For medical device OEMs seeking compliance to the 3rd Edition of IEC 60601-1 for their power supplies, what is quite clear by now are the regional dates for enforcement, the required risk management at the medical electrical equipment or system level, the new definitions...

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 faster, better, at lower cost, and in total compliance with regulatory standards. Those standards are...

Suntron Corporation (Phoenix, AZ), a leader in integrated electronics manufacturing systems (EMS) and embedded computing solutions, will showcase its capabilities for the medical industry in Booth #126 at BIOMEDevice San Jose. Suntron provides FDA class I - III box build, printed circuit board assembly, large...

A new study shows that many implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), which are designed to detect and correct dangerous heart rhythms, are programmed to too low a setting, delivering painful shocks for heart rhythms that aren’t dangerous. Making a simple change in the way physicians...

The market for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) used as pressure sensors in medical electronics is likely to grow by 7 percent this year, aided by the use of disposable devices as well as respiratory monitoring, according to iSuppli, El Segundo, CA, a global leader in technology value chain...

The element lithium possesses fundamental properties that make it ideal for use as the anode in both primary and rechargeable batteries. Vendors have paired the popular lithium anode with a variety of cathode and electrolyte materials, resulting in the wide choice of different chemistries available...

In today’s medical technology field, having a reliable and stable power source is a critical requirement for safe operation. Wireless power provides a unique advantage in that a device can now be completely sealed, thus allowing a device to be safe, robust, and simpler to maintain. And with...

The last few years have seen the development of larger, higher power, higher luminescence light-emitting diode (LED) chips. Prior to this, LEDs were typically 0.020" x 0.020", came in various colors and were used primarily as optical indicators. This new breed of LEDs come in various colors, including white...

Pulse oximetry has gained widespread clinical acceptance as a standard patient vital sign measurement because it can give clinicians an early warning of low arterial blood oxygen saturation levels, or hypoxemia. Conventional pulse oximetry is subject to technological limitations that reduce its...

The 10th annual “Create the Future” Design Contest, attracted more than 950 innovative product ideas from engineers and students in 65 countries. The Medical category itself received 92 outstanding entries from 21 countries.

The Sensordrone, an invention that dramatically extends the sensing capabilities of smartphones and tablets, came out of the Consumer Products category, but could well have been entered in almost all of the categories because of its versatility. The keyfob- sized device includes sensors that enable consumers to run a variety...

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the best way to prevent the two million annual cases of hospital-acquired infections is by increasing hand hygiene among staff members. Yet the average US hospital has a 40% compliance rate with guidelines.

Current navigational aids for the visually impaired include global positioning systems (GPS) and other devices using expensive or complex sensing systems that require setup, calibration, and adjustment. These sensors mount on a cane or directly on the person, forcing the user to put the system on, boot it up, and make sure...

Global population aging is unprecedented: the global population of children under age five is expected to fall by 49 million by midcentury, while the number of people over age 60 will grow by 1.2 billion, according to the United Nations. An aging population brings with it...

The main cause of inherited blindness is retinitis pigmentosa, which affects 1.5 million people worldwide and is characterized by the progressive loss of vision. To combat vision loss, Bionic Vision Australia was established as a national consortium of researchers working together to develop a “bionic” eye that can restore...

The need to minimize healthcare costs is creating greater demand for medical electronics equipment that, among other things, improves and expands patient diagnostics inside and outside healthcare facilities. For example, portable medical instruments such as...

Tapping into the human brain to understand its functions in daily life — as well as its malfunctions in illness — has long been a challenge for researchers. Mapping brain activity requires unwieldy, invasive arrays of electrodes and sensors that can damage tissue while only reading activity...

A quick, inexpensive and highly sensitive test that identifies disease markers or other molecules in low-concentration solutions could be the result of a Cornell-developed nanomechanical biosensor, which could potentially help with early stage disease detection.

An associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, has developed a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)–complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process for fabricating flexible electronics. As reported in Applied Physics Letters, the technology may some day be...

For decades now, the medical industry has been automating to improve throughput, yield, and performance of medical devices. Slide scanning, for example, has been automated to reduce the time required to process each sample and collect test data. Today, slide...

Scientists from the Hohenstein Institute in Bönnigheim have developed textile cooling pads to be used to prevent neurological damage after successful resuscitation in cardiac arrest patients. The system does not require electric power, making it ideal for first aid in case of cardiac...

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the world. About 1.2 million Americans suffer from heart attacks every year. Approximately 2,000 Americans get heart transplants each year, but transplant hearts are in short supply, and many thousands of other advanced heart...

Researchers have created an ultrasensitive biosensor that could open up new opportunities for early detection of cancer and “personalized medicine” tailored to the specific biochemistry of individual patients. The device, which could be several hundred times more sensitive than other...

Omnetics Connector Corporation (Minneapolis, MN) offers Latching Micro- D™ connectors with a new squeeze-latch system suitable for making quick cable connections to rack and panel equipment. In addition to being small and lightweight, the connectors, at .050" pitch, have passed extensive shock and vibration...

Keystone Electronics (Astoria, NY) has broadened its selection of PCB & SMT Mounted Fuse Holders to include a series intended specifically for photovoltaic systems. The new fuse holders are designed to accommodate the Midget Fuses (10x38 mm), 5AG in the SPF Solar Protection Fuse series. The Midget Holders feature UL...

Intelliconnect USA (Crossville, TN) now offers an extended range of high-reliability Triaxial connectors to include various adaptors and bulkhead mount jacks for several different cable types. Two new families are now available: the TRB series bayonet connectors and the TRT series featuring a threaded coupling sleeve. Key...

Molex Incorporated (Lisle, IL) has introduced the Mini-Fit® Plus HMC (High Mating Cycle) crimp terminals, suitable for medical equipment manufacturers developing commercially available products such as patient monitors, diagnostic imaging devices, therapeutic machines, and patient handling equipment. They are rated up to 1,500...

The Minmax ABF-04 Series from Minmax Technology (Hudson, MA) is designed for direct PCB mounting. The product features EMC compliance to EN55022 Class B emissions and EN61000 immunity standards. This miniature, fully encapsulated AC/DC power supply module offers a universal 85-264VAC input and is suited for applications...

With the large number of user interface options available today, it is easy to forget why the membrane switch is an excellent choice for medical instrumentation. The basic advantages are still the same as they were two decades ago, when membrane switches became the interface of choice...