Blogs
Perspectives on Robots in the OR - Michael Berthelot
April 29, 2013 11:57 am | by Michael Berthelot, CEO and President, Pro-Dex Inc. | Pro-Dex | CommentsWill the OR of the future see robots completely replace human surgeons? While there are some ways in which robots can replace human involvement during surgery, it’s unlikely that robots will completely replace human surgeons. This is because human intuition, reasoning, and experience will continue to be invaluable.
Perspectives on Robots in the OR - A.J. Smith
April 26, 2013 2:41 pm | by A.J. Smith, Director of Product Marketing, Honeywell Sensing and Control | Honeywell Sensing And Control | CommentsWill the OR of the future see robots completely replace human surgeons? Robotic technologies combined with improved sensors and sophisticated intelligence will make inroads into many aspects of medical care, including surgical centers and operating rooms.
RoHS Deadline Approaches for Medical Electronics
April 25, 2013 4:41 pm | by George Karalias, Director of Marketing & Communications, Rochester Electronics | Rochester Electronics | CommentsEngineers and buyers in the medical device manufacturing industry should note the following date: July 22, 2014. That is the day medical electronics must comply with the EU’s Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulation. Medical devices have so far been exempt from RoHS, which requires the elimination of lead, cadmium, mercury, and other substances from electronics.
Making a Name for Yourself in the Industry
April 25, 2013 10:27 am | by Jonathan Gosberg, Principal, Gosberg Public Relations, LLC | Comments2012 was a year marked by a great deal of uncertainty for medical device manufacturers in the U.S. with several key issues up in the air, including proposed changes to the FDA’s device review and approval process, healthcare reforms, and the medical device excise tax. That said, analysts are still predicting growth in the medical device market, moving forward.
Is a Hacked Pacemaker Capable of Mass Murder?
April 24, 2013 10:23 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor, ECN | CommentsWhen you are a patient in a hospital, you tend to expect that the electronics are either top of the line or at least functioning correctly. You expect that the devices doctors implant in your body are reliable and safe. These seem like safe assumptions. Unfortunately, you could be mistaken.
The Malware Threat
April 22, 2013 2:06 pm | by Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, MDT | CommentsWhen my mother tells me that her computer is running slow and she needs me to “clean it up” for her, I never imagined the day she might be calling about the same problem with a medical device. While I’d obviously not have the same access to it that I have on a computer, it does reflect a scary situation in medical device technology today.
Dating and Leak Testing
April 19, 2013 2:36 pm | by Joe Pustka, Director of Global Leak Testing Applications Engineering, USON | Uson, L.P. | CommentsDating and leak testing—how could these possibly be related? Whether you are single or married, you no doubt know someone or are someone who has tried to find a date in today’s world—on the Internet, in a bar, church social, or a favorite cousin’s dinner table.
Think Before Sending that Email
April 18, 2013 2:39 pm | by Patricia J. McGrath and Christopher M. Scharff, Shareholders, McAndrews, Held & Malloy | CommentsThe medical device industry is, without question, one of the most litigious industries. Medical device companies are constantly engaging in high-stakes patent or trade disputes, defending against product liability claimants, or fending off new market entrants. So when a seemingly harmless communication becomes a major piece of evidence in a case brought against your company, you do not want to be the one who hit “Send.”
60601 Ed 3, What Happened?
April 17, 2013 4:53 pm | by Rob Keur, Regulatory Affairs Expert, StarFish Medical | Comments60601 edition 3 is possibly the biggest change in the regulatory side of medical device development since the introduction of the FDA’s QSR. Until now, electrical safety testing was a black box test wherein a sample device was submitted and it passed or failed depending on a set of specific physical tests. There was no consideration of how the device was developed, just, “Is the device electrically safe?”
With Patient Health at Stake, Medical Equipment Industry Needs to Improve Supply Chain Visibility
January 4, 2013 2:35 pm | by Armin Meissner | CommentsThere are few industries as tightly interwoven with life and death issues as medical equipment. Getting everything right; from adherence to regulations to on-time product deliveries to perfectly performing products, is paramount. Complete transparency throughout the medical equipment supply chain is an absolute necessity. Transparency cannot be a part-time or partial commitment but rather, it must be an all-out endeavor to achieve safer and more effective patient healthcare.
Singapore Pumps Innovation into the Heart of Asia’s Growing Cardio Device Industry
December 19, 2012 4:57 pm | by Kevin Lai | CommentsIn the time it takes to read this piece, 30 Chinese men and women will die from heart disease. This staggering statistic means that as Asia continues to witness astonishing growth and development, Asians will increasingly wrestle with the disease. Heart disease is already the number one killer in China and India, and is fast on the rise throughout Southeast Asia, where the World Health Organization reports that cardiovascular diseases accounts for 27% of all deaths.
Doctor’s Office 2050: How a spoonful of ‘big data’ helps the medicine go down
October 26, 2012 4:31 pm | by Gillian Davies | CommentsMary Poppins was wrong; it’s not a spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down, it’s a spoonful of “big data,” and it will make healthcare expenditure more palatable in the Doctor’s Office of 2050. As big data, telehealth, and the cloud come together, we will see healthcare reap the efficiency rewards of a decentralized approach.
Removal of Conformal Coating with Small Sandblasters
October 26, 2012 3:29 pm | by Jim Norton | CommentsThe development of conformal coating technology was driven to a large degree by the military and aerospace industries. While conformal coatings are mostly used on populated, printed wiring boards (PWBs), they are also used to protect components such as transistors, diodes, rectifiers, resistors, integrated circuits (ICs), and hybrid circuits including multi-chip modules (MCMs) and chip on board (COB).
Power Considerations in Advanced Embedded Systems
October 26, 2012 2:59 pm | by Alix Paultre | CommentsThe migration of smart subsystems into products at every level of operation represents a true fusion of the electronic and mechanical, representing the next, and possibly the culmination of, the industrial revolution. However, the integration of sense, motion, and logic into all portions of a system also brings with it new (or old in new clothing) challenges in power management.
Tablets More Accessible than CoWs for Clinicians
October 26, 2012 2:25 pm | by Laird Technologies | CommentsAccording to an article from Computer Weekly, mobility and accessibility are the driving factors behind the adoption of ruggedized tablets over computers on wheels (CoWs) in healthcare settings. As mentioned in a previous blog post, CoWs have several downsides...
