5 TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE TREATMENT OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES - SCIENCE - 2024

Respiratory diseases are those that affect the lungs or other organs of the respiratory system. They cause difficulty or inability to breathe in those who suffer them.

In extreme conditions or if the appropriate treatments are not applied, they can cause the death of the patient. The most common are asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, rhinitis, or obstructive pulmonary disease.

As some of these diseases are chronic, patients need daily treatments to keep them alive. This is why medicine and science have worked together for many years.

As a consequence, some technological advances helped create the artificial respirator, oxygen tanks, inhalers and respiratory assistants connected to the nervous system, as well as the improvement of techniques in lung transplantation.

Technological advances in the treatment of respiratory diseases

Artificial respirators

Respirators or artificial ventilators are those mechanisms designed to introduce and extract air from the lungs. It is used when the respiratory system of a person is not able to perform this task on its own.

They are also used in specific situations where the respiratory system does not have to be damaged. For example, during operations in which the patient is anesthetized.

Oxygen tanks

They are portable assisted breathing mechanisms. The size and capacity vary depending on the needs of the person using it.

In addition to serving as a respirator for those with respiratory diseases, it is also used in sports such as climbing or scuba diving. It is an option that allows the patient to move around and leave the house while receiving assisted respiration.

Inhalers

They are small mechanisms that deliver drugs in the form of powder particles. They are used in diseases such as asthma, where patients do not need permanent assisted respiration.

Being small, it can be carried in a bag, backpack or even pocket to use it when convenient. It helps to stop asthmatic attacks that, otherwise, can compromise the patient's life.

It is also used for the treatment of chronic obstructive diseases of the respiratory system other than asthma.

Respiratory assistants connected to the nervous system

It is one of the most innovative advances in the field of technology applied to assisted breathing. These are mechanisms connected to the patient's nervous system that help them breathe.

In this case, it is the brain that sends the orders to the machine to request the supply of air when necessary.

Improving techniques in lung transplants

Lung transplants, like those of any other vital organ, are prescribed as an extreme solution for the treatment of complex ailments.

In the case of the respiratory system, it is indicated to treat different types of fibrosis, lung diseases such as cancer or pulmonary hypertension.

In recent decades, surgical techniques have improved thanks to the auxiliary use of technology in operating rooms. Thus, incubators are used that keep the lungs in good condition for a longer period of time before transplantation.

This is due to the fragility of these organs and the little life they have once outside the human body.

References

1. Chronic respiratory diseases on World Health Organization, at www.who.int.
2. Lung: Diseases overview on Web MD, at webmd.com.
3. Respiratory Technology on The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, at respitech.org.
4. Respiratory Health Technology on Community College of Philadelphia, at ccp.edu.
5. Lung transplant on NHS, at nhs.uk.