Forward-thinking design engineers have been driving huge advances in almost all areas of medical technology over the past years. Treatments are getting less invasive due to the smaller size of the components, such as camera pills that can analyze the inner workings of the body without requiring exploratory surgery and new ways to gather data by using wireless connections. And within the last year, these advancements have extended to even create computers to aid in patient treatment and diagnosis.

At Mouser Electronics, focus on the design engineer is the order of the day. As a top design engineering resource and global distributor for semiconductors and electronic components, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering What’s Next in advanced technologies. Within the medical field, Mouser continues to take strides to ensure design engineers can find the most advanced products they need for their latest medical applications.
While many sectors suffered during the recession, the medical industry was one that continued to show strength. Companies shifted their focus from consumer devices, which are purchased with disposable income, to the industrial and medical industry. It offers a sustainable market that will always be in demand. And by applying new technology to the products, functionality can continue to increase.
Take Bluetooth for example. By using this technology in the medical industry, nurses can monitor more patients and gather information in a more efficient and less invasive manner, increasing the level of patient care. According to In-Stat, Bluetooth products in the industrial and medical market show the most growth potential with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) close to 85% between 2009 and 2014. No matter what industry you are in, those are great numbers and will make any executive look twice before dismissing the revenue potential.
Another example of how technology can improve on a traditional piece of equipment is the digital stethoscope. Advanced functionality can be integrated to expand and increase the value it provides to doctors. A digital stethoscope can implement noise cancellation so that doctors can clearly hear the heart beat – even in busy or loud hospitals, or when noisy equipment is running in the background. Believe it or not, there are even digital stethoscope apps available for the iPhone.
Given the state of the population, including old age, increased obesity and a more desk-bound lifestyle of technology workers, medical conditions need to be diagnosed, monitored and treated. One familiar piece of equipment, blood pressure monitors, are expected to have a revenue of over $790 million alone, with most of the demand driven by requirements from the U.S. and Europe.
Of course, blood pressure monitors are not the only products in the medical market. There are a number of others, each with significant revenue expectations over the next few years. You may not have heard of pulse oximeters before, but they are a way to monitor the oxygen saturation in a patient’s blood without requiring an actual blood sample, which makes the monitoring less invasive. For more information on the latest in patient monitoring, visit http://www.mouser.com/ medical_patient_monitoring/.
A final example is the electrocardiograph (ECG), which monitors the patient’s heart activity to diagnose cardiac issues. These products are traditionally purchased in the US, but the growing population and income levels in developing countries, specifically in the Asian Pacific region, will boost the market growth to close to 10% (even though these are high cost systems).
All said and done, the medical industry is definitely one that is to be watched closely, and Mouser is the go-to source for all the latest medical applications for design engineers.  For more information on the latest medical applications and therapy, visit www.mouser.com/medical_therapy