Medical Electronics Technology in Healthcare

To enhance the lives of humans, medical devices are critical for making invasive surgeries. Today, every medical equipment uses at least one sensor for healthcare monitoring. To meet the strict demands of medical electronics, various sensors have been incorporated for diagnosing and treatment of spontaneous illness and physiological disorders. The evolution of medical electronics is not as fast as other consumer electronics. Because there is no chance of errors and over the head we prefer result accuracy over speed. So the medical electronics don't need super high processing or graphics. In this article, we will explore some of the healthcare sensors and their applications used in the medical industry.

1.    What is Medical Electronics?

By definition, “Medical Electronics” is the study of electronic instruments and devices used for diagnosing and curing health. It is the design of embedded systems applied to medicine and biology. Sensors play a predominant role in bringing medical applications to the real world. Sensing elements such as Airflow, Temperature, Humidity, Pressure transducers, Thermistors, etc. are proven to be necessary things to carry out medical solutions. Here is a list of electronic applications in the medical field.

2.    Role of Wearables in Medical Electronics:

The most widely known modern innovation in which electronics are playing a fundamental role in wearables. This includes glasses, smart watches, rings, and even clothing items with promising patient monitoring capabilities. The development of novel biosensors for measuring things such as heart rate, body temperature, and sleeping habits is the focus of wearables. Other than the basic functionality that they offer, there are also many other factors for manufacturers to consider when it comes to choosing the electronic components for a wearable.

3.    Applications of Medical Electronics:

   ⦁      Anesthesia

   ⦁    Respiratory monitoring

   ⦁    Blood Pressure Analysis

   ⦁    Oxygen level measurement in the body

   ⦁    Imaging in Diagnostics

   ⦁    Visual Impaired scanning (Barcode Scanner)

   ⦁    For understanding Health, and wellness

   ⦁    Stress measurement

   ⦁    Heart rate monitoring

   ⦁    Monitoring Pulmonary functions

   ⦁    Glucose monitoring

   ⦁    Delivering Drugs

   ⦁    Orthopedics

   ⦁    Point of Care Analysis

   ⦁    Cardiology

   ⦁    Oncology

Now we will explore various sensors and devices used in medical products.

4.    Different Types of Medical Applications:

Every medical product has a specific function and the potential is achieved by using analog or digital sensors.

1. Glucose Meter:

Diabetes is a big problem all over the world these days. To keep control of insulin levels in the blood glucose meter is necessary. Glucose meter calculates the glucose levels (sugar levels) in the blood accurately.

2. Oximeter:

Instead of using invasive methods to know the oxygen and pulse rate the better approach is to use an oximeter. Pulse oximeter reads the oxygen level and pulse rate in the blood and shows it on the graphical digital display. It is a painless method to know the amount of oxygen and pulse levels delivered to blood tissues. It measures Accurate oxygen saturation in the blood, pulse rate measurement and oxygen levels in lungs can be determined by this.

3. BP Meter – Blood Pressure Measurement:

Knowing the blood pressure is essential to avoid the risks of hypertension that lead to fatal heart strokes. BP (Blood Pressure) meter is a measuring instrument for knowing the levels of blood pressure and alerts the condition of irregular heartbeat. Its applications are heart rate measurement, measures blood pressure and hypertension control

4. Digital Thermometer:

A Digital Thermometer is an electronic device used for measuring the body temperature. It uses RTD sensing element PT 1000. The RTD sensor takes resistance as input and based on the change in resistance, the digital output is produced. Nowadays modern temperature metres are based on infrared detection. As body temperature increases the amount of infrared body emissions is increased and thus detected.

5. Digital Stethoscope:

Digital Stethoscope is a measuring instrument used to listen to sounds generated in the body, especially the heart and respiratory lungs. It has applications in hearing aid, recording heart and lung sounds, and online education on medical research.

6. Pace Maker:

The Pacemaker is a device used to resolve the missing heartbeat or slow heartbeat by generating electrical pulses and bringing back the heart to working condition. Electrical impulses (generated by sinus nodes) are required for proper functioning of the heart. This may not happen due to abnormal heart rhythms and several health factors. During this condition, the heart will not receive the signals from the sinus node at a fixed rate.

7. Anesthesia Machine:

It is a method of delivering drugs to relax and make the patient unconscious during a surgery or an operation. It will block the related nerves that carry pain signals to the brain. But during a sleepy state required gases like oxygen levels, air, nitrous oxide, and isoflurane have to be maintained. For this purpose, sensors are required to control temperature, humidity, and pressure.

⦁ Thermistor sensor for monitoring and control of the air temperature. A magnetically operated switch [Hall Sensor] is used for motor control in the heater assembler.

⦁ Airflow (Breath) sensors are used for measuring the air and oxygen levels of the patient. The amount of mixture gases given to the patient is displayed on the graphical display.

5.    Medical Electronics Certification Path:

An integral part of the medical design loop is the certification process, which decides whether your device is ready to market or not. This process is defined, controlled, and executed by a regulatory agency, varying from country to country. For instance, medical devices are regulated by the FDA in the US, by the EMA in Europe, and Health Canada in Canada. In this article, we are going to focus on the FDA regulation, as the US medical market is huge, and the FDA complies with most regulations around the world.

Device Classes:

The FDA rules for product certification depend on the nature of the medical device. In this sense, the agency defines three different device classes to specify what type of process the product must undergo, including premarketing application, approval, and controls. Medical devices are classified according to the risk level.

At JLCPCB, we understand how critical precision and reliability are in the manufacturing of medical electronic devices. From prototypes to mass production, our advanced PCB fabrication services support the strict standards required in healthcare applications — ensuring stable performance for sensors, monitoring devices, and medical equipment. With high manufacturing accuracy, multiple material options, and strict quality control, JLCPCB is committed to empowering engineers and manufacturers in the healthcare industry to bring safe and reliable medical electronics to life.

Conclusion:

Medical electronics is a critical area where accurate and precise measurements have to be carried out. Sophisticated medical and healthcare devices have to be selected for precise analysis. These electronics are also contributing to the development of the medical industry. In the future, we can very well see the use and prominence of these devices rising tremendously.