New materials for safer, better surgical procedures

Minimally invasive, catheter-based surgical procedures have drastically improved outcomes and recovery times in critical procedures such as heart valve replacement, and as the technology advances, new procedures are evolving which promise the same benefits enjoyed by cardiac patients to patients suffering from renal, prostate and other diseases.The shape memory alloy nitinol is a key technology in this revolution, and Medical Design and Outsourcing Managing Editor Jim Hammerand describes how it works, and why it’s effective, in conversation with engineering.com’s Jim Anderton. * * *engineering.com produces a number of video programs for the engineering professional found exclusively on engineering.com TV such as Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and The Engineering Roundtable. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay current with the latest in engineering trends.