Creating solutions for healthcare and medical applications is challenging on many levels. Every specification and requirement must be strictly followed.

When it comes to electronic systems, these challenges extend beyond “simple” functionality and into patient safety - from stray electronic noise control, to preventing impact on medical monitoring systems and other sensitive circuits, inside and outside the patient.

Many of these issues relate directly to energy management. A poorly designed power supply will not only fail to address performance requirements in the areas of efficiency and thermal management; it will also create problems in safety, reliability and noise. Optimising the operation of the power management system is therefore critical to the success of a medical design. 

One way to simplify the creation of an electronic medical device is to move the power rectification stage physically outside the device package. Moving the AC-DC portion of the circuit takes a significant amount of pressure off the design, from electronic noise to cooling needs, to form factor and weight. Another aspect of this approach is the ability to source an external power supply from a specialist, easing compliance and system integration.

However, it is important to remember that although the power supply is now external, it still needs to be medically rated. It could be the best power supply on the planet, but without a compliant supply, your product cannot be certified. Many engineers make the mistake of thinking that since the part of the product that is connected to the patient is compliant, that’s all they need. In fact, every aspect of any system that touches people must be medically rated – from the wall socket to the conductive sticky pads on the patient.

That’s why it is important to work with a company that understands medical requirements and specifications, and can provide you with exactly what you need to drive your product. Mascot has been working in the medical equipment industry for many years, and has helped companies from various medical application spaces to develop power supplies to meet their specific needs.

An experienced supplier such as Mascot can provide a range of highly functional, reliable, efficient, and medically-proven models giving power to life-preserving and monitoring systems, for patients and healthcare givers alike.  Almost all our products are certified to the latest standards for electromedical equipment; IEC/EN/UL 60601-1 Ed.3.1 for medical safety and IEC/EN 60601-1-2 Ed.4 for medical EMC.

Bringing to market a product for a demanding space like medical equipment is never easy, and development pains caused by compliance issues can kill a product, wasting significant amounts of money and effort. Using the proper subsystems, created by trusted and reputable vendors, can go a long way to ensuring the success of your product.