LEAD STORIES
When it comes to purchasing medical technology, today’s healthcare provider is looking for wireless-capable devices that will help them fill electronic health records (EHRs), support agile workflows, and meet outcome- and value-driven healthcare mandates. If you don’t shift your design thinking to meet these needs, prepare to start losing business. You are destined to either lose market share to more responsive competitors or (worse) get “disrupted out of existence” by new contenders who lie in wait outside the traditional medical device industry borders — software vendors, systems integrators, and even consumer technology companies.
-
3D Printed Heart Helps Save Infant’s LifeWhen surgeons in Louisville, KY, realized their 14-month-old patient, Roland Lian Cung Bawi, had multiple heart defects, they turned to 3D printing to create a model of the young boy’s heart.
-
FDA Allegedly Broke Laws By Monitoring ScientistsA report issued by two top Republicans this week claims that the FDA may have broken federal laws protecting whistleblowers when it monitored the personal email accounts of several scientists in its medical device division.
ARTICLES
-
Imaging The World's Brightest Luminescent ProteinOptogenetics is revolutionizing the field of behavioral neuroscience by enabling researchers to control the activity of individual neurons and measure the effects of those manipulations. Introduced in 2006, it was selected as Nature Methods' "Method of the Year" only four years later. Today, hundreds of labs are using the technique to explore the neurobiology of phenomena such as decision-making and neurodegenerative diseases, often with remarkable results. For example, researchers have demonstrated how light can steady the gait of a stumbling rat with Parkinson's disease.
Cleaning Validation For Medical Device Manufacturing
Advantages of Injection Molding Process for Prototypes: Case Study - Newman Medical
This case study discusses how Newman Medical discovered the benefits of injection molding over steel molding. Injection molding cuts costs, and allows for the creation of prototypes that are as close as possible to what will eventually be taken to market without having to incur the typical costs associated with steel tooling. This was especially helpful when Newman Medical developed a fetal ultrasound device designed for use in the home, as most modern medical devices are largely dependent upon plastic components.
Material Selection With An Eye On Micromolding: A Comparison Study Of Materials
There is probably little doubt that just about everything we come in contact with today has some form of plastic as part of its design.
Choosing Power Supplies For Medical Applications
The selection and specification of power supplies for medical applications is a task that must be approached with great care; especially in these times where key safety and environmental standards for medical equipment are undergoing substantial changes that will affect large segments of the medical industry. By David Norton, VP of Marketing, TDK-Lambda Americas
FROM THE EDITOR
-
6 Technology Trends You Can’t Afford To Ignore (In Your Medical Device Design)When it comes to purchasing medical technology, today’s healthcare provider is looking for wireless-capable devices that will help them fill electronic health records (EHRs), support agile workflows, and meet outcome- and value-driven healthcare mandates. If you don’t shift your design thinking to meet these needs, prepare to start losing business. You are destined to either lose market share to more responsive competitors or (worse) get “disrupted out of existence” by new contenders who lie in wait outside the traditional medical device industry borders — software vendors, systems integrators, and even consumer technology companies.
-
Engineering A Biologically Inspired, Soft Orthotic DeviceRecently, a group of researchers at Harvard University developed an innovative, anatomically designed device that could help rehabilitate patients suffering from ankle and foot disorders. Unlike traditional exoskeletons, which are rigid and restrict full range-of-motion, this prototype incorporates a unique combination of soft materials, sensors, pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs), and control software to provide support and allow for natural movement.
-
What Can Micro-Windmills Teach Us About The Future Of Medical Device Design?At some point in the not-so-distant future, you’ll be able to recharge your smartphone by waving it about in the air for a few moments or (less conspicuously) by simply holding it out in a stiff breeze.What does this have to do with medical device design, you ask? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES
-
Suture Anchors For Rotator Cuff, Shoulder Labrum Repair Soar To New HeightsWith the introduction of all-suture anchors and PEEK CF (carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone) anchors by Biomet and Parcus Medical respectively, there will be a higher level of growth seen in the rotator cuff and shoulder labrum repair markets. This article briefly examines the history of those markets and addresses the major trends that will impact the future of the suture anchor marketplace. By Dr. Kamran Zamanian, CEO, and Dylan Freeze, Senior Research Analyst, iData Research Inc.
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
Reliance® 1044 Laboratory Glassware Dryer
MPC Series: Medical-Grade Couplings
Optical Thickness Gauge: 157 Series
The Model 157 Optical Thickness Gauge uses proven optical interferometer technology to measure the absolute thickness of specialty plastic films, medical membranes, and ophthalmic products. High accuracy and exceptional repeatability results in the most reliable measurement available. Straightforward operation and rugged design satisfy the needs of the R&D scientist and the manufacturing engineer.
EMCCD Camera: Falcon Blue
The Falcon Blue EMCCD Camera has been designed to provide high sensitivity with higher frame rates, all while operating at lower wavelengths. It’s ideal for applications involving adaptive optics, astronomy, bio and chemi-luminescence, calcium signaling, fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy, flow cytometry, FRET/FRAP/TIRF, genome sequencing, and more.
Micro-Patterned Filters
PIXELTEQ has the ability to pattern single and multiple precision optical filters and coatings with complex features due to their patented micro-patterning technology. This technology is particularly ideal for optical device and OEM applications.
FEATURED VIDEO
LATEST HEADLINES
-
New Device Replicates Natural Motion Of Human HeartScientists at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a new material capable of replicating the complex, 3D motions of the human heart.
-
Edwards Lifesciences Announces First Human Implants With Mitral Transcatheter Valve System
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW), the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, today announced the successful completion of the first three human implants of its FORTIS mitral transcatheter heart valve, which were performed in February and March by the Heart Team at St. Thomas' Hospital in London.
-
Will The New Samsung Smartphone Be Designated A Medical Device?The soon-to-be released Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is currently under review by South Korean officials, who may designate the device as “medical equipment” thanks to its new built-in heart rate monitor.
-
Ultra Sensitive Detection Of Radio Waves With LasersRadio waves are used for many measurements and applications, for example, in communication with mobile phones, MRI scans, scientific experiments and cosmic observations.
-
Researchers Create Coating Material To Prevent Blood Clots Associated With Implanted DevicesA team of researchers from UCLA and the University of Michigan has developed a material that could help prevent blood clots associated with catheters, heart valves, vascular grafts and other implanted biomedical devices. By Matthew Chin
-
Smart Knife Could Improve Cancer TreatmentA group of researchers in the United Kingdom is developing a “smart” knife capable of analyzing the chemical composition of tissue and providing surgeons real-time feedback during surgery. Reports indicate that such a device could significantly improve cancer treatment techniques.
-
Technology That Reduces False Alarms in Patient Monitoring Systems Gets PatentNihon Kohden America, a market leader in patient monitoring innovation, has been awarded patent number US 8,571,893 B2 from the U.S. Patent Office for a unique smoothing algorithm that reduces false alarms in patient monitoring systems.
-
New High Frequency, Fine Pitch Piezoelectric Composite Components Launched For Medical ApplicationsMorgan Advanced Materials, a leading manufacturer of electro ceramic products, including piezoelectric ceramics, high voltage and RF capacitors and microwave ceramics, announces the launch of a new range of piezoelectric composite components, ideal for applications where high performance is critical, including medical imaging, Doppler flow, and military and commercial sonar.
FEATURED SUPPLIERS
Hamamatsu Corporation
Hamamatsu Corporation is the North American subsidiary of Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (Japan), a leading manufacturer of devices for the generation and measurement of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light, as well as X-rays.