[thedoc]

We discover a diagnostics development unit resembling that of a star-trek sick bay to monitor many aspects of your body at once...
Read a transcript of the interview by clicking here

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[CliffordK]

I think there were a few less wires in the Star Trek sickbay!!!

But, obviously technology is changing.  Every ER patient is now routinely connected to an EKG, Pulse-OX monitor, and automatic BP cuff, all with alarms and central monitoring.  And, I can imagine more real-time testing and monitoring being added to patient rooms in the future.

Of course in Star Trek, they just waved a tricorder in front of a patient to immediately assess all vital information.  And surgery and injections were done without penetrating the skin.

I could imagine that a CAT scan or MRI might become a routine part of future admissions.  And a computer could potentially do a better retina scan than a doctor is able to do, as well as saving images for future reference. 

Some of the new MRI machines are much less tube-like than those in the past, but they are still a bit bulkier than the Star Trek scanners.



I could imagine bedside labs becoming routine.  Patients with a catheter should have accurate real-time monitoring of kidney function, WBC, and bacteria, without ordering labs. 

Blood may still need to be taken, but wouldn't it be nice to get instant analytical results.

[evan_au]

If in future everyone were fitted with a biochip which continually analysed the blood, and did a DNA analysis on anything odd it saw floating around....  then the tricorder would only need a wireless receiver to pick up a patient's vital signs (and many not-so-vital signs).

A non-contact pathology lab!