Miniaturization continues to recalibrate medicine. For example,
itty bitty implants are being used to diagnose, monitor, and treat
various cardiovascular conditions. It’s not just shtick: miniaturization
has already shown real benefit for patients, with much more to come.
D
esigning and building ever-smaller medical implants is hardly a new idea; patients are already
profiting in big ways. In a recent JACC Interventions State-of-the-Art Paper of same-day discharge
after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the
authors note that over the past decade, continuous
refinements of PCI procedures, including the miniaturization of interventional equipment, have substantially increased success rates, improved short- and
long-term safety, and reduced post-procedural length
of stay.1
Back in 2009, Bloomberg Business predicted that
the miniaturization of medical equipment would be
one of the 20 most important inventions of the next
10 years. Six years on from this prediction and miniaturization remains on track as an area of highly productive innovation. New products are racing through
development and coming to market almost daily.
Piggy-Backing on Consumer Electronics
In this day of ultra-convenient portable consumer electronics that do pretty much everything, practitioners
expect similar convenience and functionality from
their medical devices. Also, the push for shorter hospital stays has increased the need for upgraded portable
diagnostic and monitoring equipment that can follow
the patient into recovery and, in some cases, after
discharge. Furthermore, with minimally invasive ]