Although none of the failures cited in the study resulted in death or injury, all prompted costly recalls. Kuhn believes that many of the failures were unnecessary and could have been avoided with improved testing and quality assurance. The report also indicates that if software programmers had been familiar with the medical devices, and not just the associated software, failures might have been avoided. He notes that the vast majority of medical devices are safe, but some could be improved. A vertical microlaser beam enters individual cells as they are pushed by a micropump through tiny channels cut into the glass surface of the surgical device.
Cancerous cells contain more protein than normal cells.
The protein's additional density changes the speed of the laser light passing through the cancerous cells. The change registers as a difference in output frequency by a receiver and is then transmitted by optical fiber to a laptop computer where an algorithm translates the data into a graph. The graph changes as the surgeon cuts through tissues. Peaks and valleys in the graph determine when the scalpel is in cancerous tissue. The device should help surgeons accurately cut away malignant growths and minimize damage to healthy tissue.