This is like having a personal trainer in the room with you.  It costs just $24.95 and is basically a fully customizable workout tool that speaks the workout back to you.  No more straining to see the screen, or following a DVD that frankly you are bored to tears with.  The brains behind the app, Joe Klingler was one such person who found that he struggled to find what he wanted with his Yoga practice, with his weight training and with his pre-ski workouts, and he had the know how to do something about it.

The voice, known as Alex is the Apple text to speech application, which makes hearing instructions a breeze.  Clearly sensible precautions need to be taken as this personal trainer can’t interrupt poor technique, so ensuring your patients are physically fit enough and understand the risks is paramount.  There has been some concern that the voice may intrude on a peaceful Yoga session as Alex does take some getting used to.  However we feel that most people will learn to adapt, especially when they can concoct a workout that best suits their needs, something we haven’t found with many other applications.

Sadly this isn’t going to be any benefit to those patients who use Window’s based systems, and whether this will ever be available is unknown. However for Mac based users we have to say that this is a natty little app that does encourage fitness so physician prescribed or not we think it will be a hit.

Called the Procedures Consult Mobile – which isn’t the most user friendly name we have ever heard, the app can be downloaded in iPhone and Android form.  This app will be an excellent tool for students and experienced health care professionals alike, and features fantastically clear diagrams and images which explain each of the 300 procedures offered by the app.  The beauty of course is the fact that this is on your phone which means you can access it wherever you happen to be, even if you do not have time to get to a computer to access information over the internet.

Procedures are grouped into categories for ease of searching, and these are sold as modular downloads, costing about $40 each, so not the cheapest but certainly money well spent. The full product comes it at $280 as there are 7 modules. As a bonus there is a specific category and module for the medical student which will be a real boon for those training.  It could be the perfect tool for the teaching hospital, will definitely be on the wish lists of the impoverished students and, we imagine, popular with experienced surgeons alike.

For many years now glass and mercury thermometers have become museum pieces, replaced by digital thermometers that take readings from the ear or forehead.  A step forward in cross infection control they feature single use filters to prevent the spread of illness from one patient to another, however they still need to touch the patient to work.  The new technology is slightly pricey compared to existing technology but we don’t think that will put users off.

Sanomedics, a Miami based firm, have now unveiled the first hand held non-contact thermometer that needs to be held two inches from the forehead of the patient, or 2 inches behind the ear, and can give an accurate reading in just one second.  The digital display shows the temperature in whichever scale you choose, and the built in voice chips also speaks the reading.

Coming in both a home version for parents, and a professional version for medical staff we can see that this will be an instant and massive hit.  Perfect for home when you want to closely monitor a sick child but don’t want to risk waking them from much needed healing sleep, and the voice means it can be used without having to put lights on again waking the child.  In hospital in just scores so many brownie points for infection control and ease of use that we are sure all hospitals and surgeries will be queuing to get them.

Still very much in the early stages, the team working at Tel Aviv University have developed a biometric chip that can potentially build on the current deep brain stimulation techniques already used, but prevent the potential over stimulation that can happen at present.  Currently the treatment is given continuously regardless of whether it is needed or not.

The use of this Rehabilitation Nano Chip (ReNaChip) would mean that electrodes implanted into the scalp can be connected with wires on the outside of head to the chip, which will then only administer the electrical stimulation when needed and take breaks as appropriate.  This means that the patient would not be receiving treatment when sleeping and, in the case of a severe epileptic, only begin treatment as the brain displays warning signs that a seizure is imminent.

Currently the equipment worn by the patient is externally visible, and the team also hope one day to be able to make the chip so small it can be etched onto the electrode thus doing away with the need for wires and boxes located elsewhere on the patients body.  The new research could certainly revolutionize the prognosis for brain disease patients and bring new hope to them and their families.

Currently only available in the Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Washington areas, it is hoped to be able to take this online booking system all state wide, and potentially world wide.  Getting an appointment with a doctor can be nightmarish for patients, they are generally below par, feeling ill, the last thing they want to do is deal with a barrage of receptionist staff, especially the ones that want you to ‘Have a nice day’ when all you want to do is crawl back to bed.

This online app required no human interaction, and allows potential or existing patients to search for an appointment at a time that suits them.  For those knowing who they want to see they can simply navigate through the the correct diary and book accordingly.  For those who may be looking for a new physician, searching is simple, enter the speciality of the doctor or dentist add the zip code or state and away you go.

The software also checks if the provider accepts the health plan held by the patient, leaving them simply able to browse available appointments and select to suit.  Other patients are able to leave feedback about the health care professional which helps with confidence levels when seeking someone new to entrust your healthcare to.  A growing website that has the potential to be the only way we book our medical appointments. If you are not already on there as a physician and are in one of the areas listed, we suggest you pop over and have a look around.

The work is currently focusing on cardiac cases, and will use CT scan images which at present do not give enough information, and compare with information about the coronary health obtained in a traditional autopsy with the hope of being able to virtually assemble the same information, and therefore rule out the need for that area of autopsy.

Angiograms and CT scans will be used on cadavers, after which a traditional autopsy will be carried out on the heart.  Scientists need to understand what images appear on these screens that signify conditions such as coronary heart disease which currently we cannot diagnosis with a CT scan.  Clearly this also changes the workload of the medical staff performing autopsies and potentially gives them more time to investigate issues in more detail.

Clearly this is just the tip of the iceberg and potentially leaves the door open to other less invasive investigative procedures to be able to replace autopsy in other areas of the body, with the long term aim of being able to complete the whole process without the need for a scalpel at all.

The new test, hail as a ‘lab on a chip’ looks set to revolutionize the way HIV testing can be carried out, and the low cost element means that this is the perfect solution for health care workers desperately trying to make progress in resource poor areas.  Clearly even for the wealthier areas of the world, saving money on testing is going to be appealing too,so this new device has global appeal.

It works on a similar basis to the disposable general blood test we introduced some months back, but specifically targets the cells that can show the HIV virus, T cells.  Basically antibodies are placed on the slide to create the test, as it is known that the T cells will bind to those antibodies if the virus is present.  The cell count can then be done up to 12 times faster than current testing methods and all at a fraction of the cost.  Developing scientist Professor Alexander Revzin and his team at UCLA believe that this test will soon be able to be released to the global medical profession.

One of the first users of the product is a spinal cord injury patient, who says that the Rex (Robotic Exoskeleton) has changed his life back to virtually normal after 5 years as a wheel chair user.  The patient must be able to lever themselves to sitting on the platform of the ‘legs’ and then strap them to their own legs, at three points, plus the foot and waist braces.  Rex can then be controlled by a joystick located on the arm rest extensions. Movements are at best slow and jerky, but for long term wheel chair users this has to be a breakthrough.  Currently the unit only available in the developing country, New Zealand, costs $150,000 and patients must be onsite for proper fitting and training, however this is going to be extended to more countries in the near future.

The legs are rechargeable and will currently run for 2 hours of active use before needing to be charged again. Unfortunately for some potential users there are height, weight and frame size restrictions, plus the appropriate level of upper body strength, but the medical benefits of having the body upright again rather than sat down are tremendous.  Reports of better circulation leading to quicker healing times, less susceptibility to bladder infections due to less pressure and cramping, plus an overall well being of less aches and pains.  We think these have massive potential and are going to be watching progress with much interest.

Working in a similar way to other social media sites, we invite health professionals to register and create an online profile for themselves.  There are many powerful features to help you comprehensively report yourself, mapping software allows you to show your base and image handling means you can add pictures.  Add information about your career, you specialities, your qualifications and the hospitals you work out of and within moments you have an in depth marketing tool that can promote you in a whole new way.  You will also find our blog area bringing you up to the moment news of developments, both technological and medical, that could affect you directly.

In the same way as general social networking sites, you can then get on with building your personal network.  Make contacts with others in your area, offer your services to someone seeking knowledge, the possibilities are endless but the specific nature of the site means you will be learning and developing in a professional capacity as well as socializing  – bonus. Just when you thought that was the end of it, Dr Connected offers you another layer and pretty soon you will struggle to remember how you existed without us!  Currently, although we can only offer the service in the US and Canada, Dr Connected is also a powerful online application to manage your office needs.  Think marketing, think PR, think communications then yes, you guessed it – you need to think Dr Connected.  Please let us know if you are waiting for this application in your country. We are expanding all the time and currently testing and customizing, but if you drop us a line we can update you further.

If lead scientist Dimitris Papamichail and his team are successful then we many never have to suffer again as we did last year during the Swine Flu epidemic.  Called SAVE (Synthetic Attenuated Virus Engineering) the process harnesses algorithms to design a significantly weakened form of a new flu and use this as a live vaccine.  The virus is weakened by changing the genetic code of the disease, and the computer is able to show where the changes should be made for the best effects.

Clearly a way to combat the annual worldwide flu suffering would be widely welcomed, however this will only be the tip of the iceberg.  The technology, once proven reliable, can be harnessed to treat any virus in the same way and has the potential to be one of the biggest medical breakthroughs of the century.  Keep a look out for more information.