Significance of Medical Device Cables

Right from monitoring the patient's vital signs to curing and delivering life-safe treatments to patients, Medical device Cables acts as a vital role in healthcare technology. No healthcare industry can operate without medical cable assembly. Certainly, Medical device cables do create an impact on the patient's safety and care in various dimensions. According to the McKinsey report, since the existence of low-quality medical devices, the number of hospitalization, patient disability and death cases are expected to increase twice as the medical device industry grows.

Medical Cable Assembly

Generally, Medical cable assembly is a process which comprises the creation of custom medical cables that are utilized in various medical devices and equipment. They are the specialized cables that connect medical equipment and instruments.It is a collection of single, individual cables that are bounded together into a single unit with connectors attached to one end.

Importance of Medical Cable Assemblies

Medical devices won’t function and operate properly if they are unable to transmit the signals within the devices. Needless to mention, even minor delays or minute technical errors in the transmission of data in these medical devices can result in severe effects. To avoid such instances, effective, reliable and accurate transmission of data between medical devices is highly surmountable. Similarly, custom medical cables are designed with certain characteristics which exhibit reliability that is crucial for critical care setups.

Benefits of Medical Device Cables

Durability

Medical cables are quite frequently subjected to harsh environmental conditions, thus resulting in wear and tear issues in the cables over usage. One of the pros of using these high-quality cable assemblies in medical devices can be guaranteed to be durable. Furthermore, it has a high chance of preventing medical equipment downtime, in turn enhancing patient diagnosis.

Cost Effective Solution

Another prime benefit is the cost savings solution for the healthcare providers while adopting these cable assemblies for your medical device. In the long run, due to the durability and long-lasting high-quality cable assemblies, the need for frequent replacements due to malfunctions/errors is less likely to occur. As a result, the OEM partners/healthcare providers can ultimately save time and costs. On the contrary, the cable assemblies can be customized according to the customer’s specific requirements, which is likely to minimize the need for additional components and thus, furthermore resulting in improved efficiency with decreased costs.

Quality

By tapping into high-quality cable assemblies, it lowers the risk of medical device failure, thus putting patient safety in place. Compliance is an integral part of medical clients and hence, the cable assemblies that are used in the healthcare industry are designed to meet stringent regulations and standards. They must be designed with high-quality components which meet the OEM performance standards.

Accuracy

Due to the fact that these cable assemblies are manufactured as per the specification by the OEMs and keeping in mind the standard and regulatory requirements, As a result, it allows the medical device application to perfectly suit the tolerance level intended for the assembly. Besides it, accurate patient diagnosis and the highest level of treatment care be carried out through the cable assemblies that transmit vital data between the devices.

Flexibility

Every cable’s length can be manufactured as per the application’s requirement. The cables are flexible enough to an extent where the setup is clean and neat, without needing to hide extra wires and cables. Flexible assemblies generally prevent kinking, which is a pro.

Interference Resistant

The cables manufactured in the healthcare practice are RoHS ( Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliant. The cables utilised in medical applications are EMI protected. As EMI interference can degrade the signals required for diagnostics, in such cases, effective shielding works in minimizing the unwanted active filtering and signals in the medical equipment.

Chemical Resistance

These cable assemblies are designed in such a way that they are resistant towards chemical exposure. Reusable cable assemblies are subjected to several cleaning and disinfection processes and in turn, they should be sealed properly to reuse them. The outer layer of the cable jacket acts as a safeguard for the conductor and insulator against chemical exposure.

Biocompatibility

Biological agents and chemicals are part of the healthcare industry. Upon meeting the regulatory standards, they must be biosafe and should comply with necessary ISO 10993 requirements.

Medical Device Cables types

The 3 types of Medical Cable assemblies are namely as follows

Patient Interface:

The patient interface medical cable comprises a durable network of cables which fosters patient diagnosis. These are meant for a shorter lifespan. Similarly, in the long run, they might get prone to wear and tear issues. Example: heart monitors, Spo2 sensor probe

a.Limited Use Interfaces:

The limited-use interface cables are built to last until they need to be replaced or repaired. For instance, ECG diagnostic leads, ICU monitor cables, and CCU monitor cables can greatly be damaged by repeated chemical cleaning exposure and mechanical stress.

b. Long Life Patient Interface:

Durable, and flexible cables form the long-life patient interface cable assemblies. Examples of wear-resistant patient interface cable assemblies that guarantee longevity are ultrasound imaging cables.

c. Usage-only Interface:

The use-only interface medical devices are sterilized and packed in kits. Followed by that, they are usually discarded after usage. Examples: Fetal monitoring cables, electrosurgical devices, catheters

2. Communication Interface:

Communication is vital for any device in healthcare. The communication interface cable assemblies mainly comprise the range of serial cables, local area networks and fiber optic cables.

3. Equipment and Sub-assembly Interface:

These types of interface assemblies generally involve the original equipment installation. These cables are usually replaced once an upgrade or repair is needed. Example: Gamma Cameras ( Nuclear Imaging Devices)

Standards, Capabilities and Processes:

It is crucial to understand that medical device /equipment applications have several unique characteristics that set them apart from standard cable assembly. The cable assembly comprises a combination of configurations of components such as conductors, shielding, jackets, fiber optic cables etc. However, these components are required to possess the characteristics that align to the medical application.

The manufacturers should strictly abide by the regulatory bodies such as ISO, and IEC that oversee the manufacturing operations. Similarly, checking on whether the workforce has been trained to be certified IPC is essential . On the other hand, joining hands with a manufacturer who offers hybrid solutions in cable assemblies is a must. The reliability of the medical device cables can be achieved through rigorous quality systems (RoHS, PFMEA, Processes and Machine Validation, Kaizen, 5S etc ) in place. Similarly, one should not overlook the importance of in-house testing that attributes to the quality of the cables.

Significance of Medical Device Cables