How Medtronic designed the PulseSelect pulsed field ablation system for AFib

Medtronic PulseSelect became the first pulsed field ablation (PFA) system to win FDA approval for treating atrial fibrillation (AFib) in December 2023.

High-Speed Microscale 3D Printing

3D printed microscopic particles — so small that to the naked eye they look like dust — have applications in drug and vaccine delivery, microelectronics, microfluidics, and abrasives for intricate manufacturing. However, the need for precise coordination between light delivery, stage movement, and resin properties makes scalable fabrication of such custom microscale particles challenging. Now, researchers at Stanford University have introduced a more efficient processing technique that can print up to 1 million highly detailed and customizable microscale particles a day.

Innovative Iteration for Medical Device Design

Part 2: Designing Piezo Handpieces for Ultrasonic Surgery

Ultrasonic handpieces are being used with growing frequency in medical applications, for example, with minimally invasive surgical procedures and in dentistry. These instruments, which include ultrasonic scalpels, phaco handpieces, and scalers, use acoustic waves to facilitate the processing of hard or soft tissue. Part 1 of this article, which ran in March 2023, looked at the general structure, design variants, and system design of ultrasonic medical handpieces. Part 2 now reviews driver design, special applications, drive electronics, and failure mechanisms.

Industry Voices: Is Micro-3D Printing the Future for Tiny Parts?

Unlocking Innovation in Small-Scale Fluid Control

Pump systems are ubiquitous in medical and life science products, from blood pressure monitors and drug-delivery devices, to pipettors and diagnostic instruments.

Abbott bets on balloons in pulsed field ablation battle

The Volt cardiac ablation catheter has a balloon, something you won’t see on Medtronic’s PulseSelect PFA catheter — the first of its kind approved by the FDA — or the Farawave catheter in Boston Scientific’s Farapulse PFA system.

Advancing Medical Device Sustainability with Specialty Thermoplastics

By choosing specialty thermoplastics, device manufacturers can help reduce the environmental impact of their products while gaining plastic’s well-known benefits of expanded design freedom and streamlined, high-volume production of parts compared to metal alternatives.

Wearable and implantable medical devices tap humans as a power source

How alcohol could make renal denervation for hypertension faster and simpler

Ablative Solutions is developing the Peregrine renal denervation (RDN) system to treat hypertension. The company hopes to follow Recor Medical and Medtronic in winning FDA approval for the system.