First Discussion Topic:
A medical technology that is predicted for future use are nano-
robots, or nanobots. Nanobots would be used for different aspects of
biomedicine, diagnosing cancer, and delivering drugs (Moore, 2021).
One challenge that is raised with this technology is ethics. Due to the
robots being “programmable living robots made from living, organic
tissue”, this is a concern at an ethical level (Moore, 2021). In order to
use living cells for these nanobots, these cells must be harvested
from a living creature, which brings up many ethical concerns.
On the other hand, nanobots are also full of opportunities for the
future. These robots may be able to aid in clean-up by removing
microplastics and other toxins and radioactive particles from the
ocean (Moore, 2021). Another opportunity for these nanobots is for
human use for drug delivery and also for repairing damaged cells and
tissues in the body (Moore, 2021).
The second medical technology predicted for future use is cryogenic
sleep. Cryogenic sleep would be used to keep a body at a very low
temperature, allowing the body’s metabolism to be at the lowest
functioning level it can be at (Porter, 2021). This would allow for the
body to remain functioning, especially with the vital organs, putting
the person into a sort of “hibernation-like state” (Porter, 2021). One
challenge with this technology is ethics. Due to this being used
mainly on humans, having human trials are not ethically sound
(Porter, 2021). It is also a challenge because there is very little
research on this topic, making it difficult to put this technology into
any research or testing phases (Porter, 2021).
There are many opportunities that cryogenic sleep could provide.
The first is for work in space for astronauts to be able to withstand
environments that otherwise would cause harm to a human body
(Porter, 2021). Another opportunity to use cryogenic sleep would be
in the medical field where the body would be put in this state until a
cure for their disease has been found (Porter, 2021).
Second Discussion Topic:
When diagnosing or treating a patient, there are many options that a
physician must sift through. There are many factors that affect how a
patient is treated, depending on the clinician, different tests
available, and whether or not the ailment was correctly diagnosed in
the first place (Horvath, 2009). The patient may have higher chances
of receiving a better diagnosis if the clinician does the correct testing
and treatments (Horvath, 2009). There are many recommendations
and guidelines set in place for clinicians to follow to try to rule out
illnesses so that the treatment is as precise as possible (Horvath,
2009). There are always cases that do not follow guidelines and
require alternate means of intervention, but for the most part,
patients can receive the same care as someone else with the same
disease.
If the problem is accurately diagnosed, it is less likely that there is a
better cure. The best outcome for a patient will result if the clinician
picks the most accurate treatment course for the disease (Horvath,
2009). Tests are not always accurate, and clinicians need to make
sure that they are not causing the patient “more harm than good”
(Horvath, 2009).
Horvath, A. (2009). Grading quality of evidence and strength of
recommendations for diagnostic tests and strategies. American
Association of Clinical Chemistry.
https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/55/5/853/5629289
Moore, S. (2021). An overview of nanobots and the most recent
developments. AZO Nano. https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?
ArticleID=5761
Porter, L. (2021). What is cryogenic sleep and will it ever be a
thing? Dreams. https://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/will-
cryogenic-sleep-ever-thing
