In any industry, trends and consumer or end-user demands shape the further of the industry. The same is true for companies producing medical devices, including implants and wearable devices.
One of the challenges of medical device design and engineering services is to not only continue to enhance and improve on the durability, life cycle, safety and effectiveness of medical devices, but to also stay abreast of the trends in the industry.
Some of these trends are not unique to the medical device sector but do to the life-sustaining nature of many medical devices; changes have to be incorporated with additional care and attention to detail in the design phase. This is essential for successful trials and to ensure FDA approval of the device with the shortest possible timetable.
The most important aspect of these trends in medical device design includes smaller and more powerful devices, multi-function types of devices, and increased patient safety.
Compact Designs – Lots of Power in a Small Space
In operating rooms, patient care rooms, emergency response vehicles, implantable devices, and portable or wearable devices, smaller is better in the eyes of patients, doctors, and medical staff. Compact design means more streamlined aspects of everything from electronics to micro-systems to control and device and provide feedback.
Multi-function Devices
With implantable and wearable medical device design, patients and medical professionals are increasingly requiring a more comprehensive range of sensors and function packages with the unit. This allows for greater integration of the physiological data the device is using to regulate or control body functions.
At the same time, the device has to more compact, which means more specific types of electronic packages that fit into microsystems, without any sacrifice of accuracy and function.
Boosting Patient Safety
Extending the life of implantable devices, wearable, or portable medical devices is also a push in the industry. This extends patient safety by ensuring greater reliability in the device while also reducing the need for multiple replacements of the device over the patient’s life.
