5 Types of Medical Equipment that Use Miniature Motors

The invention of miniaturized motors and their integration into many mechanical equipment use in different industries have not only improved the way these industries work, they have also revolutionized the very machinery they work with. One of the biggest examples of this phenomenon involves the healthcare industry, with many life-saving and healing equipment becoming more effective in their roles, thanks to the addition of medical miniature motors in their design and engineering. Here are some types of medical equipment that function as well as they do thanks to these trusty and reliable little powerhouses.

Respiratory and ventilation equipment

This type of medical equipment provides oxygen and breathing assistance to hospital patients who may be too weak or too sick to properly take in air into their lungs on their own. The inclusion of miniature motors in their design and construction has made the blower assemblies that produce the airflow much smaller, reliable and energy-efficient. Thanks to these miniature motors, respirators and ventilators became increasingly more portable and quieter—the latter quality being absolutely necessary in the healthcare industry, as a sick patient is likely to get little sleep and rest if the equipment that’s helping them breathe is keeping them awake due to being too loud.

Radiation therapy and imaging equipment

This type of medical equipment is used primarily in treating cancer or malignant anomalies in the body. Since missing even a single malignant cell can result in the cancerous condition relapsing or even coming back stronger than before, this specific type of medical equipment need to be efficient and precise in order for the patient to have the best outcome or prognosis possible. Miniature motors afford radiation therapy and imaging equipment the precision they need while also ensuring that they’re energy-efficient and durable. Their reduced size and construction also makes them relatively easy to maintain, repair, and replace, thus helping hospitals keep their overhead costs low.

Lab automation equipment

Medical technicians and analysts in medical laboratories are always working overtime in analyzing biological samples and specimens in order to provide accurate results, which in turn could lead to important diagnoses and breakthroughs. Lab automation equipment helps to not only increase the accuracy of the analysis efforts but also lighten the amount of physical labor and manpower needed to produce those results. This type of equipment would not at all function as well or at all without the miniature motors powering them.

Biopsy Systems

Biopsy procedures are invasive surgical procedures that are essential in diagnosing serious diseases and conditions. However, due to their invasive nature they can result in detrimental effects and complications on the patient due to the inherent trauma they inflict. Through the use of highly precise and efficient biopsy systems, these procedures can be made to be less invasive and minimize the amount of potential damage they can inflict. These systems employ miniature motors in order to make the small, precise movements they need to harvest their required tissue samples. This also makes them smaller and easier to operate by hand, further reducing any chance of error due to having to manipulate bigger and ungainly tools.

Peripheral artery disease treatment devices

One of the medical procedures that absolutely require a high degree of precision is atherectomy, the procedure that restores blood flow to parts of the human body that have been deprived or choked by arteries clogged by plaque. Arteries by their nature are not only very small components of the circulatory system, but they’re also quite fragile, with one wrong move or mishap during an operation spelling pain and internal bleeding for the patient, along with a host of other complications.

To ensure a successful atherectomy and fast recovery times for the patient, peripheral artery disease treatment devices are used. These devices use miniature motors to give them the precision and controllability that surgeons need in order to efficiently clear out plaque while leaving arteries intact.

The above-listed types of medical equipment, as well as a host of others that are important to healthcare, would not function or perform their task as well as they can without the miniature motors that provide them the torque, speed, and precision they need. Not only that, but without miniature motors, these devices would be huge and ungainly, as they would require bigger and more complicated motors in order to work. With such contributions to the advancement of medical equipment we can definitely say that miniature motors are instrumental to improving healthcare.