• Sterilisation – Our products survive autoclave and EtO sterilisation.
• Rugged – Our products survive the chemicals, temperatures, sterilisation and uses of harsh medical environments.
• Reliable – Our products have proven they are reliable for over 30 years--especially critical in the medical industry.
• Support –We provide design guidelines and long-term availability of our products, minimising customers’ need to update their system.
• System – Our fully-engineered solution sets reduce R&D and time-to-market.
• Custom –We have extensive custom capabilities to meet specific demands.
• Ease of use –Our products are intuitive and easy to use reducing implementation resistance.
According to the World Health Organisation, the number of detected cases of counterfeit medical products is increasing. High-margin, single-use or limited-use disposable medical devices can be prime targets for counterfeiters. To protect themselves, medical device manufacturers can build product authentication or anti-counterfeit features into their products. Datakey Electronics provides medical OEMs with proven anti-counterfeit and product authentication solutions that they can implement with minimal engineering investment--minimising risk and speeding time-to-market. Read more...
A common need of medical equipment that uses disposable attachments is to track and limit the number of uses of the disposable device. Also known as usage tracking or limit use, this feature ensures that the attachment is not used beyond its designated lifetime. Some disposable attachments should only be used a single time. Others may only be used for a given number of hours. Read more...
Another function that a rugged memory token can perform is to automatically identify the particular model of the attachment and automatically upload any parameters associated with that model. When a piece of medical equipment can use or accept multiple different accessories / attachments, it is likely that the controller needs to know which particular device is attached. Various forms of manual selection could be used, such as selector switches, knobs, etc., but best design practices would dictate that automatic identification would be the preferred solution to eliminate the possibility of operator error (manually selecting the wrong model). Read more...
Another application that is similar to parameter upload application is calibration information upload. As part of the manufacturing process, some medical devices may vary from one item to the next, even among the same model. Often times there will be calibration information, unique to each item produced, that documents that item's unique characteristics.
The information that documents these unique characteristics can "attach" themselves to the device during the manufacturing process and later be communicated error-free to the base controller unit by adding a rugged memory token to the device and a high cycle-life receptacle to the base controller unit. Read more...
Like many complex pieces of equipment, it is often advantageous to log medical device data. The logged data could include: the identification of the operator and/or patient; the settings for various controls: the time, date and duration of treatments; output levels; the date of last calibration, and so on.
The main reason for logging this data is usually to ensure that the medical equipment is being used properly. Logging and analysing this data can also be used to develop new and improved treatment plans and could even be used as evidence in litigation cases.
Proper usage of a medical device is especially a concern when a patient is operating the equipment in their home without the direct supervision of medical personnel.
By adding a high cycle-life receptacle to the medical device and use a rugged memory key or token to log the data, medical device OEMs can add data logging capabilities to their equipment and make it easy for both medical personnel and patients to deliver the logged data for analysis. Read more...
In the past decade, the integration of wireless communications into embedded systems has exploded. This growth in wireless designs has also been seen in the medical device/medical equipment market. One important issue that medical design engineer’s face is wireless coexistence. This is the ability of a wireless device to operate effectively in the presence of other wireless devices. The other wireless devices could be other non-related wireless products or they could be other instances of the same device. Datakey Electronics’ products can be used in the latter case to securely link the transmitting and receiving devices.
When medical devices use wireless communications, design teams can now incorporate a physical linking mechanism such that there is no doubt which two devices are communicating with each other by equipping each medical device with a high cycle-life receptacle. The receptacle receives a rugged memory token which is inserted in both wireless medical devices. Read more...
Visit us at MedTec on Stand 2250