Medical Device Link.

September 2000
MD&DI
Selected Contents

EDITOR'S PAGE:
Nostalgia for a Scorpion: A Symbol of Good Fortune, Down on its Luck
by Jon Katz

The plight of the horseshoe crab points up the fragile bond between increasingly threatened natural resources and medical innovation.

COVER STORY:
Developing Design Control Strategies to Meet Technology Advances
by Dan Olivier

Medical device manufacturers need to continually update their traditional design methods in order to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies and an increasingly demanding marketplace.

MANUFACTURING:
Applications of High-Pressure Balloons in the Medical Device Industry
by Mark A. Saab

Advances in balloon technology have opened up endless design possibilities, including both specialized and multifunctional devices.

SITE SELECTION:
Workforce Quality: A Key Priority in Relocation and Expansion
by Mark Turner

Device manufacturers engaged in the site selection process can take steps to ensure the availability of a productive workforce.

WASHINGTON WRAP-UP:
Product Liability Suits under FDA Law?
by James G. Dickinson

The Supreme Court will take on a case involving the right to sue when off-label uses cause injuries.

Also:

• Streamlining Device Reviews
• Device Reuse Web Site
• -FDA Reviews Expanded
• FDA Review Chief
• Dispute Resolution
• Consensus Standards on the Web

DESIGN:
Controlling Noise and Vibration in Brushless Motor–Driven Devices
by Frank Leong

Exploring system- and motor-level design issues can help product developers minimize mechanical vibration and noise.

MEDICAL PLASTICS & BIOMATERIALS:
Profiling: The Missing Link in Measurement Technology
by Jon Gamble and Jim Kimmet

Tapered cylindrical products such as medical guidewires and tubing can now be measured automatically by laser gauge–based profiling systems.

R&D HORIZONS:
Virtual Instrumentation Boosts Capabilities and Reduces Costs
by William Loob

Software-based instrumentation is making its way into medical devices, with engineers developing more flexible and cost-effective equipment.