Making the impossible possible

A pacemaker the size of a large vitamin is “listening” as blood flows from the heart’s upper chamber to the lower chamber. When it detects the correct vibration, the tiny, wireless device sends an electronic signal to the lower chamber to sync it with the upper chamber, keeping the heart beating as it should. Two decades ago, such technology sounded like science fiction. Yet today, it is unlocking the world’s most complex operating system — the human body. By using tools like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and predictive modeling, we are creating a bold new era in personalized medicine, one where technology makes healthcare more efficient, accessible, and equitable. We have seen the future, and it is distinctly digital.

跟随你的心

对于大多数心脏病患者而言，经常进行医疗任命是生活的事实。但是，对于那些拥有蓝牙的起搏器和手机上的应用程序的人来说，遵守远程监控方案比以往任何时候都容易。该系统及其与更好的临床结果的联系正在赢得患者和医生的荣誉 - 著名的克利夫兰诊所刚刚称为智能手机相关的起搏器one of the top 10 medical innovations of 2021。

Big data, big results

“Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity.” – Nikola Tesla, electrical engineer and inventor

如果石油是定义过去几个世纪的商品，那么数据是将塑造下一个的资源。在Medtronic，我们正在使用AI和机器学习来筛选数据山，并开发下一代的传感技术来为神经刺激器，起搏器，胰岛素泵和手术工具提供动力。Our smart devices are designed to be smaller, work faster, and help physicians tailor care对于前所未有的患者。例如，我们的深脑刺激（DBS）系统是同类系统中的第一个具有感知和记录大脑信号的能力，同时为与帕金森氏病，基本震颤，肌张力障碍，癫痫或强迫症相关的神经系统疾病的患者提供治疗障碍（OCD）。当我们看到不太遥不可及的未来时，我们看到了一个DBS系统，该系统可以感知大脑信号并自动调整刺激以优化患者的治疗。想象一下，无需任何干预措施，实时缓解患者。我们可以。

建立“数字双胞胎”

我们无法预测未来。但结合计算机模型和现实世界数据，我们的工程师构建了设备的虚拟表示或“数字双胞胎”，以预测他们在各种情况下如何在人体中做出反应。该测试能力有助于创建最有效的医疗技术。Medtronic杰出的科学家马克·帕尔默（Mark Palmer）解释说：“当我们将（对设备）和患者数据的机械理解汇总在一起时，我们就会获得有关该设备和患者如何共存的更完整的了解。”

连接的技术减轻了担忧

“医疗技术的一些最大进步目前正在Medtronic展开。”- Medtronic董事长兼首席执行官Geoff Martha

The pressures of parenting begin the day your child is born. When that child is living with a chronic disease like Type 1 diabetes, the concern is only amplified. When Medtronic first introduced the hybrid closed loop system for Type 1 diabetes — which combines insulin pump therapy with continuous glucose monitoring — patients found peace of mind they hadn’t known before.Recently approved for use in patients as young as 2,最新系统还提供智能手机连接，为患者和护理人员提供定期更新和警报。对于依靠每日多次注射（MDI）的糖尿病患者，连接护理的力量现在也是他们的, as a result of the integration of our continuous glucose monitoring system with the only smart insulin pen cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Now, patients can view up-to-date glucose readings and dosage information on a single app.

Live more, worry less

卡洛斯曾经每两个小时醒来一次检查女儿的胰岛素水平。但是，在她改用Medtronic胰岛素泵系统后，整个家庭晚上睡得更好。该系统由高级算法提供动力，根据女儿的需求自动提供胰岛素。白天或黑夜，卡洛斯可以依靠泵来帮助保持她的安全。“这项技术是惊人的。有了它，我们可以更多地专注于成为一个家庭，而不是她的糖尿病。”

New tech, new frontiers

“我们新的机器人辅助手术平台旨在为外科医生，医院和我们工作的中心重点提供最有意义的解决方案。”- Medtronic手术机器人技术总裁Megan Rosengarten

Already, robots help deliver our packages and clean our homes. Making hard-to-reach places more accessible, robotic systems are likely to become operating room essentials, too. While they don’t replace the expertise of surgeons, our currentrobotic-assisted surgery (RAS) technologies旨在使外科医生在复杂的脊柱和颅骨手术中无与伦比的访问和精度。为了将RAS的好处扩展到其他外科专业，我们正在开发一个新的平台，用于最低侵入性手术，将机器人技术与下一代计算，可视化和AI结合在一起。模块化系统旨在为临床医生提供一种新的方式，以提供更可预测的，标准化但个性化的患者护理。

Surgical training, on demand

当外科医生退休时，他们的医院失去了多年的宝贵专业知识。但是，如果可以保留这些知识来教下一代外科医生怎么办？最近被Medtronic收购数字手术has digitized more than 200 surgical simulations across nearly 20 specialties. Its mobile app, Touch Surgery™, is used by more than 2.5 million surgeons worldwide and is widely considered a cornerstone of 21st century medical education and training.

如果您不能分享技术，那么技术有什么好处？

尽管医疗保健的未来令人兴奋，但它也是无可否认的复杂的。为了浏览这种不断变化的景观，医疗保健领导者必须共同努力，以确保医疗技术最需要的患者。在19日大流行期间，我们分享了我们的呼吸机之一的设计规格with anyone who wanted them. And when Elon Musk called to ask how he could help,我们与他在SpaceX的团队联手to make a critical ventilator component, the proportional solenoid (PSOL) valve. We know the pandemic will end someday, but a collaborative spirit must always prevail.

诊断，送到您家门口

从礼物到杂货，shoppers count on Amazon to deliver life’s essentials to their door。患者也重视医疗保健方面的便利性，因此我们正在与亚马逊合作制定一项试点计划，以进行家庭诊断程序。配备了微型相机的可观胶囊直接交付给患者，有助于识别诸如铁缺乏症（IDA）和克罗恩病等疾病。数据被转移到云中，GI医生下载视频以告知诊断。

Technology has evolved, and so have we

Predicting the future is never easy, but here’s what we do know: pioneering new technologies will lead us to a better tomorrow. At Medtronic, our engineers and scientists are among the brightest minds in the world and are working together in new ways to unlock and accelerate the potential the latest digital technologies hold. We may not know what the future holds just yet, but we’re committed to building a better way forward, starting now.

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