MIT researchers have developed a portable monitor that helps patients track their white blood cell count and could “eliminate 50% of hospitalizations” in cancer cases. While many infections in chemotherapy patients could be prevented simply by monitoring the white blood cell count, doctors currently lack a system to accurately assess these levels before and after treatment. The PointCheck is an optics-based device “that can see through the skin and count white blood cells as they flow past a miniature lens.” For the moment, PointCheck remains an investigational device.
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