Medical Equipment Design

A review of medical technology gains posted in the last year, including advances in wireless pacemakers and artificial organs, might be tempered by concurrent technology and policy failures. A roundup of controversies that plagued the industry during 2011 cites the critique of FDA's 510(k) clearance process by the Institute of Medicine, regulatory regimes that hamper device innovation, and industry-wide layoffs as hot button topics. What would be your pick for predicament(s) of the past year?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Medical Equipment Design, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Medical Equipment Design today.

Do engineers in Europe need proof of professional qualification in order to secure employment within the EU? The European Federation of National Engineering Associations thinks so, and has already introduced its engineerING card in Germany and the Netherlands. The card details an engineer's educational and working experience and is proposed to set "comparable standards and promotes transparency on the job market."

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Medical Equipment Design, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Medical Equipment Design today.

Precise machining of complex medical components is supported by CNC Swiss screw machines, but the technology is not without its pitfalls. Machinists often struggle with unrealistic or unnecessary specs in drawings submitted by design engineers. Insufficient thread clearance, unreadable drawings, and over-use of geometric tolerancing are some common shop floor snags cited in Medical Design. Have you encountered these and are there others you can add?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Medical Equipment Design, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Medical Equipment Design today.

Many U.S. device manufacturers are going abroad for regulatory approval while an increasing number of European medical companies are avoiding the American market altogether. The product approval process is two to three times longer in the U.S. compared with Europe while safety rates are virtually identical. Isn't it apparent that U.S. policy should be revamped to bring advanced, life-sustaining technologies to market in a more expeditious manner?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Medical Equipment Design, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Medical Equipment Design today.

A recently launched Web service invites registered user-based rankings of 130,000 U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medical devices. The site, which also provides device recall and adverse events data, is intended to increase transparency and product quality in the sector and provide a resource for manufacturers, consumers, and investors. How do you see this shaping future consumer purchasing decisions or manufacturer actions?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Medical Equipment Design, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Medical Equipment Design today.

Diabetics, Parkinson's patients, and the blind may soon benefit from genetically modified (GM) pigs. These animals now bear genetic material more easily accepted by the human immune system, so that xenotransplantation of porcine cells, tissues, and organs may prove valuable lifesaving and therapeutic alternatives to mechanical devices or other options. Would you root for near-term clinical trials of GM tissue transplantation from pigs to humans?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Medical Equipment Design, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Medical Equipment Design today.