Abstract Medical equipment is crucial for medical institutions, yet there are issues in its allocation. This study analyzed the configuration of medical equipment in Chinese public hospitals, covering large and life support equipment, domestic equipment proportion, etc. Using questionnaires and SPSS 26.0 for analysis, it found that tertiary hospitals have more equipment, higher value, and better management personnel compared to secondary ones. The number of Class A equipment is small and not related to beds, while Class B equipment varies. Life support equipment quantity is positively correlated with beds, with 78% being domestic. Regional distribution is area-function influenced. Few use third-party services, many implement supervision, and 74% use IT for it. In conclusion, equipment allocation relates to hospital grade, etc., domestic equipment and IT supervision improved, and hospitals should strengthen planning and management and a national system is recommended.
Abstract Pressure Injuries (PI) are one of the most serious health problems that a care-dependent patient can suffer. PIs are formed due to the prolonged pressure on the skin and its underlying layers. The conventional ways of treating PIs are a very tiring and exhaustive task for the caregivers. Therefore, an intelligent pressure-relieving system needs to be developed that tracks areas that sustain persistently high and abnormal pressures and relieves the pressure to eliminate the formation of a PI. This article attempts to review the research conducted and identify its demerits or critical gaps. The critical gaps will be considered for feedback, and this feedback will serve as feedforward to develop a foolproof pressure-relieving system for effective PI management. The primary focus of this article is to understand the treatment methods, identification methods of the PI formation and the proposed ways of treating PIs. Through this study, we were able to classify PI management by treatment methods and identify key aspects of effective PI management.
Abstract Endotracheal tube (ETT) securement must maintain tube position while preserving access for oral care, suctioning, and concurrent management of airway-related tubes. This technical brief describes an all-in-one airway securement device (AiO) designed to stabilize the ETT, nasogastric tube, and bite block within a single assembly and reports preliminary simulated performance. In a randomized crossover simulation study, 34 nursing students used the AiO device and a conventional tube fixation method (CTFM) in two mannequin-based scenarios representing emergency stabilization and routine maintenance. Outcomes included procedural time, capped time to visible displacement under externally applied loads, and task-specific usability ratings. Compared with CTFM, the AiO device reduced mean procedural time by 139.6 s in the emergency stabilization scenario and 428.9 s in the routine maintenance scenario. Greater fixation stability was observed for the ETT at 700 and 1000 g, for the nasogastric tube at 200, 300, and 500 g, and for the bite block at 500, 700, and 1000 g. Usability ratings also favored the AiO device. These preliminary findings suggest that an integrated securement assembly may improve simulated workflow efficiency and support multitube stabilization. Further testing with experienced clinicians, commercial comparator devices, prolonged-use conditions, and clinical care environments is needed before conclusions can be drawn about real-world performance.
Abstract Assessment of spinal range of motion (RoM) is essential in clinical practice, particularly in the management of low back pain (LBP), but current methods remain limited in their ability to efficiently evaluate spinal mobility and the effects of therapeutic trunk devices. This observational cohort study aimed to validate an inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based system for measuring spinal mobility and to assess its ability to detect the effects of two trunk devices, a lumbar belt and a posture shirt. Ten healthy adults with no reported spinal pathology were assessed in a clinical laboratory setting. Three IMU sensors were placed at T1, T12, and S1 to measure spinal mobility during lateral trunk flexion. System performance was compared with a standard goniometer using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland–Altman analyses. In addition, the ability of the IMU-based system to discriminate between the effects of the two devices on trunk kinematics during sit-to-stand movement was evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The IMU-based system showed excellent agreement with the goniometer (ICC = 0.96 for right lateral flexion and 0.90 for left lateral flexion), with clinically acceptable limits of agreement. It also distinguished between the effects of the two devices: the lumbar belt significantly reduced lordosis during sitting and standing and reduced trunk flexion during transition, whereas the posture shirt showed a more pronounced effect on thoracic kyphosis. These findings support the IMU-based system as a reliable tool for assessing spinal mobility and evaluating trunk therapeutic devices in clinical practice.
Abstract Magnetic cell separation has been utilized for the past 50 years for bench-top science and, more recently, in clinical applications. However, devices used to isolate cells for diagnostics and/or therapy are costly and often large, precluding easy point-of-care use. We describe a new magnetic capture device coupled with a low-cost, small-footprint imaging scope (called CAPGLO). The assembly of the device and testing of its performance are demonstrated using two sizes of fluorescent magnetic particles (MPs) and fluorescently labeled cells. Our results indicate the device is quick, easy to use, and able to image both captured MPs and cells. Also, the isolated cells proliferated normally in culture, indicating that the device is able to capture cells and maintain viability. The imaging component of this device is particularly unique, especially at such a low cost. This device will eventually be useful for isolating and imaging the capture of particular cell types from complex samples for research and clinical purposes.
Abstract Wear remains a significant challenge in total hip arthroplasty (THA) for treating advanced degenerative hip diseases. To investigate the wear behavior of hip prostheses under real gait conditions, this study proposes a wear prediction scheme for Zr-Nb-on-Zr-Nb hip prostheses. The aim is to evaluate their wear performance under physiological loading gait cycle and optimize the radial clearance design. The scheme calculates the proportional relationship of the wear coefficient between Zr-Nb alloy and CoCrMo alloy using pin-on-disk wear tests and finite element analysis (FEA), thereby accurately quantifying the wear coefficient of Zr-Nb-on-Zr-Nb hip prostheses. Integrating the Archard wear model with dynamic contact mechanics enables the wear of hip prostheses to be predicted. Results show that Zr-Nb-on-Zr-Nb hip prostheses wear coefficients during the running-in and steady-state phases are 8.7826 × 10−10 and 2.6348 × 10−10 mm3 N−1 m−1. Compared with CoCrMo-on-CoCrMo hip prostheses, the linear and volumetric wear rates are reduced by 82.73% and 82.12%, and peak contact pressure decreases by 39.09%. Radial clearance analysis shows that increasing radial clearance leads to higher peak contact pressure and volumetric wear. This study demonstrates that Zr-Nb-on-Zr-Nb hip prostheses exhibit excellent wear resistance and biomechanical properties, providing a solid theoretical basis for prostheses design and lifespan prediction.
Abstract Disease-specific changes in cellular metabolism produce distinct volatile organic compound (VOC) patterns detectable in exhaled breath. A breath sampling system utilizing a silicon-based functionalized graphene array of varactor sensors can differentially detect these disease-specific VOC patterns or “breathprints®” within minutes. The system uses a standard anesthesia mask to direct exhaled breath across the sensor array, which simplifies sampling, minimizes condensation, and supports a point-of-care workflow. This paper summarizes the progression from initial laboratory research and benchtop prototypes to a live-animal proof of concept study. During the evolution of the design/prototyping/testing process, feasibility data from cell trays and dogs informed the generation of next generation systems with the confidence that design specifications were being met. These findings establish a foundation for future studies.
Abstract Mechanical characterization of biological tissues is a foundational element of biomedical innovation, enabling the development of predictive models, engineered tissues, and medical devices that interact with the human body. A crucial step in this process is measuring the geometry of soft tissue specimens, which is necessary for calculating mechanical quantities such as stress or strain. Here we examine various methods for measuring the dimensions of soft biological tissues with a focus on thickness measurements, but also including width, and length. We evaluate the advantages and limitations of direct contact and non-contact approaches, providing a comprehensive assessment of their suitability for different applications and tissue types. By informing the selection of appropriate measurement techniques, we aim to contribute to the development of standardized protocols for mechanical characterization.
Abstract Despite the widespread adoption of colonoscopy systems for the screening and diagnosis of colorectal cancer, manual manipulation of these devices remains challenging for clinicians, often leading to increased workload, operator fatigue, and reduced procedural focus. To address these limitations, this paper presents a novel analytical design approach and development of a modular and intuitive framework for robotizing and enhancing the existing colonoscopy procedures. The proposed framework consists of: (i) a collet-based gripping mechanism that integrates with a colonoscope while preserving its original functionality (i.e., two bending degrees-of-freedom (DoFs)), (ii) a feeder mechanism for controlled insertion/retraction along the axial DoF, and (iii) an intuitive user interface that enables coordinated and simultaneous control of three DoFs during the procedure. To validate the proposed analytical model relating geometric design parameters, material properties, and collet deformation range, finite element analysis (FEA) was performed in abaqus, resulting in a mean absolute error (MAE) of less than 0.44 mm across the entire workspace. In addition, we designed a dedicated mechanism compatible with a commercial colonoscope based on the proposed analytical framework and conducted a series of experimental studies to evaluate its performance. The results verified that the mechanism preserves the original functionality and manual operability of the colonoscope while improving controllability, usability, and intuitive manipulation. Overall, the findings demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework as a versatile and scalable solution for robotic-assisted colonoscopy systems.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a deadly disorder that is poorly understood and under-researched. Changes in ventilatory parameters have shown promise for improving patient outcomes. Thus, there exists a need for more efficient respiratory research which can be carried out with higher practicality. The present paper introduces a proof of concept for a synthetic ventilatory research lung (phantom lung). Phantoms were designed using iterative methods and connected to a flexiVent mechanical ventilator. Important ventilatory parameters were compared to established biological rat data to determine phantom performance. One such phantom, constructed of a 3D-printed polylactic acid, is shown to model the pressure-volume (PV) loop behavior of a biological in vivo rat lung and match parameters like dynamic compliance with biological significance. This can be used in place of traditional animal models in ventilatory and respiratory research, increasing ease of experimentation in this complex field. To the authors' knowledge, the presented phantom is the only ventilatory-based rat substitute which is capable of replicating the investigated behaviors while being made of easily sourced materials.
Biomedical engineering is rapidly changing thanks to three-dimensional (3D) printing, which makes it possible for creating multifunctional, structurally complex, and patient-specific equipment. In recent years, three connected trends have emerged at the frontier of this field: fully biodegradable bioelectronics, in situ bioprinting, and evolving regulatory and translational frameworks. This review summarizes the recent progress in these areas, emphasizing how integrated material design, novel bioinks, and multi-material additive manufacturing are driving the development of advanced biomedical devices. These devices can sense, stimulate, or therapeutically interact with tissues and are designed to safely degrade after completing their functional purpose. Recent key advances include the development of printable/conductive/. This review also examines the regulatory landscape, including guidance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration on additive-manufactured devices, point-of-care device production, sterility and material safety, and the hurdles for clinical translation. Finally, we identify technical and translational challenges-such as controlling degradation kinetics, ensuring long-term biocompatibility, manufacturing reproducibility, and bridging regulatory variability and propose directions for future work. Together, these trends suggest a near-future in which fully 3D-printed functional biomedical systems become safer, more sustainable, and more widely clinically applicable.
Bone implants have transformed orthopedic field by contributing an effective approach to bone repair and replacement. In this review, recent development of designing and manufacturing technologies, materials, bone implant structural architectures, and drug delivery systems are addressed. Additive manufacturing, especially 3D printing, is essential for making customizable bone implants with intricate geometry. Success of bone implant depends on selection of materials. Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) is widely used due to their excellent corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Furthermore, bioactive ceramics like hydroxyapatite are frequently used to improve the osteoconductivity of implants. The development of porous structures-based bone implants is essential to supporting vascularization and ingrowth of new bone. These revolutionary designs provide variable pore sizes and distributions, enhancing bone growth, mechanical stability, and implant performance, advancing bone regeneration. Delivering therapeutic drugs locally and sustainably from bone implants is a major development. Methods like covering implants with polymers laden with drugs or embedding drug reservoirs in the structure of the implant are being investigated. The development of bone implants is being propelled by the combination of cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, optimized porosity architectures, and efficient drug delivery systems which opened up new innovative pathway for regenerative medicine and improving patient outcomes.
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a musculoskeletal condition that causes pain outside the elbow. It affects approximately 1 million people in the U.S. annually. About 3% of adults over the age of 40 and up to 7% of manual laborers are affected by this condition every year. It is prevalent mainly among sports enthusiasts who engage in racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, squash, etc., and also among laborers who work with heavy instruments for lifting and gripping activities. Early detection is crucial for identifying the symptoms and inflammation contributing to poor performance and prolonged recovery. Temperature variation is one of the primary and early symptoms indicating the inflammation of the lateral epicondyle. In this work, a wearable Internet of Things (IoT)-based device was developed that integrates a temperature sensor, a Node microcontroller unit (MCU), and a notification-based alarm system. The developed system captures real-time temperature values and then securely passes them to the cloud, informing users when the temperature exceeds the threshold value. The data saved in the cloud is available for retrieval through a web interface that enables users to keep track of their condition very efficiently. Such efficient monitoring can result in the early detection of symptoms of tennis elbow, allowing individuals to take preventive steps and thereby decrease the progression of the disease.
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed major gaps in the design, manufacturing, planning, and procurement of medical countermeasures (MCMs). Of ongoing concern is the existing shortage of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated device MCMs needed for children disaster medical response involving acute and chronic illness. Planning for and prioritizing manufacturing, stockpiling, and tracking pediatric MCMs availability are especially necessary given existing device deficits and differences in pediatric physiology and epidemiology. In this paper, we justify why a pediatric-specific lens is needed when planning and prioritizing medical device MCMs. We also analyze the current landscape of pediatric MCM devices across phases and levels of care in relation to adult products to include protective equipment, diagnostic platforms, monitoring tools, interventional devices, and life-sustaining technologies.
Accurate assessment of arterial blood pressure (BP) and vascular stiffness is critical for diagnosing and monitoring cardiovascular disease. Arterial tonometry (AT) enables direct pulse wave acquisition and has been widely explored for noninvasive, continuous, wearable BP estimation. However, tonometry-based approaches typically rely on generalized arterial biomechanical parameters that exhibit substantial intersubject variability and can limit accuracy, particularly in pathological conditions. To address this limitation, we present a hybrid sensing framework that integrates shear wave elastography (SWE) with arterial tonometry to enable patient-specific biomechanical parameterization. The proposed device simultaneously acquires arterial stiffness metrics and pulse pressure waveforms, which are incorporated into a validated physics-driven model for continuous BP estimation. By combining elastography-derived mechanical priors with direct pulse wave measurements, this approach improves personalization and physiological fidelity of noninvasive, continuous BP monitoring. The proposed hybrid system demonstrates the potential for more accurate, patient-specific, and continuous blood pressure assessment, with implications for wearable cardiovascular monitoring and precision diagnostics.
Ventricular catheter (VC) obstruction remains one of the most common causes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt failure in hydrocephalus patients. Material properties of VCs are hypothesized to contribute to failure, yet few studies have systematically compared alternative biomaterials using a consistent VC design and manufacturing process. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of producing VCs from a range of commercially available elastomeric biomaterials using a rapid prototyping process and subjecting VCs to testing aimed at validating mechanical and surface properties relative to a commercial VC. A lost-wax casting technique was employed to fabricate VCs from five biomaterials: three silicones of select hardness ratings, polyisoprene, and polyurethane. Biomaterial performance was assessed via standardized tests, including tear strength, raw material hardness, contact angle, fluid resistance, protein adsorption, and surface morphology. A benchtop system improved with oscillatory flow was used to assess protein adsorption. All fabricated VCs had similar dimensions to the commercial VC. Polyisoprene demonstrated the highest tear strength, while polyurethane exhibited the smoothest surface. Despite assessing VCs with different hardnesses, surface textures, and surface energy, there was no significant difference in protein adsorption. This work represents an effort that combines rapid lab-based manufacturing, VC material testing, and VC biological testing under clinically relevant flow direction and volume. In this way, this work offers new insight into new VC materials, a shift in prototype and testing protocols for VCs used in hydrocephalus, and suggests the need for environmental control and exposure in future testing to improve shunt longevity.
Central venous catheterization (CVC) is a common medical procedure with a complication rate of over 15%. Current CVC manikin-based simulators lack anatomical variation and objective feedback of user interaction skills, which greatly hinders effective skill acquisition. To address these limitations, a novel CVC insertion training system was developed and integrated with the Advanced Dynamic Haptic Robotic Trainer (DHRT+). This insertion training system contains a sensorized syringe, custom tissue phantom, and a tool detection subsystem, allowing residents to practice nearly the entire CVC procedure with realistic haptics and automated feedback on subcutaneous tool positioning. Five experiments were conducted to assess the haptic fidelity of the sensorized syringe and custom tissue and to evaluate the accuracy of subcutaneous tool detection. Results showed that the sensorized syringe, which detects aspiration and simulates arterial and venous flash, accurately reproduced clinical aspiration forces. The custom tissue phantom provided realistic force feedback during ultrasound (US) compression and needle insertion, comparable to that of commercial tissue phantoms at a substantially lower cost. The color sensors used to distinguish between inserted guidewires and catheters accurately verified tool depth and enabled tool insertion across multiple positions on the tissue surface. Overall, novel CVC insertion training system components were presented that enabled CVC simulation and provided accurate measurement on aspiration, guidewire depth, and catheter depth.
Microlaryngoscopic surgery requires surgeons to maintain elevated arm postures for extended periods, leading to muscle fatigue, tremors, and reduced precision. Although upper-limb exoskeletons have been widely studied for rehabilitation and assistance, their use in surgical scenarios requiring both transparent motion following and stable postural support remains limited. To address these issues, we present a tendon-sheath-driven upper-limb exoskeleton (TULE) that provides ergonomic support during prolonged procedures. The system offers three degrees-of-freedom per arm and uses a simplified dynamic model tailored to the motion patterns of microlaryngoscopic surgery. A hybrid control strategy combines admittance control with computed-torque sliding-mode control. Simulations and hardware experiments show that the proposed controller reduces joint tracking errors compared to proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control while ensuring smooth torque output. Motion-following experiments demonstrate compliant human-robot interaction with low interaction torques. Tremor-suppression tests reveal an approximately 75-80% reduction in wrist tremor amplitude in lock mode, confirming the system's potential to enhance surgeon endurance and stability in microsurgery.
Force and moment measurements are critical for powered ankle-foot prostheses, with over 73% of prototypes incorporating such sensors. Hardware complexity, compatibility limitations, and cost barriers currently limit widespread clinical adoption. This work presents four contributions using the commercial strain gauge based instrumented pyramid adapter Europa+: (1) hardware integration compatible with standard prosthetic components and minimal added bulk (275 g, 37.5 mm height); (2) an adaptive zero drift compensation algorithm achieving stable calibration within 2-3 steps for continuous long-term operation; (3) physics-informed linear regression models for real-time ankle force and moment estimation; and (4) experimental validation with 8 nonamputee participants using a passive prosthesis, and a preliminary single-participant evaluation with a two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) powered ankle-foot prosthesis in variable impedance closed-loop operation. Results demonstrate exceptional axial force estimation ( RMSE=47 +/- 20 N, R2=0.97 +/- 0.03) and strong dorsi-plantar (DP) moment estimation ( RMSE=5.7 +/- 2.3 Nm, R2=0.87 +/- 0.06) across passive prosthesis participants, and these remain valid for the powered prosthesis. Inversion-eversion (IE) moment estimation achieves RMSE=0.8 +/- 0.2 Nm and R2=0.44 +/- 0.16 on passive data, but performance improves when model parameters are derived from powered prosthesis gait with larger active IE range. This approach establishes a generalizable methodology applicable to strain gauge based instrumented pyramid adapters, offering a practical alternative to custom sensors while significantly reducing barriers to clinical implementation of ankle dynamics estimation in prosthetic applications.
