The device, while treating patients, poses a relative risk to them. Although not widespread, there have been reports of severe injuries and fatalities due to contact with the conductors of medical connectors that are out of human reach. To resolve this, the IEC has proposed a standard requiring connectors for medical purposes to have a form of insulation to protect the human body from electric shocks if they come into contact, increasing the safety of using contemporary medical devices.
As medical technology advances, so does the equipment used, and the professionals that rely on it equally rely on their equipment functioning correctly. Although connectors may seem trivial in such complex devices, they play a crucial role in the reliability of medical devices.
When a connector is used as a connection point between a probe and its medical device during surgery, there are high hopes for the reliability of the connector. In this way, the reliability of the connector can directly affect the success or failure of the operation, and potentially save or kill a patient. That’s why the healthcare industry continues to invest in connectors that are proven to provide reliable performance throughout the life of a device.
Like smartphones, medical devices have size requirements. Recent progress in medicine has resulted in surgeons being able to do minimally invasive procedures. devices enable surgeons to even do complex surgeries that would normally require opening up a patient’s body for extended periods of time, by only making a small incision, such as for open heart surgery. The laparoscopic camera and tools can be inserted through this limited opening and performed with the same level of precision.
The success of these medical procedures also depends on the complex set of components in the devices, such as connectors. The ability of the surgical system to perform and optimise these device functions is crucial. To help ensure the success of these minimally invasive medical procedures, surgeons rely on images transmitted in real time from the laparoscopic camera inside the patient, to the monitor. The success of these operations is greatly facilitated by today’s connector technology, which allows large amounts of data to be transferred quickly and accurately.
Connectors may just be another component in a medical device to those who are unfamiliar with their function, but for those who depend on the safety, reliability, size, and speed of the instrument, the right connector is essential.