Medical innovations are saving lives and making people safer all around the world. Coming up with the latest innovations requires a certain amount of knowledge, expertise, and the right education. With so many health care reforms in the works, medical technology manufacturers are always looking for ways to make patient care even more efficient and affordable.
Not only must these manufacturer invest in Research and Development to bring new products to market, but they must also ensure the necessary systems are in place to accommodate the complex engineering and production challenges associated with these new offerings.
Some of the best medical equipment available today is more efficient, and these new technologies are replacing the current technology. Below are some of the exciting new technologies in play today, which are changing the way the medical device manufacturing industry operates.
Radiology Changes
Getting an online radiology degree is a sure bet if you want almost completely guaranteed employment after graduation. Biopsies are being cut back in favor of using radiological equipment nowadays to detect abnormalities. There is actually a new tool that was approved by the FDA that is a handheld device, and uses multispectral analysis of tissue morphology. This tool is expected to change the way melanoma biopsies are done, but qualified radiologists will still be needed for the work being done.
Digital Medical Imaging
Digital radiology is an old concept that is getting increased attention and use. It’s a highly flexible technology that is cheaper and more affordable than it was in the past. Both wireless and mobile X-ray systems let healthcare professionals check patients without requiring them to leave their beds. This is more convenient for patients, and it’s just one of the many engineering advances in medical equipment today.
Magnetic Particle Imaging
This technology uses superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles that can be injected into the bloodstream to get a better view of internal organs. It provides additional detailing that goes beyond what traditional imaging can do, and doesn’t require any radiation. This makes it much safer for the patient, but is also a less expensive method of imaging. It provides high quality images that can be delivered quickly, which makes it easier and faster to diagnose patients correctly.
Better Views of the Veins
New technology is also available to allow doctors to see into a patient’s body more clearly using infrared light to image red blood cells. From here, a video camera is able to capture the images and project them onto a patient’s skin. This provides a fast and safe way for practitioners to map a patient’s veins, and will help with the issue of hard to find veins, which can greatly improve blood donations, as well as help cancer patients and children.
All of these new technologies are powered by the engineers who work in the labs to find better ways of performing medical procedures. Scientists are doing more now to improve technology and make medical practices simpler, and more manageable. It will be interesting to see where these future gadgets take us.
One thing is for certain – manufacturers operating in the medical device field must invest in robust product design and production systems if they hope to stay on top of the incredible number of new product breakthroughs that are now either coming to market, or in the pipeline for future availability. Not only must these manufacturing systems be robust and capable of managing steady change, they must also ensure that good quality assurance practices are used for the design of medical devices and that they are consistent with quality system requirements worldwide.
If you liked this article, here are others you might also find interesting:
- In Medical Device Manufacturing, Smaller Companies Have Big Advantages
- Into the Fold: How Origami is Helping to Solve Manufacturing Challenges
- The Compliance Quagmire and Medical Device Manufacturing
