Why MedTech needs a bespoke approach to batteries?

Key Takeaways:

• Standard Batteries are Insufficient: Off-the-shelf batteries cannot meet the high standards for safety, reliability, and form factor required by complex medical and life-saving devices.
• Customization is Mandatory for Safety: Bespoke battery design is essential for integrating critical fail-safe mechanisms and advanced monitoring features (BMS) directly tailored to the unique clinical use case.
• MedTech Requires Balance: Custom solutions optimize the trade-off between compact size, performance, and extended runtime, minimizing interruptions in patient care and extending the operational life of the device.

MedTech batteries made for being on the move 

Whether it’s moving between patients or at-home use, many medical devices benefit from being portable. 

But as with all battery-powered devices, there’s a tradeoff between the size of the device and lifespan of the battery.

Medical devices often need to balance portability with performance. A smaller battery may reduce weight, but it can also reduce the battery life or performance. Custom battery solutions are essential in MedTech, as they allow manufacturers to optimize the size of the battery while still meeting the performance and runtime demands of clinical applications. 

Custom battery solutions in the medtech industry help find that perfect balance between usage, performance, and device size.

For devices such as portable heart monitors, insulin pumps, or diagnostic equipment, battery solutions must be lightweight enough to ensure mobility while still delivering the power and runtime needed for medical staff to perform their tasks without interruptions.

Built to last 

When you’re in a busy hospital or clinic, the last thing you want to do is to take time away from patients to round up all your medical devices and charge them. 

Minimizing the frequency of battery replacements and charging is an essential requirement to make sure life-saving devices are ready to go when medics need them.

In clinical settings, the reliability of medical devices directly impacts patient outcomes. Devices that frequently require charging or battery replacements lead to unnecessary delays and create additional stress for healthcare workers. By designing batteries with optimized energy density, manufacturers can reduce the frequency of charging cycles, ensuring that devices are available and ready for use when needed most.

Custom medical batteries can be designed to optimize energy density and efficiency, making sure devices last longer.

In addition to maximizing the energy storage within a compact design, custom batteries can also improve thermal efficiency, ensuring that devices operate safely and efficiently even under high-use conditions. This contributes to both the longevity of the device and the safety of its users.

Bespoke medical battery means prioritizing safety and compliance

Keeping patients safe comes first. There are two aspects to medical device safety: the physical safety of the device and the reliability of its performance. 

With intense usage, batteries are at risk overheating or short circuiting. Custom battery development makes sure the battery spec matches the use case and gives the opportunity to build in fail-safes. 

Medical devices are often used in high-stakes environments, making safety a non-negotiable requirement. Custom-designed batteries not only offer a better fit for each device’s power requirements but also allow for the integration of advanced safety features, such as thermal management, voltage regulation, and overcurrent protection, which minimize the risks of overheating or electrical failure.

Moreover, custom batteries allow for advanced testing and compliance with medical safety standards (e.g., ISO 13485, IEC 60601-1), ensuring that devices meet strict regulations. This reduces the risk of battery-related incidents and enhances patient and healthcare worker confidence in the device’s reliability.

Bespoke battery system development also opens up the possibility of building in advanced monitoring features to ensure patients and their doctors can confidently rely on these life-saving devices.

Advanced Battery Management Systems (BMS) can be integrated into custom batteries, offering real-time diagnostics and performance monitoring. This allows healthcare providers to track the battery’s health and ensure that the device is operating within safe limits. Monitoring also alerts medical staff to potential issues before they become critical, enhancing the overall safety of the device.

When off-the-shelf isn’t an option

All electronics must jump through hoops when it comes to safety, but medical devices need to meet much higher standards of safety and reliability. 

Healthcare providers want longevity when they invest in new tech, as well as the confidence that it’ll integrate seamlessly with the other systems they’re already using.

Off-the-shelf battery solutions may be sufficient for consumer electronics, but medical devices require higher standards of performance and safety due to the potential consequences of device failure. As a result, many medical devices require battery solutions that are specifically engineered to meet both performance and safety requirements, ensuring long-term reliability in critical environments.

Often, devices are being used to perform a really specific job. To do that well and for as long as possible, the battery’s power consumption, size, and weight all need to be optimized for the needs of that specific healthcare application.

Customization allows manufacturers to develop batteries that are tailored to specific devices, ensuring that they can handle the unique operational demands of different medical functions, from diagnostic imaging to emergency medical equipment.

The team at EMBS has extensive experience in developing custom batteries for healthcare devices. Get in touch with us to share more about your project and find out how we can help. 

Sources

Takatani, S. (2010). Engineering Aspect of the Medtech Dispo Mag-Lev Centrifugal Blood Pump: S10. Artificial Organs, 34(4), E135.

Portal, N. P. C. Nalu Medical Named Best MedTech Company and Medical Device in Field of Neurology.

Lu, J., Zhang, L., Zhang, D., Matsumoto, S., Hiroshima, H., Maeda, R., … & Ohkohchi, N. (2018). Development of implantable wireless sensor nodes for animal husbandry and MedTech innovation. Sensors, 18(4), 979.