In this article let us dive into the world of Noninvasive Medicine. Noninvasive devices do not enter any body orifices such as the mouth or nostrils, they do not touch the eyes and even though they may come into contact with injured skin, they do not pierce the skin in any way.
In today’s world, technology plays an important role in every industry as well as in our personal lives. Needless to say, medical and healthcare is one of the domains where technology is playing a crucial role. The integration of the latest technologies and several scientific innovations in Non-Invasive Medical Devices development is hugely enabling the healthcare industry by providing cutting-edge Medical diagnosis and treatment procedures, saving countless lives across the globe.
Generally medical devices can be divided into 3 groups:
- non-invasive devices
- minimal invasive devices
- invasive devices
What does Non-Invasive mean?
Noninvasive is the opposite of invasive.
The term Non-Invasive can refer to diseases, procedures, or devices.
Non-Invasive diseases
One Group of Noninvasive diseases are these which usually do not spread to or damage other organs and tissues
Secondly many life-threatening diseases remain obscure in their early disease stages and Symptoms appear only at the advanced stage when the survival rate is poor.
A non-invasive diagnostic tool may be able to identify disease even at the asymptotic stage and save lives.
Non-Invasive procedures
do not involve tools that break the skin or physically enter the body. Examples include x-rays, a standard eye exam, CT scan, MRI, ECG, and Holter monitoring.
Non-Invasive Devices
Non-Invasive Medical Devices do not enter any body orifices such as the mouth or nostrils, they do not touch the eyes and even though they may come into contact with injured skin, they do not pierce the skin in any way.
Non-Invasive Devices
Non-Invasive Medical Devices cater to not just solution specifications and functions to satisfy users’ needs but addresses healthcare regulatory compliances.
Introduction & Market
The advancements in Non-Invasive Medical Electronics has introduced miniaturization and enhanced applications, specifically in the areas of medical data acquisition, storage, and analysis. These advancements in Non-Invasive Medical Electronics are aiding physicians in quick diagnosis, continuous monitoring, and providing better treatments.
One of the reports from Markets and Markets shows that the estimated medical electronics market in 2019 was USD 5.1 billion and the study projects it to reach USD 6.6 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.6%.
What is Medical Electronics?
One of the most extensively growing fields in today’s era is the Medical Electronics or Medical Electronics Devices. “Medical Electronics” is the study of electronic Non-invasive Medical Electronics, Non-invasive Medical device instruments and devices that are used for diagnosis, therapy, research, surgery, monitoring & analysis of the patient’s health. Medical Electronics is a perfect amalgamation of embedded systems, software applications and medical science to improve healthcare services.
With embedded technology, the physicians can obtain the medical reports of the patient instantly, view them on embedded software-driven electronic devices, monitor the patient, and give consultation remotely without any hassle.
Non-Invasive Medical Electronics Devices
Medical Electronics Product Development constitutes a wide range of medical devices, which can be classified into two categories:
- Invasive Medical Devices (Endoscope, Cardiac Pacemakers, and Biosensors, laparoscope that break through the skin or inserted through a body cavity (nose, mouth, etc.) to screen, analyze or support one or more body functions)
- Non-invasive Medical Devices (Vital sign monitoring devices such as ECG, Glucometer, Digital/IR Thermometer, Digital Stethoscope, and imaging devices such as MRI, CT Scan, and other life support medical devices, used in diagnosis and treatment without penetrating the body).
- Compact Non-invasive Medical Electronics (nowadays available in compact form and support regular or continuous monitoring at home).
Types of Non-Invasive Medical Devices
Medical device product development is the process of turning a medical device concept into a commercially viable product. Medical devices requires specific stages to be followed to ensure design control so that the product is both effective and safe for use. As a result, this covers the entire product development cycle, from medical device design to clinical trials, and risk management to manufacture.
Listed below are a few of the popularly known non-invasive medical devices
CT Scan and MRI
Computed Tomography (CT) scanners and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are medical imaging techniques used in radiology to non-invasively scan the body. CT Scan uses X-rays to scan the body part from different angles and produce the cross-section images whereas MRI scanner uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to generate a detailed image of soft tissues and bones of the body.
ECG
Electrocardiogram (ECG) is an Non-invasive medical devices that monitors the activities of the heart and provide full disclosure Non-invasive Medical Electronics, Non-invasive Medical devicesECG signal, complete data, analysis as well as comprehensive reporting of the patient’s condition.
Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM) Machines
During pregnancy, labour, and delivery of the baby, the heart rate of the baby, maternal uterine activity such as the strength of the uterus and the duration of the contractions of the uterus is monitored to help the physicians assess Fetal well-being before and after labour.
Defibrillators
Defibrillators are used by physicians to monitor a patient suffering from cardiac issues. The defibrillator analyses the patient’s heart for inconsistent rhythms and restores a normal heartbeat, when necessary, by gently sending electric shock. They are also used to restore the heartbeats of a patient if the heart suddenly stops functioning.
Glucometer
A portable device to check the blood sugar Non-invasive Medical Electronics, Non-invasive Medical deviceslevel of the patient. The wireless smart glucometer measures the glucose levels in the blood and displays them on smartphones. It is a technique where the lancet lightly prinks the skin to obtain the blood. The device detects the glucose concentration in the blood and converts into a voltage using special sensor strips. The current flowing through the circuit provides a measurement of the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, displaying the glucose concentration on the digital screen or sending it to a smartphone.
IR thermometers
The Infrared (IR) thermometer, sometimes called Laser thermometers is used to help aim the thermometer for measuring the temperature of a patient from a distance. The thermometer includes a lens to focus the IR thermal radiation on to a detector, captures the radiation, and converts it into an electrical signal and displays in units of temperature on the compact screen.
Digital stethoscope
A palm held stethoscope is the smallest and most powerful and comfortable device which uses audio headphones to hear the heartbeat. It has a microphone in the chest piece which allows a doctor or clinician to accurately understand the pathology behind the heartbeats. It can convert an acoustic sound to electronic signals and amplify it for optimal listening.
Blood Pressure monitors
Non-invasive Medical Electronics, Non-invasive Medical devicesBP monitors can either be placed on the upper arm or wrist. The sensors present in the device detect the arterial wall vibrations, converts the analog signals to digital, and display the result on the LCD screen.
Blood Oxygen Monitor
SPO2 or Pulse Oximeter, this device estimates the amount of oxygen in a patient’s blood. It is a painless process of emitting and absorbing an infrared light wave passing through the capillaries of fingertip, toe, or earlobe. A variation of the light wave passing through the blood vessels (or capillaries) is used to determine the SPO2 level and the result is processed into a digital display of oxygen saturation on the monitor.
External cardiac pacemaker
The pacemaker is a small medical device that is used to treat arrhythmia. The device is placed on the patient’s chest to maintain an adequate heart rate. It generates electrical pulses delivered by the sensors called electrodes which detects the patient’s heart rate and accelerates it to contract and pump the blood when the heartbeat is abnormal.
Conclusion
The non-invasive medical electronics industry has advanced to the extent that individuals can now monitor their health at home using sophisticated equipment. With the bloom of Industry 4.0, Internet of things, Artificial Intelligence and Medical Device Software Development, the future looks great for non-invasive medical electronics.
Volatile metabolites-based diagnostics hold a lot of promise to fulfil this demand. Many experimental techniques are being developed to establish a reliable non-invasive diagnostic tool. However, none of them are yet able to fulfil clinicians’ demands.
Here the link to the full article by mistralsolutions:
https://www.mistralsolutions.com/blog/overview-medical-electronics/
