Not all technology is computer, I want to highlight some of the tech that is helping to improve lives. Tom Foremski posted this article on ZDNet. I have been a beneficiary of a heart catheter a few times. i found it amazing what today’s medicine can do without cutting into you.
This procedure, developed by Robert Goldman of Vascular Designs is also amazing. Instead of treating heart disease though his catheter treats tumors.
His company just won FDA approval to sell this medical device that could save the lives of countless terminally ill cancer patients. He developed the product trying to save his sister. Unfortunately, he didn’t do it quick enough for her.
He did however succeed in an area he knew absolutely nothing about when he started.
In the late 1990s after Mr Goldman had sold key intellectual property that gave him enough money that he didn’t need to work anymore. But he wasn’t able to enjoy it, because of his sister’s illness and his desire to help her.
He found that in 1987, an Italian study showed successful treatment of tumors by the application of chemotherapy directly into the tumors. But there appeared to be no follow-up to that study.
He came up with an idea that if you could make a catheter small enough, you could thread it through a patient’s blood vessels and directly into the tumor’s feeder. It would then be able to direct chemotherapy straight into the tumor.
Of course, there is a lot more to the story. Read it here.
One important thing to point out was that Robert was driven to this mission by a very personal reason: his sister.
These breakthroughs came out of his attempt to help save the life of his sister who was diagnosed with terminal illness. From what he learned he realized it could go on to help many others who have cancer.
You’ve assisted my understanding on the subject which is usually a hard to tackle subject, and not a lot of people can do this with the ease that you seem to. Thank you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyuUyN5RVTI