Originally Published MEM Spring 2006
FROM THE EDITOR
When a new device comes on the market, it is often a simple upgrade of something already available. It's not only difficult—it can also be quite expensive to develop a product that is truly revolutionary. But there are those few devices that come along that may just change the way doctors and hospitals deliver healthcare. And, as expected, these devices are, by nature, Medical Design Excellence award winners. In 2005, several winners fell into the Radiological and Electromechanical Devices category, including the SureFlex laser lithotripsy fibers, manufactured and submitted by IQinc (Phoenix); the HD lower-leg array coil, manufactured and submitted by GE Healthcare, Coils Div. (Aurora, OH); and the CereTom mobile computed tomography scanner, manufactured and submitted by NeuroLogica Corp. (Danvers, MA).
The SureFlex laser lithotripsy fibers are small-core optical fibers for holmium lasers, offering unimpeded access to lower pole kidney stones without risk to laser optics or ureteroscopes, while permitting the use of full therapeutic laser power.
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The HD lower-leg array coil has been designed to offer minimal or noninvasive high-quality, high-resolution magnetic resonance angiography of the lower leg with minimal risks and side effects, and high diagnostic confidence and patient comfort. The CereTom is a compact, lightweight, mobile, high-speed, battery and line-powered multislice CT scanner. It is optimized for scanning anatomy that can be imaged in the 25-cm field of view, primarily head and neck. The system generates up to eight slices per revolution, using the system's Modular Multirow Detector.
"The eight-slice capability means that you do not sacrifice quality to get an extremely valuable asset that can be transported to a critical patient," says awards juror Jeff Butler, principal engineer for Sysmed Enterprises (Richardson, TX).
The major benefit of the CereTom is that clinicians can move the point of care to the patient. "Previously, ICU patients were wheeled down hallways to the CT scanner accompanied by nurses or other medical professionals who generally have other responsibilities," notes Butler. "Now, they can be monitored at the bedside using a portable monitoring system."
Sherrie Conroy, Editor
Copyright ©2006 Medical Electronics Manufacturing
