The 2023 COMPAMED Innovation Forum:
This is why high-tech sensor technology is crucial for health care!
The cost of health care is rising the world over, andn in almost all OECD member states, it is rising even faster than their nability to keep up. Modern technologies can at least help to mitigate nthis development while ensuring at the same time that the quality of ncare does not suffer and that staff (see "lack of skilled workers") is ngiven a respite. This is especially true of sensors which play an nincreasingly important part in medical technology to make medical ndevices even more powerful and safe, and to simplify their operation. nHow to achieve this and how high-tech sensor technology can also ncontribute to innovative prevention and personalised treatment was ndiscussed at the COMPAMED Innovation Forum 2023 on 12 June. This digitaln forum, organised by Messe Düsseldorf and the International nMicrotechnology Business Network IVAM, is held every year and, accordingn to Dr Thomas R. Dietrich, managing director of IVAM, its purpose is to nbe "a platform for research and entrepreneurship, to form partnerships nand drive innovations forward".
The importance of this year's topic is demonstrated by the numbers nalone: According to the market research institute Mordor Intelligence, nthe global market for medical sensors was estimated at 6.02 billion US ndollars in 2021 and will reach USD 10.28 billion by 2027, which ncorresponds to a growth rate of almost 10 percent over the time period nfrom 2022 to 2027. The development of new devices which guarantee a nfaster analysis, potential savings and easy usability all contribute to nthis growth for medical sensors.
Chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and asthma ncan be efficiently monitored using modern sensors so that deviations cann quickly be recognised and treatment can be adapted to a specific goal. nIn their presentations at the COMPAMED Innovation Forum, leading ninternational experts showed actual examples of how modern sensor ntechnology can be integrated into medical aids, diagnostic or treatment ndevices.
Multi-functional sensor nodes
to reduce nosocomial infections
Hospitals and care institutions are not only places of healing and nmaintaining health, but again and again become sources of infection nthemselves. Infections occurring during treatment in health care ninstitutions, so-called nosocomial infections, happen in all outpatient nand inpatient areas of care. According estimates by the Center for nDisease Control (CDC), in American hospitals alone, 1.7 million people nare directly affected by such infections every year, which correlate to n100,000 deaths. The situation is no better in Europe: The European nCentre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) estimated the annual ntotal number of nosocomial infections (NI) in Europe at 8.9 million as nearly as 2018, of which 4.5 million occurred in hospitals and 4.4 nmillion in long-term care institutions. Every year in the EU countries, nmore than 90,000 people die of the six most common nosocomial infectionsn in the health care sector, especially urinary tract infections (32 npercent), infections at the operation site (22 percent), pneumonia (15 npercent) and bloodstream infections (14 percent).
The Greek company ES Systems has therefore developed a system of nsensor nodes for use in medical facilities that collects data in real ntime and identifies potential microbiological contaminations. The systemn is based on sensor nodes, a gateway and a cloud. The sensors connect ton a local gateway using "LoRaWAN" ("long range wide area network") ncommunication, connection to the cloud is realised through a simple QR nscan. The installation is very easy, and depending on the data rate, nautonomous operation is possible for up to a year. The sensor nodes nmeasure environmental parameters like temperature, pressure, humidity nand intensity of light, but also the concentration of carbon dioxide, nVOC (volatile organic compounds), particles and the presence of persons.n In a pilot application at a Greek hospital, three operating theatres, nthree reception areas, two patient rooms and one nurses' station were nfitted with the sensor nodes. Intelligent evaluation of the large data nvolumes makes it possible to draw good conclusions regarding the ncontamination situation. Some improvements were already achieved by nreplacing air circulation devices and filters in the operating theatres:n "The particles monitored were reduced and thus the patients' risk of ninfection was decreased", said Nikolas Valantassis, Business Developmentn Manager at ES System, in his presentation. The pilot run shows that then use of sophisticated sensor technology could noticeably decrease the nrisk of nosocomial infections.
Piezo technology
for ultrasound sensors
For almost 30 years, PI Ceramic has been studying piezo technology nwhich, courtesy of its unique properties, makes especially important ncontributions to medical sensor technology. Of note are the precision, nwith a resolution into the picometre range, dynamics with a reaction ntime in microseconds, energy efficiency which also allows for nbattery-dependent operational applications, a compact design with ndimensions measuring millimetres and bi-directional use as sensors and nactuators. Today, piezo technological components are already fulfilling nimportant functions within diagnostic imaging, minimally invasive ndevices (e.g., needle tip tracking), as flow sensors (for example for ndetecting air bubbles and speed), for the detection of fill levels, as npressure sensors and as status monitors for devices, in microscopy or nfor changes of position, e.g., when used in wearables.
In different situations, automatic monitoring of medical processes nbecomes a matter of life or death. Using devices for monitoring npatients, staff can continue to check vital signs and evaluate them in norder to make a correct diagnosis and instantly react in the case of npossible abnormalities. Noncontacting, gentle monitoring is important inn this context as well. Ultrasound sensors based on piezo components, nwhich can be mounted on the tubes of monitoring devices, are ideally nsuited for this purpose - ultrasound waves penetrate the tube from the noutside and make noncontacting monitoring possible. The ultrasound nsensors can also help monitor different media, for example with nnoncontacting, non-contaminating measurement of the gas flow inside nrespirators or detection of potentially fatal bubbles of air in the ntubes of heart-lung machines or dialysis machines. Piezo components nintegrated into the ultrasound sensors generate the ultrasound. PI nCeramic produces these piezo elements - custom made to the nspecifications of customers. "We have a wide range of designs available,n depending on the application", says Sandra Niederschuh, product managern at PI Ceramic.
Electronic nose to
revolutionise medical diagnostics
Thanks to high-tech cameras and microphones, machines today can nalready see and hear. Partners SmartNanotubes Technologies and duotec nhave committed themselves to no less than digitalising a further sense -n that of smell. "Our electronic nose really is a disruptive technology nwhich will revolutionise many applications from process monitoring to nmedical diagnostics", says Dr Viktor Bezugly, CEO of SmartNanotubes. nCompared to common gas sensors, the SmartNanotubes sensors are highly nsensitive, energy-efficient, compact, light-weight and less expensive. nTheir use makes it possible to recognise complex patterns, which are ntypical for scents. Several sensors create a "scent pattern", a nself-learning software compares these patterns with a library and, in nthis way, distinguishes gasses from scents. The cloud-based database ncontinues to expand, and is already being fed by more than 1,000 users. n"Our goal is, for example, the early diagnosis of incontinence in only nfive minutes, which through reduced cleaning efforts can generate cost nsavings of up to 100 euros per case", says Bezugly in his Forum lecture.n The development has progressed so far that a market launch of initial nproducts could already be possible in 2024.
Photonic biosensors
for early cancer diagnosis
Over the last ten years, biosensor technologies have been developed nwhich enable the sensitive, quantitative detection of biomarkers n(indicator molecules, e.g., special proteins or DNA) for diseases such nas cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases. The Dutch company nSurfix is working in this area using a photonic biosensor. This highly nsensitive, fast and label-free technology offers the opportunity to ndetect several biomarkers at once. "Together with the low cost per unit nand the easy scaling options of production, this function will nrevolutionise the world of medical diagnostics by allowing point-of-caren diagnosis and monitoring the treatment of many diseases", says Hans nDijk, business development manager at Surfix. The photonic biosensor by nSurfix combines a photonic biochip and microfluidic cartridge with nintelligent technologies for the fluid and optical interface in an noptimised process sequence. Both the photonic biochip and the nmicrofluidic cartridge profit from unique nano coatings, which improve nthe sensitivity of the sensor and the flow of the sample and reduce the nunwanted binding of biomolecules. The signal from the photonic biosensorn is read out by a desktop reader.
Photonic biochips use light instead of electricity to determine the npresence of biomarkers. Light passes through a spiral structure on the nchip, comparable to a miniature optic fibre. Receptor molecules applied nto the surface of the photonic biochip can selectively capture and bind ncertain biomarkers in a sample, based on biorecognition. The interactionn between the receptor molecules and the biomarkers leads to a change in nthe properties of the light, which is recognised and translated into a nuseful diagnostic result, e.g., information regarding the presence or nconcentration of a certain biomarker in the sample. Surfix concentrates non developing diagnostics for different types of cancer and on detectingn oncological biomarkers in liquid biopsies. "Potentially, any nbiomolecule can be determined with the aid of the photonic diagnostic nplatform by Surfix", says Dijk.
Images: R. Eberhard, messekompakt.com, EBERHARD print & medien agentur gmbh
Source: Messe Düsseldorf