Philips Introduces Camera Pill For Digestive Disorders

Would You Take a Camera Pill?

November 13, 2008

I'd need more than a spoonful of sugar to help gulp down the camera pill that Philips is introducing. The smart pill would be taken with water and, once inside, would release a targeted amount of medicine.

I'm not cavalier about things I'll ingest, but if my doctor said it was cool, I think I'd be intrigued to swallow it. So far, it's just for digestive disorders, but can you imagine where this could go?

Would you be afraid to take a camera pill, or would it be just another prescription to swallow?

19 Comments

Talldiva45 4 years 26 weeks

I am going to have to do this anyways - they have had these for a while and my doctor told my I would have to do it about two years ago because I have Chrohns/Celiac diseases (intestional disorders). Nothing new to me - if it helps doctors find out what's harming me and keeps me from being in horrible emergency room pain I am all for it. I just hope that it doesn't get into the wrong hands!

graylen 4 years 27 weeks

After a colonoscopy experience, I'd swallow that sucker in a heartbeat.

sparklestar 4 years 27 weeks

Maybe.

sparklestar 4 years 27 weeks

Maybe.

verily 4 years 27 weeks

Caryatid, what goes in...must eventually come out. ;)

eckeltricity 4 years 27 weeks

Hmm, wonder how much it costs?

karlotta 4 years 27 weeks

Are you kidding? That's so exciting! I'd love to take a smart pill - and I absolutely did NOT say that before they inserted a 20 foot long tube up my butt. Worst. Experience. Ever.

Merlin713 4 years 27 weeks

A colonoscopy or endoscopy are both not bad. The prep for the colonoscopy is the worst thing ever as said above. I've had them all a couple times now. It's better if the doctors can go in and remove something suspicious right away than having to take this pill and go remove something later.

margokhal 4 years 27 weeks

I'd much rather do this than have to go to tons of doctors and procedures to find out what's wrong. The only thing I'm wary about is the "smart" side of the pill, release of the medication. That's a little weird, and seems like there would be some room for error.

margokhal 4 years 27 weeks

wnabkaet 4 years 27 weeks

While it can be used as an alternative for colonscopy, it is more commonly used to visualize areas of the small bowel and colon unable to be seen by traditional means. For cost and time reasons they are more likely to perform a colonscopy before trying the smart pill for diagnostic purposes... Speaking as a nurse, and as someone with a history of GI issues and having had a colonscopy in the past, I would much prefer the smart pill. Honestly, there isn't many elective things worse than a 24 hour bowel prep.

wnabkaet 4 years 27 weeks

julieulie 4 years 27 weeks

Lindserelli, a colonoscopy is actually much better than swallowing a camera. If you do a colonscopy the traditional way, if a polyp is found, they can remove it immediately. If you swallow a camera and they find a polyp or a suspicious patch, then you have to go through the prep all over again and go back and have the colonscopy AGAIN so they can remove the polyp. Why not just do it the traditional way the first time around so you only have to do it once?While they are marketing cameras for that, it's not an intelligent decision. People are scared of colonoscopies, but if something is wrong, you have to go through it all over again. These cameras are much better used for diagnosis of other conditions.

julieulie 4 years 27 weeks

Lindserelli, a colonoscopy is actually much better than swallowing a camera. If you do a colonscopy the traditional way, if a polyp is found, they can remove it immediately. If you swallow a camera and they find a polyp or a suspicious patch, then you have to go through the prep all over again and go back and have the colonscopy AGAIN so they can remove the polyp. Why not just do it the traditional way the first time around so you only have to do it once? While they are marketing cameras for that, it's not an intelligent decision. People are scared of colonoscopies, but if something is wrong, you have to go through it all over again. These cameras are much better used for diagnosis of other conditions.

sihaya212 4 years 27 weeks

I had a similar pill. It was an acid reflux monitor, about the same size. They attach it to your esophagus and it eventually falls off and makes its way through. It caused me some discomfort, but it wasn't that bad.

lindserelli 4 years 27 weeks

Swallowing a camera pill would definitely beat a colonoscopy.

vivaciousv1114 4 years 27 weeks

I've heard of this before. If this was something that would help with my health or save my life, absolutely. It seems like a really cool idea actually. As long as I don't have to retrieve the camera later, I'm totally cool with it. :D

wnabkaet 4 years 27 weeks

This really isn't anything new... for a long time now they have been using the same kind of technology to measure pressures in the gastrointestinal tract and take pictures a long the way. It's used as an alternative to endoscopy for patients with motility issues or other GI issues. The pill does it's job and is excreted through the feces and flushed.

caryatid 4 years 27 weeks

what happens to it after you swallow it and it does its job?? do you take it back in for refills? Retrieving the pill isn't really something I want to have to do...

Link Love

19 Comments

You Might Also Like