside traditional diagnostic, pharmaceutical and surgical treatments to improve patient care. In some cases, new modalities and approaches to treating cardiovascular disease have been implemented as a result of these new devices. The seminar will present the typical patient flow in an American hospital in response to an acute coronary syndrome (possible heart attack) and present two examples of how patient flow within the hospital has changed over the last decade as new microtechnology-based devices have been approved for use in the United States and shown their effectiveness using evidence-based medicine.