Speeding the Path to Commoditization

Over the past decade, the power of physician preference has steadily diminished in the face of hospital and physician consolidation, continuing pricing pressures, and structural changes in payment systems...

Machine Vision Enables Detection of Melanoma at Most Curable Stage

Introduction A well-known legend has it that one of the greatest scientists and inventors of antiquity, Archimedes of Syracuse, stepped into a bath only to eject and propel...

Eight Things to Look for in a Medical Device EMS Provider

Today’s medical device OEMs live in an age of abundance: both abundant options and abundant regulatory requirements. With so many options and so many restrictions, it can be very...

Micro-Endoscope as Thin as a Human Hair

Engineers at Stanford University have developed and demonstrated a prototype single-fiber endoscope that, they say, quadruples the resolution over existing designs, which might lead to the development of...

Creating Cathodes for Air-Breathing Biobatteries

Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland http://www.ichf.edu.pl Devices that support various functions of our bodies are being used increasingly. Today,...

Endotoxin Testing: FDA Update Prompts Time for Review

The recent publication by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Guidance for Industry Pyrogen and Endotoxins Testing: Questions and Answers, dated June of 2012, the Department of...

Eye on the Medical Device Industry: Technology Is Key to Compliance

The medical device industry is a highly competitive arena, and earning market recognition depends on the ability to keep innovating. To remain competitive, medical device...

Passive Thermal Management Options for EMS Devices

High-frequency pulsed electromagnetic stimulation (EMS) devices are more powerful and effective than ever before. These devices are finding applications in many areas, including as treatments...

Using CT Scanning to Test/Inspect Medical Devices in the Design or Production Phase

The rapid advance of medical technology has created a growing need for ever more precise technologies to measure and inspect medical components. One of the most...

Force Feedback Modulated Joint Control for Prosthetic Ankle

Human gait is an infinitely variable and complex feedback system to maximize efficiency and stability in movement. Typical prosthetic technology utilizes fixed springs to maximize...

Heart Imaging Simulator Advances Echocardiography Training

As cardiovascular disease has increased globally in recent decades, clinical demand for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has risen along with it. In TEE, a clinician inserts an...

New Hydrogel Destroys Drug-Resistant Biofilms

Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore www.ibn.a-star.edu.sg Researchers from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) in Singapore, in collaboration with IBM...

Move to Rapid Prototyping Cut Costs by Millions

Instrumentation Laboratory, Bedford, MA, is a worldwide manufacturer of in vitro diagnostic instruments, related reagents, and controls for use in hospitals and independent clinical laboratories....

Prosthetic Foot Uses Unique Aerospace Material

Formerly used only in the aerospace arena, Flexeon is a radical departure from the rigid carbon fiber materials found in most prosthetic feet. It’s a specially- formulated reinforced fiberglass...

Winning Competitive Advantages with a Device Design and Manufacturing Partner

Facing multiple challenges including cost pressure, global competition, and evolving market de mands, medical device companies may consider engaging with a design and...

Meeting the Chronic Disease Care Challenge with Secure Medical Devices

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, in 2005, 133 million Americans suffered from at least one chronic disease. The magnitude of the effect of...

Instantly Capture, Edit, and Store Medical Images via Online Applications

A new image capture software development kit (SDK), called the Dynamic Web TWAIN, allows the simplified creation of an online tool to manage images of patient records. It...

Environmental Awareness Leads to PVC-Free Assemblies

Over the last several years, the medical industry has become more aware of the toxic side effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The American Public Health Association passed a resolution in...

Handheld Brain Hematoma Detector Provides Faster Diagnosis in Field

An estimated one and half million individuals seek medical treatment for head trauma in the US each year, and annually about 10 million individuals seek treatment for head...

Machining Critical Features into Stamped Parts Can Be Cost Effective

Producing basic features by stamping, and then incorporating more critical features by computer numerical control (CNC) machining can result in a much lower cost part than a...

Dip Molded Products Play Vital Role in Medical Equipment Design

Dip molding may not be a term that readily comes to mind when surgeons begin complicated procedures. Yet without this sophisticated, highly controllable process, many medical...

Electronic Access for Medical Equipment

The need for physical security in the health care industry is no longer limited to grounds, buildings, and rooms. Today, security must extend down to medical enclosures, including cabinets, dispensing...

Porcupine Quills Aid Device Design

Once a porcupine’s quill penetrates your skin, it’s very difficult to remove. That’s the inspiration behind research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston,...

Understanding Capabilities and Constraints of Fine Laser Cutting for Medical Components

Fine thin metal laser cutting is an ideal technology for the specialized cutting requirements found in the manufacturing of medical tube tools and...

Navigation Aids Enhance Foot Control Usability

The ever-increasing functional capabilities of emerging medical de vices have precipitated new requirements for the multi-function foot controls used to operate the equipment. These foot controls...

Diaphragm Pacing Helps Patients with ALS Delay Need for Ventilator

An electronic system that stimulates the nerve of the diaphragm muscles received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in patients with Amyotrophic...

New Blood Pressure Connectors Prevent Misconnects

Healthcare professionals use medical devices in a variety of settings and situations from urgent to routine. In an emergency, any sort of confusion, hindrance, or hesitation concerning the most...

Magnitude Matters

Topping the agenda of medtech executives for 2013 is repeal of the medical device excise tax, which went into effect on January 1. Enacted as part of the healthcare reform legislation of 2010, the new law requires...

Quality Management: Key To Medical Electronics Assembly and Manufacturing

No other industry in the US is under more pressure than medical electronics, and those pressures continue mounting each year for greater innovation and products that are...