2024-02-15 21:19:05
Interview with Dr. Joseph Schwab, Director of the Center for Surgical Engineering and Innovation at Cedars-Sinai
Imagine a world where the digital watch on your wrist monitors not only the number of steps you take, but also your blood sugar, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. The watch then automatically sends a personalized snapshot of your health to your doctor, alerting you to the first signs of illness.
This scenario might become a reality in the near future, according to the Dr. Joseph Schwabdirector of the Center for Cedars-Sinai Surgical Engineering and Innovationwhich leads innovative research into wearable medical technologies.
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Schwabalso director of Cedars-Sinai Orthopedic Surgery Spinal Oncologywill present the latest trends in its research on wearable medical technology during the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual MeetingWhat will be celebrated in San Francisco from February 12 to 16. During the conference, Schwab will also participate in the President’s Symposium and will share his knowledge regarding Generative artificial intelligence (AI)as ChatGPTwill also discuss the medical privacy issues these technologies can raise.
How is your laboratory different from other research centers?
My co-director, Dr. Hamid Ghaednia, is a mechanical engineer and our lab is unique in that it is heavily engineering-based. Much of what we do every day is build things. Instead of test tubes and microscopes, we have lathes and band saws. We have several 3D printers and an entire room dedicated to electronics, where we solder devices. The engineering expertise of the research team is a key differentiator, and our clinical and engineering partnership is distinctive to what we do. We not only have the equipment, but also the technical know-how that comes with it.
What innovations are you working on?
We focus on wearable devices. The consumer wearables on the market are basically motion trackers. They may have an accelerometer or gyroscope that simply measures position or movement to record steps and other data. What we do is different, because our devices send energy – in the form of light, electrical energy and sound – to the tissues, and we can measure that energy as it leaves the tissue and deduce things based on how the energy was affected by the tissue.
For example, when you go to the doctor and they put a reflex hammer on your knee to check for a reflex reaction, they are only able to identify the presence or absence of the reflex. Instead, the wearable devices we are developing can quantify reflex response: how long it takes to respond, the strength of the response, etc. We can give a very specific numerical connotation to this data, which we hope will translate into better diagnoses.
We are one of the few research centers in the country where we can identify a clinical need, discuss it, propose a possible solution, build it and begin testing it, all in the same center.
How is AI used in your work?
The sensors in our wearable devices receive an incredible amount of energy data following it has traveled through tissue, requiring advanced computing power to interpret it. In essence, AI is nothing more than that: highly advanced mathematics and computer programming. We use AI to interpret the data captured and correlate it with clinical problems.
Aside from our wearable technologies, we can also use AI to make smaller-scale predictions for use in clinical practice, such as interpreting electronic health data. For example, a patient may be considering undergoing a procedure with a 5% complication risk for the general population; However, if we use AI to interpret her personal information, we can know that her individual risk of complication is closer to 25%. This might greatly influence her decision making. These types of more accurate predictions are a form of personalized medicine.
Who can benefit from these new technologies?
These technologies can truly benefit the entire medical spectrum. Patients whose health data is analyzed might receive more personalized care. They might be targeted with more precise tests to get an accurate diagnosis and personalized treatments, for example, and might ultimately have better outcomes.
There is even the possibility that it will positively impact medical payers and insurance companies by making the right treatment decisions and thus reducing healthcare expenses. There are many opportunities and advantages.
Where do you see this field going in the next five to ten years?
In my opinion, it won’t be long before we stop using the terms artificial intelligence and machine learning because they will be embedded in everything we do, running in the background as common practice. It will stop being a mystery.
As far as wearable technologies go, I believe they will become part of the expected process of medical evaluations. These devices offer the opportunity to learn much more than would be obtained from a basic physical examination, and the data can be obtained before the patient even goes to the doctor. A medical appointment can be much more accurate and efficient when the provider has already been able to review and interpret the data collected.
Wearable technology and the integration of AI into healthcare consumption and delivery will only grow over time, and I think people will become very comfortable and start to trust these devices in a positive way.
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