The Hardware Behind Today’s Medical Devices

When it comes to choosing the right hardware to power modern medical devices, the options can seem endless. Whether it’s a blood glucose monitor for a diabetic patient or a surgical robot for an orthopaedic procedure, lives may be at stake if these devices fail to function properly. With so many choices on the market – and little room for error – selecting the right ones is critical. 

Fortunately, there are teams of dedicated design engineers who evaluate the best components for each device – from the nuts and bolts that hold them together to the high-performance materials that are durable enough to withstand the challenging environments in which they operate. However, this is easier said than done – and there are many factors that come into play when designing and selecting the hardware for today’s medical applications. 

Here are some of the considerations that design engineers should keep in mind while designing medical devices, and some of the hardware that helps power them. 

Performance & Reliability

There are few areas beyond the medical industry where the performance and reliability of the components which make up a device are as critical. In many medical products, electromechanical switches function to set up, configure, and operate the end device. While these “operator interface” switches are often considered an afterthought by many designers, the switch can be a critical component in the operation of the product. 

While these switches may only be used a few times over the course of their lifecycle, they need to perform properly and reliably as they’re mainly used in emergency situations, such as diabetic or allergic reactions. If not properly designed, switch contacts can corrode in certain environments and not be able to conduct the low-level signals used in these battery-operated products. It’s critical to ensure that the component supplier has a heritage with mission-critical medical applications, as well as a reputation for reliability.       

C&K’s entire line of key switches, such as the K12 Series High Performance Key Switches, are built to support high-performance, environmentally demanding product designs. These switches exhibit an excellent tactile feel with a consistent actuation force that lets the end-user know they’re using a quality product. C&K key switches are long-lasting and available in a variety of options to meet the specific requirements of any medical product. 

C&K’s K12 Series High Performance Key Switches have a long product life expectancy

Size

Smaller devices are often more desirable as medical products become increasingly smaller and smarter. Take home monitoring devices, such as wearable cardiac monitors or insulin pumps, for example, patients don’t want to tote around bulky attachments – especially on a wearable device that needs to be with them at all times. Adding communication capabilities to support growing trends such as telehealth means adding antennas, transmitters and additional circuitry to a product, which leaves less room for traditional components, such as switches. However, while the switches that allow the user to interact with these products need to take up less space than before, they still have specific performance requirements and need to operate reliably for many years. 

Cardiac monitoring devices, for example, which monitor heart rate to check for arrhythmias, can record events, such as chest pains, shortness of breath and other concerning symptoms via a tact switch. When an event is recorded, the device gets to work taking vitals, like heart rate, blood oxygen level and skin temperature via a user-actuated tact switch, such as C&K’s KMR, PTS530 and KSC series. These series of switches are able to stand up to harsh environments, such as those where body fluids and sterilization chemicals are present.

C&K’s KMR, PTS530 and KSC switches can be found in cardiac monitoring devices

Uptick in Wearable Medical Devices

In addition to performance, reliability and size, the proliferation of wearable medical devices is another key factor that engineers should keep in mind when it comes to designing products. An increasing prevalence of diseases that require round-the-clock monitoring is one of the significant forces driving the $4 billion medical wearables market (Statista). As such, products are being developed to address a host of specific problems, such as COPD, asthma, heart arrhythmia, pain management, breast cancer and a long list of other ailments.

A product is only as good as the sum of its parts, something especially crucial when it comes to designing safe and accurate medical wearables. When designing the hardware that powers these devices, engineers must consider several factors which include (but aren’t limited to): product lifecycle, size, resistance to body fluids, reliability, and haptics (sound and feel). This becomes even more challenging when there’s an emphasis on wearability. 

Pain management is one particularly popular area where medical wearables are becoming more mainstream. These devices, which can deliver transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or deliver pain medication, are now widely used in the medical industry. From migraines to lower back pain relief, to administering medication to electronic pulses, these devices need switches in order to actuate and function properly. C&K’s PTS830 Switch powers pain management products, such as electrotherapy devices. This specific switch has been engineered to provide designers with the highly-responsive, low-profile and long-lasting switch they need to power critical medical devices. 

By taking performance and reliability, size and industry trends, such as the growing demand for wearable medical devices, into account during the design process, engineers can rest assured that they’re picking the best possible hardware for the job. This not only reduces the risk of costly and dangerous mistakes but most importantly can help improve patient outcomes.