Diagnostic devices

A new study has proposed that a simple retina scan could indicate whether a person is at risk of early death. The research found the greater the gap between a person’s chronological age and retinal age the higher their risk of dying.

Genome sequencing can determine whether a patient’s illness is genetic, but results usually take weeks. A new ultra-rapid technique can sequence a person’s genome and diagnose genetic diseases in just a few hours, earning it a Guinness World Record.

Having your blood pressure measured via an arm cuff can be stressful, potentially causing that pressure to be higher than normal when the reading is taken. A new finger clip, however, is promised to make the process quicker and easier for patients.

Although digital body-temperature thermometers may be easier to read than their analog counterparts, there's always the chance that their battery will go flat. That's where the BCool comes in, as you just give it a few shakes to power it up.

MRI is a powerful diagnostic tool, but the size and cost limits where it can be used. A compact, affordable new MRI system uses a much smaller magnetic field and doesn’t require shielding, and is still able to diagnose brain disorders in patients.

Jaundice affects about 60 percent of newborn babies, and can sometimes lead to hearing loss or brain damage. It's therefore important to detect and treat the condition as soon as possible, which is just what a new camera-based system is made to do.

New research has used an in-ear sensor to monitor COVID-19 patients at home, transmitting vital signs in real-time to doctors who evaluated the need for hospital treatment, often admitting the patients before they even noticed their condition decline.

Researchers in the US have found changes to electrical activity in the heart can help predict which hospitalized COVID-19 patients are more likely to decline and die. The biomarker is easily measurable and may predict death several days in advance.

When someone is suffering from a skin disease, diagnostic devices are often used to determine what disease it is, and how it's progressing. A new adhesive patch could make doing so quicker and easier than ever – and it's inspired by a diving beetle.

The earlier cancer is detected, the better. MIT scientists have developed a diagnostic system that can be performed as a urine test to detect the presence of cancer, and if a positive is returned, a follow-up test can locate where it is in the body.

Presently, if a doctor suspects that a patient has a bacterial infection, that person has to provide a fluid sample that is sent off to a lab for analysis. A new device, however, could allow such samples to be analyzed on the spot, within minutes.

Scientists at Japan's Nagoya University have demonstrated how brain tumors might be detected far earlier, leading to better outcomes for patients, through a simple urine test that has shown high accuracy in early experiments.