Trust me, I'm a medical device

There is a growing debate surrounding the rise in mobile medical devices. The concern is that the increased reliance on electronic devices to monitor and treat our health becomes dangerous if those very devices become unsafe or unreliable to use. Here, we explore the security and safety of batteries used in our critical medical equipment going forward. 

Medical devices are moving from the once fixed sanctuaries of hospital wards and wandering out into our portable world. The abundance of WiFi, the interconnectivity of electronics and remote information exchange has given rise to the increased portability of the critical devices that monitor our health and provide doctors and paramedics with the tools necessary in delivering flexible and customisable treatment.

However, this rise in portability has created numerous security challenges. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month pushed for improved cyber security when it issued guidelines aimed at helping medical device manufacturers manage cyber security risks as well as "maintain medical device functionality and safety".

The guidelines will decrease the number of incidents of medical devices being hacked, putting the life of patients in jeopardy. Controversies, such as the one reported by former US Vice President Dick Cheney who, fearing assassination, told doctors to turn off the wireless functionality of his pacemaker after it was found that it could be wirelessly hacked, will be avoided.

However, the problem of security is not limited to the wireless capability of devices. A lack of hardware based encryption has already caused widespread concern over the reliability of batteries used in such equipment.

The fact that portable medical devices have to be designed to operate without mains electricity/AC power access necessitates the use of reliable and safe backup-power management systems. Devices such as acute ventilators, portable anaesthesia workstations and intra-oral scanners all need continuous and safe power to protect patient health.

Battery counterfeiting is a problem faced by the medical industry on a scale never before witnessed in the sector. The ready availability of grey market, untested copycat batteries using inferior components means that many life-critical devices used in our hospitals and medical establishments are becoming unreliable and unsafe to use.

Here at Accutronics, we've worked hard to tackle this problem and will be launching a new CMX series of smart batteries and chargers this November. The new range incorporates some innovative features that include SHA-1 hardware encryption, to prevent fake batteries being used with the host device, active and passive protection circuits, accurate fuel gauging, smart charge control and device-to-host communication.

The new batteries can be transported, stored and used safely, without overcharging, over discharging, overloading and short-circuiting. Thermal sensing on the battery triggers alarms if it is too hot; removing it from the circuit if the operating temperature exceeds safe levels.

Smart power management is what makes the CMX range stand out. Whereas other dumb systems that use a fixed-voltage cut off to prevent over-discharge, the intelligent system in the CMX maximises runtime per discharge cycle by telling the host device when to shut down based on highly accurate remaining-capacity prediction.

Visitors to COMPAMED can find out more about how the CMX range will revolutionise the mobile medical market at Accutronics' product launch press conference. The event will be held at 3pm on the 12th of November, 2014 in room 801a off hall 8b at COMPAMED. If you're interested in attending, you can register for free by calling 01785 225416 today.

If you’re unable to make it to Compamed we will also be launching and displaying the new CMX series at ELECTRONICA in Munich between 11th & 14th November in Hall B2 Stand Booth 454.

High-five for high-power

Tackling the rise in demand for portable medical devices delivering high-rate power discharge, battery specialist Accutronics will be launching a new CMX range on 12 November, 2014 at COMPAMED, the international medical trade show held in Dusseldorf, Germany. In anticipation of the launch, we explore the world of portable power.

Speed is of the essence in life-critical applications. Usually, ambulance crews will transport heart-attack patients to the hospital's emergency ward as soon as possible. However, a leading UK Accident & Emergency doctor recently called for patients to be treated by paramedics until their heart starts beating or they die.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, Dr Benger says that it, "may be actively harmful" to rush cardiac arrest patients to hospital. Because there is only a short time-window of around 50 minutes before permanent brain damage sets in, it is vital that treatment is provided quickly and effectively.

The last few years have seen an increased demand in mobile technology used in hospitals and in the field. Specialised stroke emergency mobile (STEMO) ambulances fitted with portable CT scanners cut the alarm-to-treatment period to just 25 minutes. Acute ventilators, portable anaesthesia workstations and intra-oral scanners are other examples of medical equipment breaking free from the traditional mains power supply.

However, the challenge with these devices is the high-rate power delivery required to operate reliably. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa has highlighted the challenge of transporting patients from one part of the world to another. Medical equipment used in the transport of patients must be capable of operating with limited resource for electricity, water and compressed gas.

On September 4, 2014, in response to the Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued guidelines for medical equipment donated for use in the field. The guidelines reinforce the necessity for devices to use high-quality backup power, with current stabilisation, surge protection and uninterrupted power supplies to protect against blackouts and unsustainable mains power.

To overcome these problems, here at Accutronics we've developed a new CMX smart-battery range specifically for high-power applications. Capable of accurate fuel gauging, built to international regulatory standards (IEC62133, UL2054) and offering device-to-host communication for continuous swappable power, the new range will be especially useful in the increasingly dynamic nature of modern hospital care.

Visitors to COMPAMED can find out more about how the CMX range will revolutionise the mobile medical market at Accutronics' product launch press conference. The event will be held at 3pm on the 12th of November, 2014 in room 801a off hall 8b at COMPAMED. Alternatively you can view and discuss the new product range in Hall 8b Stand F30 where Accutronics will be exhibiting. If you're interested in attending, you can register for free by calling 01785 225416 today.

If you’re unable to make it to COMPAMED, we will also be launching and displaying the new CMX series at ELECTRONICA in Munich between 11th and 14th November in Hall B2 Stand Booth 454.

A designer's headache

At the end of March, Sataya Nadella the new CEO of Microsoft gave his first keynote speech only 52 days into his new role. Speaking at the company’s Cloud conference, also dubbed the ‘Office for iPad’ event, he expressed Microsoft’s vision for mobile and cloud computing moving forward. Here, Neil Oliver of Accutronics considers the implications of advancing consumer technology for designers of medical devices that rely on battery size reduction.

It was a bold but necessary step. Microsoft’s ethos of traditional fixed-unit computing has struggled to compete in recent years with the sheer intensity of competition offered up by the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google. Rapid innovation of powerful mobile operating systems, that offer more portable productivity solutions, has left the software giant reeling.

The trend towards mobile devices is nothing new. Having experienced a seismic shift, the industry has gained momentum in cycles over the last twenty years. We have now reached a point where mobile users outnumber desktops, laptops and Internet users, combined.

However, there are drawbacks to such fast paced innovation. The traditionally linear product development has morphed into a vicious cycle of ever increasing consumer expectations, in conjunction with an increased competition to reduce the time to market for each device-iteration.

This has left designer’s scratching their heads. Design objectives that seemed impossible to implement only a few years ago, are now the norm. As a result, user expectations are getting higher and higher. As customers we want bigger screen sizes, with higher resolutions, packed into thinner, more lightweight devices, with lower price points and long run times.

This is as true in the world of professional batteries for medical devices as it is the consumer environment.

In a typical product development lifecycle, industrial and product design consultants are drafted in at the concept stages. The consultants usually specialise in areas such as ergonomics, electronics or even manufacturing readiness. The power solution, in the form of the battery design, is often an afterthought in this process.

Because ergonomics and manufacturing have taken a front and centre seat in meeting consumer requirements, the consultants brought in, don’t always have the most up to date skills in battery technology. It is for this reason that, whilst device design has moved forward, design engineers often struggle to meet the ever tightening requirements for batteries.

However, by relegating the battery solution to an afterthought we risk limiting the options available to designers, making a battery that is truly fit for purpose less likely. By limiting the volume, thickness, weight and material availability, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) may have to compromise in other areas. These variables can directly influence factors such as cell selection, robustness, runtime, efficient operating temperatures, reliability and total life.

Not considering these issues at the design stage could spell disaster in the long term.

The first consequence is as a result of shaving millimetres off the device and thus battery size. For instance, single-cell Lithium-ion batteries in consumer devices such as phones and tablets are being encased in increasingly thinner packaging. This means that accidentally dropping your phone could rupture the battery casing, causing a short circuit. Although extremely unlikely, this could cause the battery to heat up and even explode.

Although an extreme example, a more likely consequence in a medical device would be an inefficient discharge rate at low operating temperatures. Medical devices used outdoors by rescue teams are a prime example. Whilst OEMs seek to market their devices as capable of operating from -20 to +60 degrees Celsius, designers struggle to optimise batteries to perform effectively at both extremes.

For example, a battery optimised for low temperature discharge, will struggle to maintain efficiency in high temperatures, and vice versa. This also means that accurate fuel gauging becomes difficult; creating a potentially hazardous problem for medical and life-critical devices.

Another challenge is device weight. The consequence of pursuing the thinnest and lightest device is that OEMs ultimately compromise on run-time and battery lifetime.

A battery’s energy density is directly proportional to its volume and mass. By reducing the weight of the battery, and subsequently its energy, the runtime is lowered. Even Lithium-ion batteries, which offer the highest energy density commercially available, will struggle to cater for customer expectations in this environment.

Here at Accutronics, we’ve found that the easiest solution to overcome these problems is to work with OEMs at the concept stages to build in requirements for reliable and robust battery design. This helps to achieve a good balance between innovative design and battery performance. It’s a process that market leaders like Microsoft would surely applaud, particularly given Nadella’s focus on mobile first.

Future-proofing for years to come

The importance of fitting the right type of battery in certain devices is something we can’t stress enough, no matter how often we bring it up. The variety of batteries available can sometimes make it very challenging for a design engineer to choose the best option. In fact, the creativity of some battery solutions has impressed even us, here at Accutronics. For example, last month, a team from the Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineering Fair created the world’s first battery made entirely of Brussels sprouts.

As charming as the Brussels sprouts battery idea is, certain devices, particularly the ones used in defence and security, or the medical and healthcare sectors, need to be future-proofed for at least a decade. One of the best ways to do that is by applying intelligent design techniques at the earliest possible stages.

Consumer devices, like mobile phones or music players rarely have a lifecycle of over 24 months. This is definitely not the case with medical devices like X-ray machines, ventilators, or patient monitoring equipment, which can go for over a decade without being redeveloped. The reason is partly related to the high cost of redesigning and testing new medical devices.

A long life span is part of the reason why design engineers need to ensure that the components of the device – including the battery - will not become obsolete during the device’s estimated lifetime. This can sometimes be the case if the design engineer decides to use as a power source a battery originally developed with a consumer use in mind.

Because of the unpredictability of consumer markets, there is no guarantee that in five or ten year’s time, that specific consumer battery solution will still be available. Furthermore, consumer battery solutions are usually less reliable and have lower levels of technical support than custom made batteries.

The challenge medical device OEMs face is finding a balance between how to use the latest battery technology, and the guarantee that device components will be available in the long term. And in this context, long term actually means up to 15 years. The solution is to work closely alongside the battery developer from the earliest stages of device design. This way, the device can be built, to the appropriate extent, around the battery or at least with its own power requirements in mind.

Leading battery developers closely monitor battery and device trends, and can offer objective advice about cell selection, ensuring the device is future-proof until its estimated end of life. Battery developers also guarantee continuous and expert levels of technical support throughout the device’s life cycle and can continue to manufacture the custom-made battery even in small numbers, when a consumer battery manufacturer wouldn’t.

Not to toot our own horn, but here at Accutronics, we are experts in designing custom battery solutions for devices that are too expensive to redevelop if the initial battery becomes obsolete. So why not drop us an email on sales@accutronics.co.uk or give us a call on 01782 566688, and we’ll advise you on what would be the best solutions for your device.

All medical credit card batteries accepted

Over the past decade, developments in rechargeable lithium ion battery technology have permitted consumer electronic devices to become smaller and lighter whilst running for longer. This same technology has allowed medical devices to become portable, allowing both equipment and patients to roam freely around hospitals.  But did you know that a convergence of consumer and medical devices, utilising wireless sensors are poised to reinvent how we view both of these groups of devices. 

Convergence of medicine and electronics 

The reason engineers don’t make good surgeons is their tendency to shut things down when they go wrong - something you can’t do with the human body! Portable medical devices are already used extensively by some of us at home, including blood pressure monitors or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machines to relieve muscular aches and pains. Chances are you’re more likely to be in the ‘senior’ age range if you are buying such machines, but they save a trip to the doctor or hospital.

Portable medical devices cover the application spectrum from wearable wireless products and chronic disease monitors to pulse oximeters. According to IMS Research, current wearable devices are concentrated around a few products mainly in the healthcare and medical, and fitness and wellness application areas.

In these areas, there is a greater use-case for wearable technology, to transmit data such as vital signs, and track user performance. In the case of pulse oximetry, this is a non-invasive method of allowing the monitoring of the saturation of a patient's haemoglobin. A sensor is placed on a thin part of the patient's body, usually a fingertip or earlobe, or in the case of an infant, across a foot.

The right battery 
Batteries used in such applications, have to be light and small, with enough capacity to do the job required and come with the right certification for a safety conscious world. They must be able to accurately report their state of charge and be furnished with internal protection devices. Lithium ion batteries are correctly aligned to this requirement which is why Accutronics developed the CC2300 and CC3800 credit card batteries.

Both models have a footprint identical to that of a credit card and they are available in two thicknesses, are approved to IEC and UL standards and can have their case colour, fuel gauge firmware, labelling and packaging customised to suit particular customer requirements.

So next time your doctor mentions ‘terminal malfunction’, don’t panic! He may just be referring to his computer. And when you ask medical staff to shut a window, make sure they don’t think you mean clicking on the ‘x’ at the top right of the computer screen. This is what happens when the worlds of medicine and electronics converge!

Image courtesy of stockimages, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

High Energy Lithium ion solution provides hot swap functionality

~ IPV can be shipped under transportation regulations ~

Intelligent Power Vault

Critical equipment and applications that need to run continuously cannot rely solely on mains supply; additional energy solutions in the form of battery backup are also required. To this end Accutronics, the UK's leading independent battery design, development and manufacturing company, has launched the Intelligent Power Vault (IPV), a high energy density lithium-ion battery system. The product is an ideal solution for applications where energy reliability, flexibility and safety are paramount, such as medical & industrial applications. 

Over the past ten years, Lithium Ion battery technology has become the default choice for powering portable electronic devices as it provides longer runtimes and lower weight than older chemistries such as nickel cadmium (NiCad), nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) and lead acid.

However, the transportation of Lithium Ion batteries by air, sea and road is heavily regulated and Lithium Ion batteries must pass mandatory transportation tests before they can be shipped. Once tested, these batteries must be packed in accordance with strict packaging and paperwork requirements and limitations are placed on the number and weight of batteries shipped. Batteries with energy in excess of 100Wh have additional restrictions placed upon them which can make their transport costly for the company or individual trying to ship the battery.

Listening to OEMs' requirements Accutronics has created an off the shelf, modular battery system that draws energy from removable, sub 100Wh Lithium Ion smart batteries and feeds them through a central controller. This allows an energy system with less than 100Wh to be manufactured whilst still complying with transportation regulations. Up to eight batteries can be built into one system, providing in excess of 700Wh.

Intelligent Power Vault™ is a power management device that uses multiple Li-ion smart batteries to provide rechargeable battery power to a wide range of devices. The hot-swappable smart battery technology represents a revolutionary way of storing energy for critical applications.  Modularisation offers the high energy density and flexibility of smart Lithium-Ion battery technology with reduced shipping limitations.

The Intelligent Power Vault™ consists of a control module on the exterior and slots for between two and eight battery modules. Each of the individual modules contained in the Intelligent Power Vault™ is a compact 86.4Wh rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, called the VR420.  Special brackets for mounting in a 19 inch rack are available for units configured with eight batteries.

The loading system allows batteries to be easily removed for transportation without the need for tools. Once taken out of the rack, the individual batteries are excepted from shipping regulations and can be shipped with the Intelligent Power Vault™ under a UN packing instruction that allows the shipment of Lithium Ion batteries with less than 100Wh with equipment.

As a result, the Intelligent Power Vault™ can be transported anywhere by air, sea or road without the cost and complexity associated with dangerous goods shipping.

The Intelligent Power Vault™ has been successfully employed in a variety of high tech applications.  Weighing less than 8kg, the Intelligent Power Vault™ with eight batteries is two and a half times lighter than an equivalent lead acid battery, making it easy for the integrator to build it into the base of the trolley or cart.

The Intelligent Power Vault™ is also used in high-end automated laboratory equipment where power failure cannot be tolerated. Other applications include 3D dental scanners, communications equipment and embedded computing devices - mainly industrial PCs and robotic backup.

“Battery backup can be portable, cost effective and reliable, provided the right technologies are used," explained Michele Windsor, direct sales and marketing manager at Accutronics. "Unsurprisingly, consumer style energy solutions are not the best way of achieving this and they can’t be relied upon to support critical applications", she concluded.

Lithium-Ion battery technology allows OEMs to guarantee the safety and reliability of the end product, with flexibility and ease of use in mind.  And, unlike other similar energy solutions, the IPV can be easily shipped, without any transportation complications or delays.