Medical Interconnect: The Expanding Market of Energy-Driven Devices

From blood pressure monitors to complex surgical robotics, energy-driven devices can be found in almost every hospital room and doctor’s office.

At the heart of every single one of these energy-driven devices is the interconnect solution that powers it.

Whether you’re currently working on intravenous fluid delivery systems, orthopedic equipment, or other traditionally non-electrical products, chances are high that someday you may be tasked with developing an energy-driven device.

In this post, we take a look at how medical interconnect technologies are being used to improve patient outcomes inside and outside of the operating room.

Free eBook Download: Interconnect Solutions for Medical Devices [The Ultimate Guide}

Inside the operating room: How medical interconnect technology is being used to improve your visit to the doctor.

If you look inside any doctor’s office, you will see an array of equipment and machines used for diagnosing or treating your ailments.

Any of the machines that utilize electricity, a computer, or a connection of any sort requires an interconnect system—the cables, connectors, PCBs, wire assemblies, and wire harnesses that enable the transmission of data and/or power—to work.

Though the term “medical interconnect” has often been associated with the electrosurgical field, the truth is that most of the markets within the medical device industry now use some form of interconnect technology.

For example…

Robot-assisted surgery has become a popular option for minimally invasive heart, gastrointestinal, thoracic, and orthopedic surgeries.

Beyond the fact that the robot arms themselves need an interconnect system to function, the complex camera systems and surgical equipment attached to the robot also require advanced interconnect technology in order to work properly.

As more and more robot-assisted surgeries are performed, the demand for interconnect devices and components that support the robot in its function will also increase.

Another area in which advances in medical interconnect technology are helping improve patient outcomes is electrophysiology.

Within the field of electrophysiology, innovations like high-density connectors are enabling engineers to build mapping catheters that provide physicians with high-definition images of patients’ hearts.

In addition to the high-density connector, these mapping devices require complex wire assemblies that can transmit accurate data from the sensors (or cameras) to the computer—in other words, they require a complete medical interconnect solution to work properly.

As a final example, consider the realm of patient monitoring, where interconnect solutions can be found in everything from EKG machines to state-of-the-art intracardiac echocardiography catheters (used for cardiac visualization and device guidance).

For these devices to work correctly, they must have an interconnect system that can power them and facilitate the transmission of data from the device itself to the computer (or monitor).

The list goes on and on.

Though we could continue to highlight examples of energy-driven devices in a variety of medical disciplines and/or fields, we’d like to turn our attention to the use of medical interconnect solutions outside of the operating room.

Outside the operating room: How medical interconnect solutions are being used to improve your health at home.

Does your watch tell you how many steps you’ve taken today or how well you slept last night?

Does it tell you your heart rate and remind you when you need to eat?

These new devices are all part of a category commonly referred to as “wearables,” and, thanks to advances in the interconnect technology that powers them, they’re being used to improve peoples’ health every day.

But it doesn’t stop there.

The use of medical interconnect solutions outside of the operating room also includes medical device categories like remote patient monitoring.

For example…

Remote patient monitoring devices are being used to improve outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure.

Similarly, physicians are beginning to use remote monitoring devices to help patients with diabetes management.

In both of the situations mentioned above, the devices themselves require an interconnect solution that can keep them running and accurately transmit data to the doctor.

Regardless of whether the device in question is a wearable you can buy at the store or a special monitor given to you by your doctor, it relies on an interconnect system to function properly.

Additional resources

As an organization that works with leading medical device companies to bring energy-driven devices to market, we’ve seen the medical interconnect market grow as engineers and healthcare practitioners find better ways to improve patient outcomes.

If you develop or manufacture medical devices, chances are high that you will cross paths with devices that require an interconnect to function.

To learn more about the ins-and-outs of interconnect solutions, download our ultimate guide.