Medtronic has developed a new delivery system for AAA (abdominal aortic
aneurysm)endovascular surgery to deploy stent grafts through a patient ’s
arteries.The delivery system also provides a new platform for Medtronic
Vascular’s endovascular product lines.
Called the Xcelerant delivery system,it provides doctors an ergonomic tool
for precisely deploying stent grafts. The Xcelerant system is designed for
volume manufacturing, and the handheld unit snaps together to simplify the final
assembly steps.Engineers eliminate all mechanical fasteners and minimized gluing
operations.They also used overmolded plastic parts to create a strong industrial
design. A unique gear reduction system in the handle of the delivery system and
a release that disengages the gearing provide a convenient,ergonomic method for
doctors to use slow, controlled or rapid deployment of the stent
material.
Feedback is Key
Many design engineers in the medical industry believe customers want the
consistent feel and tactile feedback of traditional mechanical switches.But
membrane switches offer a low and simplified assembly.
A major medical OEM that builds MRIs,CAT scans,and x-ray machines came up
with a design that combines both the consistent feel of traditional switches and
the thinness,reliability,and scalability of membrane switches. Engineers worked
with Memtron,a licensee of Duraswitch technology, which provides membrane panel
assemblies that incorporate both pushbuttons and rotary switches.These rotary
switches also feature a rotor that ’s an integral part of the keypad, an
important feature in medical devices that undergo cleaning operations.
Pump may Douse Heart Problems
An inventor better known for helping Hollywood create special effects is now
hoping to do something to save lives. He ’s converting a pump now used for
firefighting to one for pumping blood just like a human heart.
A team headed by Eddie Paul, president of E.P.Industries Inc.is currently
seeking funding to develop an artificial heart that uses a centrifugal pump.It
’s based on what ’s called the cylindrical energy module (CEM), which Paul
patented in 1991. He claims it achieves 24 times the output of comparably sized
pumps.
Q & A- Smart Instruments up next
You pioneered use of CCDs in medical-equipment design.What new enabling
technologies hold the most promise for medical design today?
A couple of technologies that hold promise are conductivity
of medical instruments and molecular diagnostic medicine.By conductivity,I mean
the ability of diagnostic instruments to store and then seamlessly network the
information to clinicians so they have access to important data when and where
they need it.The usefulness of many diagnostic instruments increases
tremendously if their data is coupled with other instruments.Another exciting
enabling technology is Molecular Diagnostic Medicine.This technology is made
possible by the decoding of the human genome plus the genomes of many animals
and pathogens.
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