Search Results (7)

Background: Healthcare supply chains (HSCs) are critical socio-technical systems that ensure the timely delivery of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and electromedical equipment, yet they face increasing complexity due to regulatory constraints, demand uncertainty, and the growing digitalization of healthcare systems. This study aims to systematically map the HSC literature and identify its main thematic structures and research gaps. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, analyzing 705 peer-reviewed articles retrieved from the Web of Science database (PROSPERO registration: CRD42024605761). Natural language processing techniques were applied to support the analysis, including topic modeling, term frequency–inverse document frequency for keyword relevance, and Keyword in Context analysis for semantic interpretation. Results: The analysis identified six main thematic clusters and revealed a fragmented research landscape, characterized by limited integration across supply chain tiers, uneven attention to technological innovations, and marginal consideration of sustainability and implementation issues. The findings also highlight a gap between conceptual developments and real-world applications. Conclusions: This study provides a data-driven overview of the HSC research domain, highlighting key gaps and opportunities for more integrated, resilient, and efficient supply chain management. Full article

The increasing use of electromedical equipment in hospital care services necessitates effective management of complex devices often unsupported by existing control systems. This paper focuses on developing a pool of evaluation indices for the Clinical Engineering Department (CED) of the ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda in Milano (Italy), aiming to enhance awareness of the economic value, assess operational units, and optimize maintenance processes. Leveraging business intelligence, this study identifies 18 key performance indicators (KPIs) across logistics, technical, and equipment management categories. An interactive dashboard, implemented using Power BI, facilitates dynamic analysis and visualization of these KPIs, providing insights into the maintenance efficiency and obsolescence of medical devices. It offers a comprehensive framework for ongoing monitoring and decision-making. The results showcase the potential of the developed KPIs and dashboard to enhance operational insights and guide improvements in the healthcare facility’s maintenance processes. Full article

Neurogenic bladder is a dysfunction in the lower urinary tract due to damage to the nervous system. One of the treatments that has shown important results is transcutaneous neuromodulation. The neuromodulation equipment available on the market does not allow remote activation or offer many resources for adjusting the parameters of the generated stimulus, as most devices operate with pre-established parameters in closed packages. For this reason, customizing therapy for each individual can be difficult. Therefore, the objective was to develop and validate a neuromodulation device capable of being remotely programmed and properly monitored. Materials and methods for validating devices were used according to the Brazilian Regulatory Standard (NBR), which deals with general requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of electromedical devices. After verifying the reliability of the device, which was capable of generating a biphasic and symmetrical wave, measured by an oscilloscope, considered safe by the technical requirements, it was tested in a real application. Users reported feeling a comfortable stimulus, similar to other previously used devices, and considered the device easy to use. In this way, it was possible to demonstrate the reliability and validity of the developed device. Full article

In the literature, several approaches have been proposed to integrate and optimize product supply and construction processes associated with demand management. However, in Industry 4.0, there needs to be more studies related to applying techniques that directly affect the programming and reprogramming process that integrates the industries at the operational level. This document proposes a flow-shop scheduling procedure to address the problem of planning the repair of medical equipment in public hospitals whose main objective is to eliminate downtime and minimize total production time. The research stems from the practical problem of responding to clinical users who make use of critical equipment, such as mechanical respirators, due to COVID-19, and the limited quantity of this equipment, which makes it necessary to have repair planning processes that seek to keep the equipment in operation for the most extended amount of time. The novelty of this study is that it was applied to a critical and real problem in the industry with a high economic and social impact, which has not been explored previously. The results show improvements in the overall planning and execution of electro-medical equipment repair. Several improvements to the applied methods were identified as future work, such as the need to consider work interruptions and psychosocial effects on workers due to the stricter planning of execution times. Full article

Updates to industry consensus standards for ECG equipment is a work-in-progress by the ISO/IEC Joint Work Group 22. This work will result in an overhaul of existing industry standards that apply to ECG electromedical equipment and will result in a new single international industry, namely 80601-2-86. The new standard will be entitled “80601, Part 2-86: Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of electrocardiographs, including diagnostic equipment, monitoring equipment, ambulatory equipment, electrodes, cables, and leadwires”. This paper will provide a high-level overview of the work in progress and, in particular, will describe the impact it will have on requirements and testing methods for computerized ECG interpretation algorithms. The conclusion of this work is that manufacturers should continue working with clinical ECG experts to make clinically meaningful improvements to automated ECG interpretation, and the clinical validation of ECG analysis algorithms should be disclosed to guide appropriate clinical use. More cooperation is needed between industry, clinical ECG experts and regulatory agencies to develop new data sets that can be made available for use by industry standards for algorithm performance evaluation. Full article

Background: Mycobacterium chimaera (MC) is of recent origin and belongs to the large family of non-tuberculous mycobacteria. In recent years, it has shown a high infectious capacity via the aerosol produced by operating room equipment, such as heater–cooler units (HCU). The infection has a long latent period and high mortality rate. Genetic and epidemiological studies have shown that there is a clear link between the infection and a specific HCU model manufactured by LivaNova/Sorin. There is, therefore, a strong possibility that contamination occurs during device construction. The objective of this article is to describe the characteristics of this particular infection in view of the medico–legal implications on professional liability, specifically focusing on current evidence regarding contamination prevention. Methods: we have analyzed the clinical characteristics and data from the autopsic investigations performed on a patient who died as a result of MC infection, in addition to analyzing all pertinent recommendation documents available internationally. We searched for all articles in the literature available on MEDLINE between 1995 and 30 July 2020, using the search words “Mycobacterium chimaera”. We then analyzed those articles and reported only those that provide useful information regarding prevention techniques for containing dissemination and contamination. Results: the literature review produced 169 results that highlight the need to develop systems to mitigate and eliminate the risk of MC infection in operating rooms such as physical containment measures, e.g. device replacement, use of safe water, providing patients with information, and training healthcare professionals. Conclusions: from a medico–legal viewpoint, this particular situation represents a new frontier of professional liability, which includes manufacturers of electromedical equipment. In order to comprehend the true extent of this silent global epidemic, the development of an organic, preventative monitoring system is essential. Full article

In spite of all the developments in dental implantology techniques, peri-implant diseases are frequent (prevalence up to 80% and 56% of subjects for mucositis and peri-implantitis, respectively) and there is an urgency for an effective treatment strategy. This paper presents an innovative electromedical device for the electromagnetic treatment of mucositis and peri-implantitis diseases. This device is also equipped with a measurement part for bioimpedance, which reflects the health conditions of a tissue, thus allowing clinicians to objectively detect impaired areas and to monitor the severity of the disease, evaluate the treatment efficacy, and adjust it accordingly. The design of the device was realized considering literature data, clinical evidence, numerical simulation results, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) pre-compliance tests, involving both clinicians and engineers, to better understand all the needs and translate them into design requirements. The reported system is being tested in more than 50 dental offices since 2019, providing efficient treatments for mucositis and peri-implantitis, with success rates of approximately 98% and 80%, respectively. Full article