The March 6 “Medical Equipment Design” online event hosted by IHS GlobalSpec, recently acquired by IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), drew more than 1,100 participants, with 83 percent of attendees reporting they are decision makers within their organizations. The free online event is now available on demand to give engineers and industrial professionals easy access to educational presentations and industry-leading supplier resources from the live-day event.

IHS GlobalSpec’s “Medical Equipment Design” online event provided opportunities to learn about the latest advances and developments in the areas of medical grade materials and products; electrical and electronic components and equipment; computers, imaging, and software; plus home healthcare and diagnostics. Participants also were able to meet with leading suppliers to the medical manufacturing and design industry. By attending this event attendees networked directly with other industry professionals and participated in educational sessions that helped their businesses remain profitable and competitive in today's marketplace.

Industrial professionals took advantage of these learning and networking opportunities from the convenience of their desktops, without having to budget for travel expenses or lose time away from the office.

“Our Medical Equipment Design event was a unique opportunity for attendees to hear from speakers and interact with some of the leading suppliers about the latest technologies in this industry,” said Donna Lewis, director of e-publishing and e-events for IHS GlobalSpec. “For our exhibitors, this was a powerful forum to showcase their products, innovations and technologies in front of a highly engaged and captivated audience.”

Speakers and topics at the event included:

• Critical Cleaning for Medical Device Design and Manufacturing
  This presentation outlined the role that critical cleaning plays in simplifying, speeding up, and supporting the design and maintenance of medical devices. This is critical, as cleaning validation or cleaning verification needs a properly designed system in order to be in regulatory compliance in medical device manufacturing and reprocessing.
  Presented by Jeff Phillips, senior manager, Science & Marketing, Alconox Inc.
• New Implantable Sensors with No Electrical Connections
  In this presentation, the latest implantable sensor technology was reviewed. State-of-the-art sensors are wireless, battery-less, telemetry-less, and have no electrical connections. The sensors are tiny, inexpensive, and robust enough to withstand the challenging in vivo environment. They can be tuned to measure force, pressure, temperature, or a host of other physical parameters.
  Presented by Eric H. Ledet, associate professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Ensuring Medical Device Safety through Digital Authentication
  Authentication of replacement medical equipment accessories can improve safety by preventing the use of incorrect or counterfeit equipment, and preventing the accidental reuse of disposable parts. Digital Authentication allows the accessory to be securely validated by the system and non-authentic accessories to be identified and removed from use.
  Presented by Jonathan Dillon, principal marketing engineer, Memory Products Division, Microchip Technology Inc.
• The Future of Ablation Catheter Technologies for Atrial Fibrillation
  Ablation catheters are a minimally invasive means of treating heart conditions, and are generally safer than open surgery, but it is hard to control the catheter accurately, so repeat surgery is often needed. This presentation discussed the latest miniature technology to be incorporated into catheters to assist the control of ablation procedures.
  Presented by Dr. Keith Turner, partner, Cambridge Design Partnership LLP
• Ease of Use, Ease of Training - The Great Design Challenge
  Ease of use and ease of training are two of the great challenges in medical equipment design. Modern medical equipment has new features beyond what it had before. Some new features are what clinicians really need, but some are way beyond that. When new features lead to complexity of use and require extensive training, designers have missed the mark.
  Presented by Dr. James H. Philip, MEE MD CCE, anesthesiologist & director anesthesiology bioengineering, Brigham & Women's Hospital; associate professor, Harvard Med School

Companies exhibiting at this event included: Interpower Corporation; Alconox, Inc.; Electrochem Solutions, Inc.; Galil Motion Control; ACE Controls Inc.; Dicronite; Elasto Proxy Inc.; GT Schmidt Marking Systems; Hamilton Co.; IHS Inc.; item America, LLC; Plastics Color Corporation; and Thermo Fisher Scientific - Thermo Scientific Baths, Circulators & Chillers.

For more information on exhibiting opportunities for the Medical Equipment Design online event in 2014, download an exhibitor kit or call 800.261.2052.

About GlobalSpec

GlobalSpec, recently acquired by IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), is the leading provider of digital media solutions designed to connect industrial marketers with their target audience of engineering, technical, industrial, scientific and manufacturing sector professionals. GlobalSpec provides its registered users with a domain-expert search engine to search more than 50,000 supplier catalogs by specification, a broad range of proprietary and aggregated Web-based content, over 15 annual online events, and more than 70 e-newsletters - helping them search for and locate products and services, learn about suppliers and access comprehensive technical content. For suppliers, GlobalSpec helps generate awareness, demand and engagement opportunities among the professionals they are looking to reach – from inbox to desktop, through networks and via real-time engagement.

About IHS (www.ihs.com)

IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 165 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs more than 6,000 people in 31 countries around the world.

IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. © 2013 IHS Inc. All rights reserved.