Companies in the healthcare industry present a sparkling array of product innovations plus tailor-made services
The specialists from hospitals and doctors’ surgeries obviously did not want to miss out on the 40th anniversary of MEDICA. Over the four days of the event this, the world’s largest medical trade fair (from 18 to 21 November 2009), registered almost 138,000 trade visitors from over 100 countries (previous year: 137,000 visitors). 45% of visitors came from abroad (2008: 42%), a particularly high number also travelled to Düsseldorf from the Asian growth markets and the Arab region. 4,324 exhibitors (2008: 4,279) from around 60 nations offered them a clearly segmented line-up with a plethora of new products, systems and services for the entire process chain in both in and out-patient care. “The medical technology sector has met the efforts made to cut costs in the healthcare industry worldwide with a sparkling array of product innovations, which are a known way of cutting costs”, said Wilhelm Niedergöker, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, emphasising the strength of the “MedTech” industry, in an allusion to the current studies published by the trade associations ZVEI and SPECTARIS on the potential savings that can be achieved by using state-of-the-art medical technology.
“The short innovation cycle in this industry is a crucial success factor of the world’s No.1 event for the sector – MEDICA. After all, the most exciting innovations are presented here year after year. The second economic stimulus package initiated by the Federal German Government with its associated investment aid to the tune of EUR 1.4 billion for German hospitals attracted to MEDICA a high number of decision-makers, also from domestic hospitals, after several years of abstention”, said Wilhelm Niedergöker in the light of the continued good response from both exhibitors and visitors.
In particular in the field of surgery, which is seen as cost-intensive, visitors to MEDICA 2009 were presented with a wide variety of new innovations that permit significant savings. For example, €22 million could be saved per annum by the use of so called resorbable pins, which are used to stabilise bone (source: study by ZVEI/ SPECTARIS/Droege). Previously, surgeons have typically stabilised fractures of the facial skull using titanium plates and screws. The drawback of this method is that once the fracture has healed, the implants need to be removed, requiring a second operation. Synthetic pins, such as those presented at MEDICA by a medical technology company from Tuttlingen, are dissolved in the body. They are welded to the bone with the aid of ultrasound.
A special operating microscope, which was also presented at MEDICA, allows rapid and improved visualisation of blood flow – enabling burst blood vessels to be seen even in the course of an operation, doing away with the need for complex and costly follow-up operations, according to the manufacturer, as well as reducing the high costs for the treatment of associated diseases. The total savings potential of this innovation is estimated to be approximately €10 million per annum.
Numerous innovations for medical imaging
The developments emerging in the field of imaging were also the topic of many conversations between MEDICA visitors. One fact that is particularly worth mentioning in this respect is a new generation of ultrasound devices designed for use in the diagnosis of nerve diseases. Special surface ultrasonic probes make it possible to not only image the nerve but also the surrounding tissue structures, making nerve tumours, nerve inflammations and injuries visible.
New developments in the field of ultrasound devices should also render good services in anaesthesia. For instance, the new devices for administering local anaesthesia presented at MEDICA 2009 will allow the position of the needle to be verified very precisely when injecting the anaesthetic as well as monitoring its distribution in the target structure for the operation. “The use of ultrasound is undoubtedly the most important current development in regional anaesthesia and has the potential of revolutionizing regional anaesthesia,” said Anaesthesiologist and Chief Physician of the Clinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at Worms Hospital, PD Dr. Egbert Hüttemann.
In addition to the development of innovative methods, industry is also placing a greater emphasis on tailor-made services, as Jochen Franke, Chairman of the MEDICA Advisory Board, CEO of Philips GmbH Healthcare and chairman of ZVEI, the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association, explains: From requirement analysis and the procurement process through to equipment maintenance, a number of manufacturers offer hospitals tailor-made solutions for their equipment pool – if requested at an all-inclusive price and even covering equipment made by other manufacturers. In this respect, MEDICA provides a window onto the future of what lies in store in terms of integrated workflows in the future.“
Telemedicine is forging ahead – in outpatient as well as inpatient care
Not only in hospital operating theatres or in doctors’ surgeries are the new innovations in the field of medical technology presented at MEDICA 2009 already being put to use. Patients are also being increasingly included in outpatient care, too. The trend towards home medicine and telemedicine applications continues unabated. While in the past electronic thermometers were the only medical devices to be found in private homes, these days we see the advent of measuring devices for a wide variety of vital data such as mini ECG sets, for instance. The opportunities presented by these “self-payer products” in terms of prevention and remote patient monitoring appear to be far from exhausted so far. For example, there were various heart monitoring systems that are incorporated in clothing, which are currently still at the experimental stage, on show at MEDICA 2009. They are comfortable to wear and make for uncomplicated patient monitoring over extended periods of time.
International congress programme proved very popular
The MEDICA Congress once again had a wide range of topics in store this year. The international continuous medical education module in English, which was included in the programme for the first time, attracted a lot of attention. Integral diagnostics and therapy in the fields of oncology, patient monitoring at ORs/ICUs and trends in the area of heart surgery were the main topics that met with great interest. Another international event was dedicated to palliative medical care and special care concepts for people in the final stages of life. Of the lectures delivered in German, those on the most important common diseases, for example, on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and, in particular this year, depression and hardness of hearing, proved the most popular“, said Dr. Julia Rautenstrauch, Secretary General of MEDICA – German Association for Interdisciplinary Medicine, summing up the encouraging feedback from those who had attended the lectures.
“Hospital Policy after the General Elections” was the guiding theme of the 32nd German Hospital Conference, attended by 2,215 participants interested in finding out more about the current health policy plans of the various political parties in the German Parliament for the 17th legislative period and their potential financial impact on hospitals.”
COMPAMED 2009 attracted over 16,000 visitors
Even more visitor attention was attracted by COMPAMED 2009, the trade fair starting in parallel with MEDICA and drawing to a close on Friday (20 November). Over 16,000 of the 138,000 trade visitors took a special interest in the subjects covered by the leading international trade fair for supplies to medical manufacturing. In Halls 8a and 8b a total of 518 exhibitors from 35 nations provided insights into their product and development know-how: from components and individual assemblies, micro system technology and nanotechnology applications to solutions for custom manufacturing, for example, innovations in the field of materials and process technology. Visitors to COMPAMED saw how lasers can be used to bond plastic components to other parts of a system, made of other materials, for instance, as well as being able to find out about new quality assurance processes. One of the processes presented, for example, was a method for applying identification codes, which can now be virtually invisible, even on transparent materials, providing strong protection against product piracy and the resulting low quality of imitation medical and pharmaceutical products. A focal theme of the product marketplace called “High-Tech for Medical Devices” organised by IVAM, the Professional Association for Micro-Technology, and the COMPAMED Forum were aspects of product development and high-technology components for processing medical products.
Dates for MEDICA 2010: 17. 17 to 20 November in Düsseldorf
Dates for COMPAMED 2010: 17. 17 to 19 November in Düsseldorf
Information on MEDICA online: http://www.medica.de
Information on COMPAMED online: http://www.compamed.de
Janine Budding, Founder and firestarter MedicalFacts.eu 