Compamed to focus on futuristic hospitals

On 10 July 2019, the Compamed Innovation Forum took place at the Helios Clinic in Krefeld and focussed on high-tech solutions for hospitals.

The forum, which acts as a taster of the themes and conversations taking place during the annual trade show in Düsseldorf, aims to create a “direct dialogue between the manufacturers and developers of technical solutions and the end product users," according to the organisers.

Not compact enough, not flexible enough, too expensive, cannot be integrated sensibly into operational procedures on the wards; these were some of the shortcomings of current medical tech identified as part of the forum. The first introductory discussion of the day suggested that high-tech medical technology in particular often seems to have been developed at cross purposes to the real needs of medical professionals.

Franziska Niederschelp from the Helios Clinic presented the digitisation measures that have been implemented and the progress within the Helios Group. In the future, said Niederschelp, voice assistance systems for doctor’s letters and file management will play a particular role. A further focal point is the patient data gained from medical devices, laboratories and wards, which has to be bundled automatically and combined digitally.

Anaesthetist Dr Jens Ebnet raised awareness of the particular demands medical technology faces in acute situations. As lack of acceptance may give rise to risks, it is necessary to sufficiently involve specialist doctors in the development of automated, data-processing medical devices. Using Swordcath, his own development of an intuitive system for inserting blood catheters, as an example, he also criticised regulatory hurdles and the lack of political support for small and mid-sized companies.

Meanwhile in her talk, Maren Gessler from the Helios Centre for Research and Innovation in Wuppertal explained that there are options to support and fund innovative concepts and ideas.

The second session centred on technologies that may offer innovative opportunities for application in diagnostics and therapies. Swiss company CSEM has developed an optical method of reliably monitoring blood pressure. The method uses the light of a conventional smartphone camera via an app. Eike Kottkamp from InnoME explained the advantages of single-use sensor products: in fields of use that do not require high precision measurements, single-use sensors are attractive alternatives to elaborate and expensive sterilisation processes and open up new fields of application, for example under wound dressings.

Dr Dirk Janasek from ISAS e.V. presented an innovative procedure for reliable haemophilia testing. Michael Görtz from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems explained how sensor implants are able to continuously monitor functions such as blood pressure, intraocular pressure and cerebral pressure and support therapy measures. Among other topics, Dr. Heike Kreher from Micronit explained how microfluidic chips used in rapid tests can identify a subtype of leukaemia, for example, and open up timely therapy measures for patients.

Another major theme was the development of products that are already market-ready and successfully in use – including in Krefeld. The spectrum ranges from intelligent home-alert systems, WLAN connections for medical-technical devices, an in-house logistics system that automatically prepares the medication doses for inpatients, an infrared-based system that discretely monitors the rooms of patients who are at risk of falling, innovative visitation trolleys for hospital staff and robotics systems that support paraplegic patients.

The lively and productive discussions in between the talks emphasised the tremendous need for communication between users and manufacturers.

Almost 800 exhibitors from 40 countries are expected to attend Compamed 2019 in halls 8a and 8b at Messe Düsseldorf. Compamed takes place at the same time as the world’s biggest medical trade fair, Medica 2019.