Articles
An Outside Perspective: Joining Forces to Bring New Technology to Market
January 5, 2012 10:53 am | by John Havard | CommentsMedical device manufacturers that attempt to handle too many tasks in the product development process without the sufficient level of competency are simply setting themselves up for failure. It is vital for them to maintain a strong expertise in those core competencies and look outside for strategic partners who can aid them. This article examines that for the product design process.
Connecting Solutions with Medical Devices
January 5, 2012 10:12 am | by Steve Sheehan | Hypertronics | CommentsAs the rising cost of healthcare in the U.S. continues to cartwheel out of control, the medical community is demanding a much healthier ROI from the technology solutions that it deploys across multiple disciplines. The interconnect solutions arena is a case in point, as higher performance and greater dependability have become the industry’s catch words.
Accelerating Cancer Diagnosis with Customized Motion Control
January 5, 2012 9:58 am | by Scott Frederick | CommentsThe Challenge: A large OEM needed a consistent motion controller for a 84-slide capacity IHC benchtop autostain machine. The Solution: A customized, four-axis 1/2-stack motion controller was selected that ran inside the OEM customer’s existing PC, reducing cost for the manufacturer and increasing lab space for the end-user.
Perspectives on Miniaturization
January 5, 2012 9:47 am | CommentsIn the effort to make medical devices smaller, what has been the most challenging obstacle you have faced and how were you able to resolve this problem?
Implantable Pulse Generators ‘Stimulate’ Medical Device Industry
January 4, 2012 11:46 am | by Chris Vaillancourt | CommentsIn recent years, there has been great excitement about the use of neuromodulation to treat a wide array of medical conditions and diseases. The technology uses electrical signals to stimulate or block different nerve impulses in the body and is adapted from technology used in cardiac rhythm management. Advanced ceramic materials are playing an important role in the technology and are poised to play an even greater one as these medical devices flood onto the market to treat an increasing number of ailments.
Inertial Measurement Sensing Technology Enables Surgical Precision
January 3, 2012 10:31 am | by Bob Scannell | Analog Devices | CommentsRecent innovations in computer-assisted surgery are pushing the boundaries of modern medicine to new and exciting frontiers. As conventional surgical instrumentation continues to give way to advanced console- and camera-based systems, surgeons are able to operate on patients with exceptional precision.
Moving Defibrillation to the World at Large
January 3, 2012 9:59 am | by Martin Birkett | CommentsIn an effort to reduce the time-to-defibrillation interval and improve cardiac arrest survival, health service providers have increasingly turned to a strategy of wider access to defibrillation to augment emergency medical services. In some countries this is being implemented by providing automated external defibrillators (AED) for use by police, first aid volunteers, and even members of the general public.
How to Build the ‘Right System’
January 3, 2012 6:29 am | by Uday Gurnani and Gene Frantz | Texas Instruments Inc. | CommentsIn the field of electronics design, designing a “best in class” product with a competitive roadmap for the future is vital. For medical designs, in particular, it is especially important to use the highest quality components to ensure longevity, as these products go through long approval and use cycles. To accomplish this, system designers need to design the “right system.” But what does that mean?
Choosing Sensors to Improve Sleep Apnea Machine Efficiency, Accuracy, and Reliability, and Enhance Patient Comfort
December 22, 2011 9:19 am | by A.J. Smith | CommentsSleep apnea is a condition that impacts millions of people and can have a significant impact on their sleep. Treating such a condition can be challenging for medical device manufacturers. As such, this article looks at sensor solutions that can be used within a sleep apnea device, explains the differences, and provides valuable insight on the technology.
Key Elements of a Medical Grade Wireless Foot Switch
December 20, 2011 11:25 am | by Gary Argraves and Charles Reynolds | CommentsWireless foot switch technology can be a preferred control mechanism for a variety of medical devices. However, there are a number of considerations designers need to consider before looking to use this technology. This article serves as a primer for many of those considerations while also providing an overview of the technology.
Top 10 Tips for Efficient Thermal Management
December 20, 2011 6:38 am | by W. John Bilski | CommentsWith more medical devices containing electronic components, the heat generated by these components becomes a greater issue for the designers of the finished products. As such, consulting with a thermal management expert prior to designing a new device becomes a high priority “to do” item. This article provides a number of additional tips to address thermal management challenges.
Cloud to Service Endpoints - The Missing Link
November 15, 2011 3:30 am | by Paul Anderson, Wind River (www.windriver.com) | CommentsI remember as a kid I was fascinated with phones. The idea that you could pick up the phone, dial it, and talk to someone on the other end was pretty neat.
LTE Deployment and Timing Considerations
November 14, 2011 9:38 am | by Deepak Kataria, IPJunction (www.ip-junction.com) | CommentsWhen considering the deployment and timing considerations for LTE and LTE Advanced, a well thought out migration strategy needs to be in place.
LCD Market Trends - Smartphones vs. TVs
November 14, 2011 5:10 am | by Gyan Tiwary, SVP and General Manager DC/DC Business, iWatt (www.iwatt.com) | CommentsThis past summer, for the first time in the history of LCDTVs, the average selling price (ASP) of a 42” LCDTV dropped below that of a Smartphone.
Answering the Antimicrobial Question
November 11, 2011 10:42 am | by Larry Gabriel | CommentsDue to recent changes regarding the reimbursement (or lack thereof) for treatment of secondary infections that patients sometimes acquire during a hospital stay, great interest has developed in finding technologies to reduce and ultimately eliminate these problems. This article looks at how one material supplier specialist is addressing the challenge.
