Shape-memory polymers represent a promising class of materials that can move from one shape to another in response to a stimulus such as heat. Thus far, these systems are dual-shape materials. Here, we report a triple-shape polymer able to change from a first shape (A) to a second shape (B) and from there to a third shape (C). Shapes B and C are recalled by subsequent temperature increases. Whe...

134-002 HORIZONS Revisions 4: 04.28.11 8 Horizons Fall 2011 For decades, medical devices functioned as standalone products. Then, manufacturers introduced proprietary networks that allowed some devices to share information. Now, those proprietary networks are being eliminated and instead medical devices are being linked together via a hospital’s main information technology (IT) network. This mo...

Quality assurance is a topical issue within the software industry, and various methodological solutions aimed at improving software quality have been proposed. Medical software is generally deemed safety-critical and, as such, should be subject to control procedures exceeding those applicable to general-purpose software. The user/purchaser of medical equipment has an important part to play in t...

Today, market access should be guided by the presence of innovative products that can be incorporated into health-care systems or national health services, thereby guaranteeing their sustainability. However, the current reality is that the introduction of a new drug or medical device often ends up being a strategy for replacing an old product with a more innovative one. This change occurs witho...

There are very few items of medical equipment specifically designed for hyperbaric use; and little information is available about medical equipment already tested for hyperbaric use. Hyperbaricists are usually left to their own devices in making a determination about the safe and effective use of standard medical equipment in the hyperbaric setting. This article proposes a logical and systemati...

1116 Am J Health-Syst Pharm—Vol 68 Jun 15, 2011 Mark H. SiSka, B.S.PHarM., M.B.a., is Assistant Director, Informatics and Technology, Pharmacy Services, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, MN. DenniS a. TriBBle, PHarM.D., FaSHP, is Chief Pharmacy Officer, Baxa Corporation Systems Development Center, Daytona Beach, FL. Address correspondence to Mr. Siska at Pharmacy Services, Mayo Clinic Rochester...

What does the future of medicine hold? We asked six researchers to share their most ambitious and optimistic views of the future, grounded in the present but looking out a decade or more from now to consider what's possible. They paint a picture of a connected and data-driven world in which patient value, patient feedback, and patient empowerment shape a continually learning system that ensures...

Atomically thin graphene holds exceptional promise to enable new functionalities and drastically improve performance of electronic, energy, sensing, and bio-medical devices. One of the most promising approaches to device-compatible graphene synthesis is chemical vapour deposition on a copper catalyst; this technique however is limited by very high temperatures (∼900 °C) and a lack of control as...