In an era where sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity, the medical industry finds itself at a crossroads. With the increasing amount of medical waste generated daily, the traditional methods of disposal are proving to be inadequate and environmentally detrimental. Enter the world of Smart Disposal Systems, where the Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing the way we handle medical waste.
While billion-dollar deals are common in the medtech industry, multi-billion-dollar megadeal acquisitions were still notable in 2022. Often, these deals result in a ripple effect on the industry when two large companies merge. Here we look at some recent examples, the growth drivers behind them and what they mean for the medtech industry.
Gait analysis is proving to be a vital tool in elderly health care, offering insights into overall health, frailty status and early signs of disease processes. With the help of novel technology, we’re now able to capture gait and mobility beyond mere observational analysis.
Researchers found that mechanical stress caused by implants leads immune cells to activate RAC2 and other proteins, which then summon additional immune cells, including types that can combine to attack a large invader. These findings may help improve the design and safety of implants.
Recent developments, specifically artificial intelligence and the ubiquity of smart devices, enable us to monitor cough unobtrusively and continuously for periods of time. Objective cough quantification can be combined with patients’ perceptions to better determine diagnosis, treatment response and prognosis.
Instructional materials help users grasp how to use a device safely. Renée Bailey, Certified Instructional Technologist (CIT), explains how effective instructional materials are vital for the medtech design process, and shares necessary considerations to produce instructions that are coherent, easy to understand and aligned with the human factors engineering process.
Augmented reality (AR), with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), is providing healthcare professionals with the means to offer patients an unprecedented level of care and personalized treatments, and assisting MedTech and life sciences companies in product design and development. Yet, the potential of AR with AI in health care is still far from fully explored.
For “Systematic Testing of a Ventilator Remote Control System Towards Safe Use in Tele-Critical Care and Prolonged Care,” researchers developed a prototype system for network-based far remote-control of the NKV-550 critical care ventilator, with the goals of identifying and implementing foundational remote-control capabilities, and exploring essential performance, interoperability, and cybersecurity requirements.
RFID and IoT technologies can strengthen the medical device supply chain and improve workflows. The following real-life examples illustrate the benefits that can be achieved.
Shuvo Roy, Ph.D., Professor of Bioengineering at UCSF and Technical Director of The Kidney Project, and his research partners have developed an artificial kidney constructed of semiconductor silicon wafers that remove waste and toxins from the blood and a cell therapy unit that replicates other kidney functions. Their prototype, powered entirely by blood pressure, filtered blood and created urine in a pre-clinical trial.
