When someone has a heart attack, it’s crucial that they receive treatment as soon as possible. Emergency medical technicians, however, are limited in how detailed of an on-the-spot diagnosis they can make of a patient’s condition. This means that actual treatment often has to wait until they get the patient to a hospital. That could be changing, however, as a scientist with GE Global Research is now looking into the use of “microbubbles” as a mobile means of imaging the heart and possibly even treating it.
The bubbles that biologist Jason Castle is working with are described as “tiny gas-filled spheres the size of red bloods cells.” Delivered through an ordinary IV, they can travel through the bloodstream to the heart – or anywhere else.
via Gizmag
