Healthcare sensors are devices used in electronic medical equipment, designed to convert several types of physiological stimuli into electrical signals. The sensor analyzes these signals and obtains results based on them.
With the incorporation of healthcare sensors, medical equipment as well as handicap transportation tools like nemt have become significantly more brilliant, such as life-supporting implants, remote vital signs monitoring devices, and advanced oxygen ventilators.
As the population grows, and more and more people age, the development of different types of medical equipment has been accelerating faster than ever. This includes the market of sensors, used in both, medical equipment, and inside patient’s bodies.
Healthcare organizations need reliable, real-time, and accurate diagnostic readings from remotely monitorable devices, whether the patient is at home, in a clinic, or the hospital.
In this article, we’ll go over the applications of some key sensor tech that the medical industry is using right now. Let’s begin!
Applications of key medical sensors
1. Pressure Sensors
Pressure sensors are a key diagnostic tool in various fields of medicine. They are used in:
· oxygen concentrators,
· anesthesia delivery machines,
· ventilators,
· sleep apnea machines,
· blood analyzers,
· kidney dialysis machines,
· infusion and insulin pumps,
· blood pressure monitoring equipment,
· respiratory monitoring devices,
· surgical fluid management systems,
· pressure-operated dental instruments,
· and hospital beds.
2. Accelerometers
Accelerometers are used in:
· patient monitoring equipment,
· heart pacemakers,
· defibrillators,
· blood pressure monitors.
3. Image sensors
Image sensors provide a window for healthcare providers to see inside a patient’s body. They are commonly used in:
· mammography,
· fluoroscopy,
· cardiology,
· dental imaging,
· radiology,
· external observation,
· endoscopy,
· lab equipment,
· ocular observation and surgery,
· artificial retinas,
· and minimally invasive surgeries.
4. Flow sensors
Some key applications of flow sensors include:
· sleep apnea machines,
· ventilators,
· gas mixing,
· anesthesia delivery machines,
· oxygen concentrators,
· respiratory monitoring.
Flow sensors are also used in electro-surgery, which includes the application of high-frequency electric current to tissue to coagulate, cut, desiccate, or destroy tissue such as tumors. If you’re interested in in-depth information about similar medical sensors, you can visit the Sensoronics resource page.
5. Biosensors
Biosensors can be used in cholesterol and blood glucose testing. They’re also used for testing for pregnancy, infectious diseases, and drug abuse.
6. Temperature sensors
One of the most important components of healthcare tech, temperature sensors have countless medical applications. They’re used in all sorts of medical devices, such as:
· sleep apnea machines,
· kidney hemodialysis machines,
· ventilators,
· anesthesia delivery machines,
· incubators,
· blood analyzers,
· digital thermometers,
· neonatal intensive care devices.
They’re also used for temperature monitoring and control in equipment for humidified oxygen heating, and organ transplant systems, etc.
Conclusion
Medical application sensors are expected to see significant developments in the areas of intelligence, accuracy, reliability, portability, capability, power efficiency, cost, packaging, and lead elimination. Some of the major challenges that manufacturers are facing currently include extended product life cycles, regulatory compliance, product safety, and reduced time for product development.
As medical monitoring seeps down to more and more ordinary people in the form of wearables and home monitoring devices, sensors will become simpler to operate, shrink in size, and become more durable rather than being disposable.
