Conjecture about the future of medical devices: the year 2027 year (1)

In the future, and a variety of imaging forms can be combined in a single instrument, the surgeon or other medical professionals can use fewer instruments and immediately make an accurate diagnosis and treatment, it also greatly eases patients.

Future technology begin today

All future new technologies from the research stage today in laboratory technology? may very well be the case.

After all, 20 years ago, today's cutting-edge technology in the scientific community, which are well known. Genetics, stem cells, tissues, biological and other areas of research and application of the test, as well as the impact of these technologies requires a significant amount of resources, technology and time will tell. Instrument security issues still need to be validated at the clinic. Now, with the clinical application of increase, good results, these issues are likely to solve technical and engineering phase.

Therefore, we say that the future of the technology needs of today's efforts.

As we currently see shape memory alloys, plastic materials, as well as from the laboratory to the production phase of advanced manufacturing technology, gene therapy, tissue engineering technology and Nano-devices, and so will many of the leading equipment in the future is the core location.

One we have seen progress in the area is the development and application of materials.

Materials and related processing technology will reduce the side effects of medical devices, so that the combo device applied to wider areas play a vital role in. These products will be mechanical characteristics and treatment capabilities, but also to biological, pharmaceutical and effective in the treatment of substance. Short term decomposition and drugs, chemicals and other materials of the interaction between testing, will enable these devices have a broader, more diverse applications.

New materials can be one way to influence healthcare, probably in the area of resistance against nosocomial infections.

According to the United States Centers for disease control and prevention estimates that each year in the treatment of the hospital infections and antibiotic resistance strain of propagation of these two problems caused by the loss of up to $ 11 billion. New materials and coatings technology in catheter, surgical instruments, will help hospitals achieve lower infection and related costs.

Future medical device features

20 years later is a medical device?

Today, medical devices and equipment are used in health care, diagnosis and intervention.

And in the future, drug treatment and drug treatment of biological pharmacy will most likely take originally belong to some surgery required equipment market. However, advanced drug therapy, and biological drug use, but also increases the implantable-and nano-targeting drug use.

With some important drug patent protection period expires, they are generic drugs will significantly reduce the cost of treating certain diseases.

By the same token, the cost of stratification phenomenon will bring to market medical devices more and more generic instruments. While these new instruments will tend to be durable, implantable and easy to carry.

Make it possible for minimally invasive surgery of the vascular or percutaneous endoscopic instruments, after overcoming new difficulties will enter a new era.

To that time, those who are not very dangerous intervention operation can outside traditional hospital operating room. In a more focused on cost of society, various regulatory and control means will be inclined to those who can make the Diagnostics and treatment in the GOP or do not need hospitalization surgery centre technology.

With tissue regeneration biotechnology advances, organ transplant and tissue engineering development are for those who are very serious diseases and bring new therapies.

Histology of the engineers will soon have a new technological breakthrough that will produce the full organ, including the heart, liver and kidneys. This is what we are looking forward to, you can burn patients produce artificial skin, people suffering from osteoporosis or fracture patients produce bone substitute target marks an important step.

You can fully implanted patients and self-sufficiency of the artificial heart, will extend the heart was not surgical repair of patient's life.

Artificial pancreas for diabetic patients to provide a more accurate and less painful way to monitor and treat patients, the instrument include a sensor based on skin to measure blood glucose levels, a portable computer to analyze the collected data information, another implantable infusion pump can adjust when needed the blood sugar level.

Now we can see the minimally invasive medical technology development trend will continue to provide minimal trauma.

Endoscopic surgery in the future (oral procedure, endoluminal, through the esophagus and the stomach into the peritoneal cavity through) allows the surgeon to abdominal surgery even choose cardiothoracic surgery in local anesthesia, general anesthesia and is no longer used. Materials science areas of further development will contribute to vascular, cardiac and neurological surgery using micro-instruments for research and development. Laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery combined approach will be more advanced technology played prior to the transition. And computer assisted surgery and image navigation is also a growing number of hospitals in the use and become a dominant trend.

Now as a surgeon for the sterilization of instruments will gradually be active "arm" and removable multi-purpose replaced by end effector.

From axe to flush liquid absorption from the U-shaped pin fixation, will consist of these can be hand-held or can be fixed on the operating table, next to the "smart" devices. These instruments also can and image navigation of remote surgical robot control system compatible.

Multifunctional and availability

64-slice CT Imaging, and administration, there are two modes-whole body and partial.

Whole body imaging modalities including general computer assisted tomography (CAT, computer-aided tomography), MRI (mAgnetic resonance imaging, MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography scanning operation (positron emission tomography, PET). While local Imaging by ultrasound, micro-optics, optical coherence tomography Imaging (optical coherent tomography, OCT), as well as other conduits and probes provide discrete organization and structure of the image, to light or energy-based imaging systems. Of course, in the future we can combine the various imaging devices or assembled, then multiple Imaging forms can be combined in a single instrument, the surgeon or other medical professionals can use fewer instruments and immediately make an accurate diagnosis and treatment, it also greatly eases patients.

Multifunctional instrument will also not limited to the integration of imaging forms, but rather from biology, pharmacology to radioactive substances are possible.

Today, a typical example is the drug-eluting stents. At present, in the major pharmaceutical companies plan, still there are many such features a combination of instruments. Pacemakers, implantable monitoring devices are not just simple with chemotherapy or e-therapy, but also to monitor and control the treatment programme. These instruments can be measured through information exchanges with the outside world, through mobile radiocommunication equipment will receive information added to clinical database. If you then add on biological or genetic feature, you can monitor the patient's physiological condition, disease, and enzyme production. At the same time, you can provide a more positive treatment methods, such as Neurology of instruments will be available for those who suffer from blindness, Alzheimer's disease, dementia patients bring new cure hope. You can design a variety of medical devices of the grand plan, but if you can't pass a simple approach to its design, it is nothing. This is the 2007 medical device design Grand Prix winners want to tell people. The contest's judges agreed that equipment availability has been winning product in occupies an important position.

Review of Dr. Craig Jackson on this issue on the road: "I think people are very concerned about the availability of medical devices.

Because in General, users of medical devices were repressed environment using the instrument. "Regardless of the pressure of the complaints from patients, or from the outside world on its strong demand, there is the risk of errors. So simple, perform accurate instrument is very important. Therefore, in order to meet the requirements of using a simple and convenient, with many new technology trends are becoming increasingly apparent.