Biomedical Say About COVID-19 Ventilators Shortages

With the emergence of COVID-19 and its widespread around the globe, we find it as an important time for Biomedical engineers and biomedical technicians to have an impact on fighting such a pandemic.

Many hospitals around the globe have shortages in ventilators many other medical supplies that are vital in fighting this virus.

Ventilator Shortages forces Medtronic to go 24/7

Increasing Ventilators Production 

Many medical equipment companies have ramped up their production to vital medical devices to cope with the rising needs for such supplies, for example, Getinge has announced that it will increase its ventilators production by 60%. Also, we are sure that many manufacturers will follow this trend.

On the other hand, there will be logistical problems preventing or at least delaying the reach of these newly manufactured devices to where they are needed especially in countries that are far away from the production point. This is mainly because almost all types of transportation have been stopped or reduced significantly. Where the fastest way to ship such equipment via airplanes it seems that most cargo planes are no longer flying.

So will ramping up production really solve the shortage of medical supplies?

In the short term it will not, and that is related to logistical problems mainly, so what can we do and are there any alternatives?

Biomedical Department Role

The fastest alternative is to be able to optimize the performance of the ventilators that are already there in the hospital. And here where the role of a biomedical department kicks in.

Doing the needed preventive maintenance procedure on time and making sure that the end-user is using the medical equipment properly is key to optimize the performance of any medical device. Also making sure that the device's software is updated to the newest software version will many times enhance the performance of a ventilator due to bug fixes or new features that were not available in the previous software versions.

In addition to this, the biomedical department can go one step further and see if there are any older ventilators lying around in the hospital warehouse and trey to get these to a working condition, although sometimes it might be time-consuming to do so in many cases some hospitals put aside there old medical devices to make room for the newer better equipped medical device that is packed with better features and abilities, but in situations of crises, such luxury is not an option as there are patients who might lose their lives if not put on life support.

What else can a biomedical engineer do?

Baby Incubator Preventive Maintenance All You Need To Know

What is Neonatal Incubator 

Neonatal incubators or baby incubators are medical devices that were created to provide a controlled environment for newborns that require special care. An environment is generated where different variables important for the development of newborns are controlled, such as temperature, humidity, and oxygen.

Baby Incubator

The incubators consist of a transparent cover that allows isolating the patient without losing visual contact with the baby. In addition, NICU team has access to the newborn through gates that allow you to assist the baby with limiting the introduction of cold air in the incubator. 

The baby incubator's main components are a patient compartment, the cover, the mattress, the platform, the rolling base, and the control module, in which are all the parameters like temperature, humidity, and oxygen are controlled.

Commercially, the types of neonatal incubators differ in shape and form in which they are constructed or in their control and heating systems. However, all of them generally include the following basic components:

- Hood or cover made of transparent material, inside which the newborn is placed and where a controlled microclimate is generated.

- Mattress; Here the patient is placed; the mattress cover must be made of a low porosity material to facilitate cleaning and sterilization.

- Trolly; which is the structure that serves as a base and support for the Hood and its control systems. In general, this structure is incorporated with all the components that make up the incubator and allows its mobilization.

- The temperature control module, where you can select the operating mode of the incubator, and temperature set limits that the incubator is going to operate on.

- Humidifier. that usually includes water tanks to control the relative humidity of the environment.

- Port or entrance for oxygen supply.

- Block or control of alarms. Alarms pre-set at the factory or adjustable by the operator. These are audible and visible and are intended to increase patient safety during treatment. 

The alarms commonly found in the incubator models are:

- Air temperature Alarm: In relation to the temperature established by the health personnel; the alarm can be activated when the 'high/low' temperature limits sets are reached.

- Skin temperature alarm: In relation to the temperature set by the operator, the high or low-temperature alarm of the skin for the newborn can be activated.

- Sensor Alar:. It is activated in case of failure of the patient's temperature sensor.

- Air intake filters. This alarm is activated when there is resistance at the entrance to the outside airflow to the incubator.

- The concentration of O2. Detects the variation of oxygen concentration inside the incubator.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Routinely inspect the patient compartment for signs of rupture and replace the assemblies before operating the incubator. In addition, you must ensure that all connections to the incubator are disconnected, especially with the oxygen supply when performing cleaning and maintenance procedures; there is a risk of fire when performing maintenance procedures in spaces containing supplemental oxygen.

What Everyone Must Know About Robotics Uses In Medical Field

What is Robotics?

Robotics or robots form an integral part of our life as most high production factories rely on machines and robots to an extent that the need for a human manpower is limited in many aspects, why not as when a robot is capable of lifting heavy objects, welding microchips and it can do the job precisely and robustly. I will not get into the debate of being pro or against such acts and its effect on the future of working forces and unemployment. But I’d like to dwell on this subject from the biomedical engineer's point of view or at least point of interest.    

Next Generation Prosthetics

What is a medical Robot? 

               The definition of a medical robot is that it’s a robot used to perform medical surgery or take part in the healing process of a patient while the definition of medical robotics is sometimes limited to robots that aid in making precise medical surgeries the definition can be a broad as including the CT scanner and C-arm. We are here interested in the effect of these robots on a biomedical engineer that is supposed to maintain fully functional medical machines by using the most effective ways to do so.

Endoscopes Preventive Maintenance

The endoscope is a high-tech equipment that allows the doctor to see the inside of the human body through a television microchip or optical fibers that collects digitized images to be observed on a monitor and printed on photographs and recorded on video.

The internal organs are seen on a screen in the operating room. The doctor may also use pliers or scissors with the endoscope to remove tissue for biopsy, which is a much less invasive method than surgery would be.

An Endoscope

Endoscopies are a growing procedure worldwide, and the equipment can be expensive for clinics or hospitals to replace. That is why, as with so many other frequently used equipment, preventive maintenance is essential to keep costs down and the accidental transfer of bacteria. Infection control is a serious matter, and only the highest level of precaution will result in the patient safety. If you are given the job to inspect and apply a full preventive maintenance procedure (PPM) then we recommend that you have a look at the IPAC PPM checklist  

Patient safety is the number one concern with any medical procedure. Infections caused by improperly cleaned endoscopes are a frightening issue in the medical community and, above all, for potential patients. When not cleaned immediately or properly, the bacteria can form a biofilm that will not clear easily when cleaned. Due to the nature of endoscope's use, there is a variety of contaminants within the flexible tubes that can be difficult to clean properly, and due to their composition, some cannot be sterilized by safety heat. This equipment is of complex design, so paying attention to details and following procedures is crucial.

The American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy notes that facilities in which a digestive endoscopy is performed must follow an effective quality control program to ensure that endoscopes are reprocessed correctly. Quality control programs for endoscopy should include systems that guarantee the availability of equipment and adequate supplies at all times, and strict procedures to report possible problems.

Preventive maintenance includes all periodic inspections of instruments and equipment, cleaning, lubrication, adjustment, verification and information of defective components that could fail, altering the operational status of the equipment before the next inspection.

Damage to an endoscope can cause costly repairs, so it is important to familiarize yourself with proper care and handling techniques. We hope these guidelines help your endoscope to function efficiently for years to come.

The best and most efficient way to clean this complicated equipment is immediately after using a pre-cleaning protocol and then a complete cleaning and disinfection or sterilization. The sequence of reprocessing of endoscopes should be as follows: Pre-cleaning, cleaning, rinse, drying, disinfection, wipe, drying and storage.

What Everyone Must Know Inside MRI Machine

What Does MRI stand for?

MRI means Magnetic Resonance Imaging, it is called this was and it is based on the usage of a magnetic field to be able to make images of various organs and parts of the body, best MRI usage can be utilized when doing brain images, tendons images, cancer cells detection, Knee images and many more organs can be scanned. Since it is not based on radioactive material MRI is considered a safe way to get organs images. those who have pacemakers and other metal-based devices are not allowed to be near MRI devices.

How Does an MRI Work?

MRI devices utilize the fact that when the hydrogen atom is magnetized, the magnetic spin of the relaxation of the hydrogen atom more precisely the proton tends to go to the positive pole more than the negative pole.

This slight variation makes it possible for the MRI to have an image acquisition by using scanners to detect such proton behavior this allows the Doctor to able to see clearly through various organs and tissues. Since Hydrogen is found in water, and water is the base of all tissues and organs image creation is possible for almost all the human body.

How long is an MRI session?

Usually, the session is between 15-30 minutes on average but this can vary based on the organ that needs to be scanned and the area that the doctor wants to see. The annoying things about this process are that the patient needs to stay still for the entire scanning process and most MRI devices are closed, so if you are claustrophobic that would be a problem, however, now there are open MRI devices that can be less annoying to patients.

The Pea Pod® Baby Body Composition Analysis

The Pea Pod®

Consistently, one out of each nine infants in the U.S. is conceived untimely and can invest a long time in the neonatal emergency unit. Presently innovation is helping preemies and sending them home sooner.

The ability to assess the composition of the neonatal body is essential to see how fetal exposures to nutrients, hormones and ecological variables are identified with the state of the healthy baby, the development and progress of infections at some point along the way.

The Pea Pod®

TOP 7 Books In Biomedical Engineering

Here is a list of top 7 must-read books for anyone pursuing a course in Biomedical Engineering or having a keen interest in this field, or even working as a biomedical engineer in the medical domain and want to know more about various aspects of the biomedical field, you can make use of the Top 7 books in biomedical engineering field to advance and know more about various portions of the biomedical field. 

 

1.      3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering is a comprehensive book highlighting the industrial applications of these technologies. It also covers other topics of current relevance such as nano-bio-materials and stem cells in tissue regeneration.

The book highlights the clinical applications, regulatory hurdles, and risk-benefit analysis of each technology and helps you in selecting the ideal materials and recognising the apt parameters for printing and incorporate biologically active agents and cells into a printed structure. The integration of 3D printing and nanotechnology is explained with an overview to improve the safety of application of these in aspects in biomedical applications.

The text also discusses legal and regulatory aspects and commercial overviews making it a perfect practical guide for anyone venturing in the field of biomedical technology by extrapolating theoretical aspects into an industrial or clinical setting. Application- wise sustainability and short-comings have been discussed for various technologies to make their commercial use feasible in meeting medical needs. The book brings a right blend of theoretical concepts and the latest principles and technologies.

Authors	Lijie Grace Zhang, John P Fisher, Kam Leong
Publisher	Academic Press, 2015
ISBN	0128006641, 9780128006641
Length	392 pages

Introducing Computerized Tomography

What Is a CT Scanner? 

Computerized tomography (CT or commonly called CAT) is a technique which uses x rays to take images in multiple planes and these images are then assembled in a computer to form a three-dimensional picture of the organ to be viewed. This type of special X-ray, in a sense, takes "pictures" of slices of the body so doctors can look right at the area of interest.

Computerized tomography (CT) provides good details for soft organs and blood vessels compared to normal x rays. Using this technology the radiologist can interpret the cancers, trauma, vascular injuries, musculoskeletal deformities, etc in an easy and precise way.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Ophthalmology Laser Advances

INTRODUCTION

Lasers have revolutionized every specialty of medicine since its invention almost half a century back. In 1961, the ruby laser was the first one to have found clinical application in ophthalmology. Presently, lasers have become an indispensable tool in diagnostics and therapeutics for a wide spectrum of diseases, involving both anterior and posterior segments of the eye like glaucoma, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, etc.

CLINICALLY AVAILABLE LASERS IN OPHTHALMOLOGY

The results of the attempting to instrumentalize sunlight in ophthalmic surgery by the famous German ophthalmologist, Dr. Gerhard Meyer Schwickerath changed medical history and laid the foundation for modern laser surgery as we know it today. Today, a large variety of different lasers are used for surgery and therapy in ophthalmology. Some of the commonly available lasers and their clinical applications are listed below:

Role of Lasers in Ophthalmology

Excimer Laser: It is a Photoablative laser with 193nm wavelength and is used in epithelial and anterior stromal keratopathies, PRK and LASIK. It falls under the Ultra-violet spectrum. 

The excimer laser is mainly used in vision correction of myopia, astigmatism or hyperopia. There are certain risks related to doing such eye surgery, you can see an article published by FDA to reduce such risks. 

BILISPEC BILIRUBIN MEASUREMENT DEVICE

Jaundice is due to hyperbilirubinemia, which is particularly common in premature babies, who need an adequate liver capacity to discharge excess bilirubin. Affects approximately 60 percent of babies, can cause brain damage or even death if not treated.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where specialists often do not have access to expensive diagnostic equipment, babies are 100 times more likely to die from this cause than newborns in the United States.