Cleveland Clinic Lists Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010

Tags: Cleveland Clinic | medical innovation

A panel at the Cleveland Clinic selected 10 innovations from a list of 100 nominated by 60 doctors at the clinic. The winning innovations, elected last year, are ones that could have a direct patient benefit or enhance healthcare delivery and they had to be on the market or close to being introduced.

1. Bone conduction of sound for single-sided deafness. This removable hearing and communication device is designed to imperceptibly transmit sound via the teeth.
2. Low-volume, low-pressure tracheal tube cuff. This device reduces the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia and death in the hospital ICU.
3. Continuous-flow ventricular assist devices. These three-ounce devices, surgically attached next to the heart, can take over the heart's pumping ability.
4. Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants. An alternative to warfarin that provides a safer, more convenient way to prevent blood-clot formation.
5. Fertility preservation through oocyte cryopreservation. This technology allows a healthy woman's eggs to be safely frozen and stored.
6. Exercising to improve motor function in Parkinson's patients. Pedaling at 90 rpm on a tandem bike can dramatically improve motor functioning for these patients.
7. Outpatient diagnosis of sleep-related breathing disorders. An at-home sleep-monitoring device for assessing sleep-related breathing disorders.
8. Oral TPO to stimulate platelet production. This thrombopoeitin receptor agonist stimulates production of cells in bone marrow that form platelet cells in the blood.
9. Device for occluding left atrial appendage to reduce stroke risk. An alternative to long-term warfarin use, it stops clots from developing in those with atrial fibrillation.
10. Whole-slide imaging for managing digital data. Software that creates high-quality digital pathology slides that can be stored and analyzed on a Web site.

Read the Cleveland Clinic's list of top 2010 medical innovations.