Magnets can be used in many key components of medical technology, the most famous of which is magnetic resonance imaging technology, which was developed and applied in the 1970s and 1980s.
Of course, in addition to this, magnets can still be found in many medical devices, which many people may not know.
Magnetic switches, blood separators, hospital water filtration systems, laboratory tests, ventilators, insulin pumps and other equipment can all use permanent magnets. The use of magnets in medicine improves patient care and greatly aids medical staff in performing important life-saving work.
Magnets can be found on every floor of a hospital to assist in patient care, and in addition to powering ventilators, permanent magnets are used to power equipment such as heart pumps.
Applying magnetic bearings to heart pumps improves the pump's reliability, extends its service life and minimizes blood damage.
In hospital surgical wards, new technologies are being developed that use magnets to streamline and simplify surgical procedures, such as creating anastomoses. In magnetic compression anastomosis, a special rare earth magnet is placed to compress a section of tissue to form an anastomosis. This experimental medical technology creates a highly desirable alternative to traditional methods, namely using hand sewing or staplers, and it is found to be a faster way to complete procedures, resulting in a more enjoyable patient recovery. In general medical applications, magnets are also used in retention systems and in many different pump and filtration systems.
Magnets are also used in technology that improves the daily lives of people with certain conditions. For deaf people who choose to use cochlear implants, magnets are used to hold the head of the cochlea in place so that sound can be efficiently transmitted to the inner cochlea. Magnets are also used in dentistry for applications such as assisting in retention of dentures. For people who use prosthetic limbs, magnetic prosthetic limb suspension systems help maintain the position of the prosthetic limb while improving overall comfort and reducing the need for prosthetic limb maintenance.
