This issue covers:

• Advanced healthcare to drive Europe’s medical device market
• Wearable medical device market growing
• Free IEC 62353 guide
• Asian device market set to leap to $15B in 2017
• Make a date

Advanced healthcare to drive Europe’s medical device market

The medical device market in Europe is expected to grow over the coming three years, driven by increasingly advanced healthcare and an ageing population, according to a new report.

Reportbuyer’s Europe Medical Device Market Outlook to 2018 states that the industry is mainly comprised of equipment such as orthopaedic, dental, respiratory and ophthalmic devices manufactured in Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain. Indeed, Germany was highlighted as a major contributor to the exportation of medical devices between 2008 and 2013, while the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the industry as a whole on the continental bloc was 2.6 per cent.

The report says that demand for medical devices is on the increase because of a need for early diagnosis and treatment of diseases, an ageing population, better informed patients and enhanced technologies. It also explains that rising incidences of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension should further drive the market in the coming years and predicted a CAGR of 3.9 per cent between 2013 and 2018.

This comes after MarketsandMarkets predicted that the portable medical device market will grow at an estimated CAGR of 9.51 per cent from 2014 to 2020, potentially creating further opportunities for exporters. Details at blog.mic-cust.com/

Wearable medical device market growing

The medical device industry is keeping up with a more tech-savvy population by developing technology that is not only mobile but wearable, with companies having devices in development that can sense and measure vital signs and health functions.

With the industry focusing on advancing these devices, the global market for wearable medical devices is projected to reach $5.8 billion in 2019, according to market research retailer ResearchMoz.

As the market for wearable health care devices increases, companies should invest in coding and marking technologies and track and trace solutions that can help brand technology precisely and deliver help protect against counterfeiting.

Wearable medical devices are increasingly being used to help health care professionals monitor patients’ heart rates, blood pressure and more. The market for these kinds of portable medical technology is likely to become more valuable as applications expand into sports and fitness as well as home health care.

While wearable medical devices are still relatively new in the medical world, they are on the fast track to growth as major tech companies like Google and Apple enter the market, IDG News Service reported. More at www.videojet.com/

Free IEC 62353 guide

A free guide covering the electrical safety testing requirements of the IEC 62353 international test standard is available from Rigel Medical.

‘An introduction to electrical safety testing in accordance with IEC 62353’ provides an insightful overview on electrical safety, the definitions of a medical electronic device, the IEC 606001 standard and a summary of the IEC 62353 publication including the 2014 additions.

One of the most significant additions to the 2014 edition is the recommendation to test to IEC 62353 at the final production line stage and before equipment goes into service. This will allow recurrent testing to be directly comparable with factory tests, providing easier observation of any variations.

New for the IEC 62353:2014 edition were a number of suggested tests to help manufacturers identify any requirements for isolating a particular equipment leakage current. Advice about this issue is covered in the guide.

Also included is a section on the benefits of the latest range of battery powered electrical safety analysers, which provide a fast and accurate solution for compliance with international and local safety standards. Visit www.rigelmedical.com/IEC62353 to download the guide.

Asian device market set to leap to $15B in 2017

A survey of the top 100 makers of medical devices in Asia indicates the industry will reach the $15 billion mark in 2017, a huge leap from a market of just $2 billion in 2012.

In addition to the top 100, Research and Markets also focused individually on the device markets in India, Japan and South Korea, all three major ones. Japan, in fact, has the second largest in the world, behind only the United States.

As for Asia, the research company said the overall device market was growing by more than 10% a year to meet the demand driven by higher incomes and living standards in several of the leading countries on the continent.

In Japan, the device market is expected to increase by a compound annual growth rate of 2.9%, its value rising from $30.2 billion just two years ago to $34.9 billion in 2018. South Korea has Asia’s third largest market for devices, behind Japan and China, but is expected to expand by a compound rate of 7.7% by 2018, up from $5.1 billion in 2013.

India has one of the globe’s 20 largest device markets despite a per capita spending rate of less than $3 for the products. The industry’s value has suffered because of the depreciation of the rupee, the national currency, but in actual growth terms is expected to be one of the world’s fastest growing over the next 5 years. Read more at www.fiercepharmaasia.com

Make a date

Don’t forget you can catch Rigel at June’s AAMI Conference & Expo 2015 in the USA, and then in the autumn at the MD Expo, Las Vegas (21 – 23 October). The last event of the year will be MEDICA, the world leading medical trade fair, from the 16 – 19 November.

Full details at https://www.rigelmedical.com/events

Do you use Rigel Medical equipment? – If you think you may have a story for future e-news bulletins, please let us know by contacting us here.

This issue covers:

• FDA: 72,000 cases of defib failure
• Rigel 62353 analyser powers NHS equipment supplier
• European patent applications in medical technology increase
• IEC 62353 Guidance Booklet
• UAE medical appliances’ growth
• See us during 2015…

FDA: 72,000 cases of defib failure

Automated external defibrillators – those installed and ready for use in many public spaces – can save lives when needed, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that since 2005, it has also received 72,000 reports of the devices failing.

The agency said that, based on these incidents, it will strengthen its approval process for external defibrillators and their accessories, including batteries, pad electrodes, adapters and other items.

Automated external defibrillators are portable devices that automatically detect potentially deadly heart rhythm problems in a patient and deliver an electrical shock to restore normal rhythm.

The devices do “save lives,” Dr. William Maisel, deputy director for science, acting director of the Office of Device Evaluation in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in an agency news release.

However, the new changes “will allow us to more closely monitor how they are designed and manufactured,” he said. “This will go a long way towards correcting long-standing problems and ultimately improving the reliability of these devices.”

The FDA said it will also carry out inspections of manufacturers’ facilities prior to approving the defibrillators. After approval, manufacturers will have to file annual reports on each device’s performance and inform the agency about any changes made to the defibrillators that affect safety and effectiveness.

The FDA said that devices currently on the market will remain available while manufacturers work to meet the new requirements for the devices, which take effect in mid-2016. New requirements for current, necessary accessories will take effect January 2020.

More at www.webmd.com

>

Rigel 62353 analyser powers NHS equipment supplier

Medstrom, a UK medical equipment and service supplier, has improved the electrical testing of thousands of its medical devices using Rigel’s 62353 safety analyser.

The company supplies and maintains electrically operated paediatric cots, bed movers, reactive therapy systems, patient beds, trolleys and carts among other items to hundreds of hospitals and healthcare facilities across the UK. These have to be regularly tested to ensure compliance with IEC 62353, the standard for in-service and after repair testing of medical electronic devices.

The testing work is undertaken by Medstrom’s field service engineers using Rigel 62353 analysers, enabling them to check the electrical safety of equipment to ensure it is safe for use by both patients and staff.

The ability to be able to do this quickly and efficiently means that critical safety tests are completed successfully as an integral part of Medstrom’s after sales support, and dedicated service team, saving time and boosting customer service levels.

Darren Hunt, Medstrom’s technical training manager, said: “The Rigel 62353 is a superb high performance instrument that works extremely well and delivers consistent results. It’s very intuitive, offering a single-button test solution which engineers, who have busy service schedules to complete, really appreciate.

“Test results are easily downloaded to our asset database while the memory and operating instructions are clear, straightforward and easy to navigate.”

European patent applications in medical technology increase

The European Patent Office has published its annual data, which has revealed that medical device innovators remain at the top of the patent protection rankings.

Dr Thomas Prock, a UK, German and European Patent Attorney at Marks & Clerk, says in his article for EMDT that in 2014, more patent applications were filed for medical technology than for any other type of technology, including digital communication, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

Figures show an average increase of about 3% per annum in the number of patent filings relating to medical technology over the past ten years while 41% of the European patent applications filed in 2014 in the medical devices field originated from within Europe. Another 39% originated in the USA.

Given that applicants tend to protect their inventions on their “home turf” before seeking patent protection abroad and Europe is a foreign market for US innovators, this data suggests that US research and development activity in medical technology is more intense than in Europe.

Many medical treatment providers are under pressure to reduce invasiveness of treatments and decrease associated recuperation time. While the factors driving the growth in patent filings will be manifold, this pressure appears to be contributing to a healthy culture of innovation among medical technology providers.

He says that we shouldn’t ignore the increasing consumer demand for medical technology – personal healthcare devices are now a source of revenue for many high-tech companies, requiring research and development, leading to patent filings.

As the demands of both consumer and healthcare systems grow, so will the R&D programs developing technology to meet those demands, and the numbers of patent applications flowing from them. Read in full at www.emdt.co.uk

IEC 62353 Guidance Booklet

The new edition of the IEC 62353 standard, which applies to ‘Medical electrical equipment – Recurrent test and test after repair of medical electrical equipment’, covers the general requirements for testing equipment prior to it going into service, after modifications, after repair, and as part of a recurrent testing protocol.

It also provides details of the tests that should be performed under these circumstances and discusses the reporting of the results of your testing and how to evaluate your findings. The standard is intended for use by equipment manufacturers, testing equipment manufacturers, regulatory authorities, equipment suppliers, service personnel and organisational equipment users.

To help, Rigel has published an IEC 62353 (2015) Guidance Booklet which is available at www.rigelmedical.com/

UAE medical appliances’ growth

A Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry study indicates that expenditure on medical appliances and equipment in the UAE has experienced a strong increase, valuing the market at around AED 2.87 billion in 2014.

It is also forecasted to increase at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 9.78% from 2014 to 2020 as, by then, the value of expenditure will increase to around AED 5.03 billion.

This increase, the study adds, has come in light of the growth in income and population, together with increased awareness about the importance of healthy living across the MENA region and South and East Asia.

This has created demand for medical services and generated potentially lucrative opportunities for Dubai to become the hub for medical tourism for these regions.

The study, which is based on a BMI Espicom Business Intelligence report titled ‘UAE Medical devices report Q4 2014’, discusses opportunities and ways for UAE businesses to benefit from growing demand for medical devices in the UAE and in foreign markets.

It also states that traders in this area can expect potentially robust growth in a range of products within the UAE and across the surrounding regions. More at www.dubaichamber.com/

See us during 2015…

A reminder that you can meet us at several events this year. On April 30th we’ll be at the EBME 2015 Seminar in Milton Keynes, UK. Summer will see us at June’s AAMI Conference & Expo 2015 in the USA, and then in the autumn at the MD Expo, Las Vegas (21 – 23 October). The last event of the year will be MEDICA, the world leading medical trade fair, from the 16 – 19 November. Full details at https://www.rigelmedical.com/events

Do you use Rigel Medical equipment? – If you think you may have a story for future e-news bulletins, please let us know by contacting us here.

This issue covers:

• Medical Device Tax facing the axe
• Passing the test in Tel Aviv
• France medical devices market worth over $20 billion by 2020, says report
• Search for pioneering healthcare innovators
• Improved safety analyser makes for faster testing
• Watch out for us in 2015

Medical Device Tax facing the axe

The U.S. medical device tax is the issue that won’t go away. Elected officials and medical device companies began railing against Obamacare’s medical device tax before it even became law and have complained about it ever since it did.

Now with a Republican majority in Congress and bipartisan support from legislators in states that host major medtech firms, it appears the 2.3% tax may be axed from the Affordable Care Act by the end of March, according to a report in the political news website thehill.com.

Paulsen and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) said they expected lawmakers to replace the money lost in a repeal, the Hill report said.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who last April called the levy a “stupid, dumbass tax,” does not believe a “pay-for” will be necessary to get Paulsen’s bill passed. The incoming chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Hatch proposed his own repeal bill last year.

Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN.) have also long opposed the tax, and medtech companies have paid lobbyists significant sums of cash to pressure Congress to repeal it.

More at www.qmed.com/news

Passing the test in Tel Aviv

One of the largest hospitals in Israel uses Rigel Medical’s range of testers and analysers to improve the testing and calibration of biomedical devices.

The move allows The Herzliya Medical Center (HMC) to simplify testing procedures as part of an in-service planned preventative maintenance programme overseen by its Biomedical Department.

This has seen improvements in the speed and ease by which electrosurgical units (ESU), vital signs monitors, infusion devices and defibrillators among other items of medical equipment are maintained and checked for electrical safety and performance accuracy.

The Rigel 288 automated safety analyser, Uni-Therm electrosurgical generator calibrator, Uni-Pulse defibrillator analyser, Multi-Flo infusion pump analyser and Uni-Sim combination vital sign simulator are among the Rigel Medical products the hospital’s uses for compliance with standards including IEC 62353 IEC/EN60601-1, VDE 0751-1, AS/NZS 3551, AAMI, NFPA-99, MDA DB 9801-2006.

Director of the Biomedical Department and engineer Tamim Jaber said that turning to Rigel Medical met the HMC’s ‘real life biomedical’ requirements, providing the first opportunity to bring all aspects of biomedical testing within a single software solution (Rigel’s Med-eBase) and to generate reports and certificates for all devices under test.

France medical devices market worth over $20 billion by 2020, says report

A new report estimates that the size of France’s medical devices market is expected to reach approximately $20.8 billion by 2020.

The ‘CountryFocus: Healthcare, Regulatory and Reimbursement Landscape – France’ report identifies the trends in the healthcare market and provides insights among other matters on the demographic and regulatory landscape, and healthcare infrastructure of France.

It has been prepared using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and an in-house analysis by GlobalData.

The positive trends in the country’s healthcare market can be attributed primarily to an increasingly elderly population, universal healthcare insurance, and a high degree of access to healthcare facilities.

In 2012, France’s population was approximately 65 million, but the growth rate is decreasing steadily – possibly due to a negative balance between the mortality and birth rates, and a low net rate of immigration. Domestic policymakers are also wrestling with the problems of a Eurozone crisis, a declining working population and an increasing elderly population.

The scope of the report includes an overview of France’s medical devices market, including the market size, market segmentation, key drivers and barriers. Analysis includes details of the regulatory agencies and the approval processes for new medical devices while there’s an overview of the opportunities and challenges for growth that exist in the healthcare market. More at www.cnbc.com

Search for pioneering healthcare innovators

Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s Medical Director, has launched the NHS Innovation Accelerator programme.

Together with hosts UCLPartners and The Health Foundation, NHS England is inviting healthcare pioneers from around the world to apply to develop their tried and tested innovations across parts of the NHS.

The programme will focus on the conditions and cultural change needed to enable the NHS to adopt innovations at scale and pace, aiming to improve outcomes and give patients more equitable access to the latest products, services and technology.

Applicants should be experienced innovators in healthcare who are currently leading or working on new technologies, services and processes that have the potential to make a real difference to patient outcomes.

The programme will offer successful candidates a range of support to develop and spread their innovations across parts of the NHS, such as access to international leaders in healthcare development and established networks through high calibre mentors including Lord Ajay Kakkar, Lord Ara Darzi, Sir John Tooke and Sir Sam Everington.

Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s Medical Director, said: “Britain has made a significant contribution to medical science and humankind.

“The Innovation Accelerator will build on our enviable history of discovery and innovation by embracing cutting-edge healthcare innovators from around the world to improve patient care while reducing costs and providing better value for the taxpayer.”

Details at www.england.nhs.uk

Improved safety analyser makes for faster testing

The improved battery powered 288 analyser from Rigel Medical delivers faster and safer testing of medical devices and installed equipment.

The 288 is one of the most recognised electrical safety analysers on the market today, renowned as the smallest, most compact tester of its type in the world. It incorporates unique technologies and features to provide enhanced performance and improved electrical safety testing of equipment to the appropriate standards including IEC/EN 62353 and IEC/EN 60601.

While most conventional testers rely on mains power, the improved battery powered 288 retains operational integrity, even without mains connection, due to standard AA battery power compatibility. This provides greater user flexibility and makes it quicker to complete in-service testing of point-to-point leakage as well as earth continuity and insulation resistance.

And because the 288 does not require a lengthy power cord to operate, there are no trailing cables to cause potential trip hazards, making it even safer and more convenient to set-up and use on-site. Further time saving benefits are achieved because the analyser’s battery power back-up avoids the need for lengthy boot-up times between tests.

Up to 10 individual patient leakage circuits can be checked in a single test routine, while a further benefit is the ability to automatically warn users of incorrect test set-ups, helping to avoid incorrect readings – it is the only tester of its type providing automated verification of secondary earth paths and incoming mains configuration.

The 288 forms part of a comprehensive range of high performance biomedical test equipment supplied by Rigel Medical. You can find out more at www.rigelmedical.com/288

Watch out for us in 2015

Don’t forget you can catch Rigel at several events this year. March (29 – 31) will see us at MD Expo Nashville before returning to Europe for the EBME seminar (30 April 2015) in Milton Keynes, UK.

Summer will see us at June’s AAMI Conference & Expo (5 – 8 June 2015) in the USA, and then in the autumn at the MD Expo, Las Vegas (21 – 23 October).

The last event of the year will be MEDICA, the world leading medical trade fair, from the 16 – 19 November. Full details at www.rigelmedical.com/events

Do you use Rigel Medical equipment? – If you think you may have a story for future e-news bulletins, please let us know by contacting us here.

A new approach to medical device testing in hospitals is available following the launch of an advanced interface developed by Rigel Medical and EQ2.

The move sees the Rigel Medical 288 safety analyser integrated with EQ2’s clinical equipment management system HEMS to provide a fully automated, highly accurate and easily portable system for capturing and documenting medical device safety records.

A new module has been incorporated into EQ2’s HEMS Enterprise software to make it fully compatible with the automated Rigel analyser.

This module – the EQ2 Rigel SA Interface – enables the biomed engineer to harness the 288’s full capabilities to capture valuable information at the point of testing in a hospital or healthcare centre before sending the data automatically to the HEMS system to complete safety checks and link to the medical device’s inventory, test library and performance history.

John Backes, Associate Director at Rigel Medical, said the international and domestic hospital markets are key areas of growth and we have partnered with EQ2 to provide an advanced testing solution for this sector.

He added: “EQ2 has simplified the user interface experience while delivering accurate and robust interoperability with the Rigel 288 was a key to our interest in EQ2.

“EQ2 has delivered on their vision with the release of this simple, intuitive interface to our Rigel 288 – a perfect complement to our great safety analysers.”

EQ2 is the first Rigel authorised provider of automated CMMS – Rigel interfaces. Vishal Malhotra, EQ2 Director of Development, said: “With this first release, EQ2 and Rigel prove that complex interoperability can be accomplished through good system design to be stunningly simple for the customer to use.”

The Rigel 288 features a compact Bluetooth barcode scanner, enabling devices and equipment to be quickly and easily identified, while test results can be stored internally and printed wirelessly to a small battery operated printer. Users also have the facility to select from a range of pre-set test programs or develop their own customised routines.

EQ2, based in Burlington, Vermont, U.S. is global supplier of healthcare and clinical equipment management systems.

This issue covers:

• Faulty NHS equipment kills 300 people a year
• Republican knives out for Obama’s medical devices tax
• Video star
• Tap into £1m of R&D funding
• Rigel analyser leads the way in dialysis machine testing in Japan

Faulty NHS equipment kills 300 people a year

More than 300 patients a year are dying due to faulty NHS equipment, according to an article in the Daily Mail about a report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The report says nearly 5,000 people were left seriously injured last year after using faulty equipment including pacemakers, MRI and CT scanners. In the highest annual total of deaths since records began, 309 patients died last year in ‘adverse incidents’ linked to medical devices.

In total, there were 13,642 incidents relating to faulty equipment reported to health officials. Medics have also been forced to delay life-saving operations because their machines and tools don’t work.

Patients also suffered delays and injuries after issues with incubators, wheelchairs, artificial limbs, syringes and specialist beds.

The report says boosting the number of engineers in hospitals would help cut the number of deaths and injuries, and warns that while technology is leading to huge advances in healthcare, it remains dependent on the work of biomedical engineers to fix and maintain it.

There are concerns that a lack of engineers to maintain equipment might be exacerbating the problem with the report calling for the introduction of a Chief Biomedical Engineer at each NHS trust.

Dr Patrick Finlay, of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: “Government and the NHS need to take urgent action to prioritise the role engineers play in hospitals and trusts.

“Technology is leading to huge advances in healthcare, but this technology is dependent on the work of biomedical engineers who are inadequately recognised and in short supply in most hospitals.

“Clinicians and engineers need to work in partnership to ensure that advances in medical technology are applied in the best interest of patients. The benefits of hospitals having a designated chief biomedical engineer responsible for healthcare technology are clear.”

Read in full at www.dailymail.co.uk

Rigel comments: This and other similar reports once again highlight the urgent need for regular testing of health equipment, says John Backes, associate director – Rigel Medical. “There is always a need to ensure devices are regularly checked and tested as people’s lives could be placed at risk by faulty or failing equipment.

“This is the latest report of problems associated with medical devices, so it’s vital they are properly checked and maintained. Testing these medical devices and other items including AEDs is easy, relatively inexpensive yet vital. Owners and operators could benefit by using the latest generation of easy to use, portable and lightweight analysers to quickly and easily verify the safe operation and functionality of equipment.”

This includes the Rigel Medical Uni-Pulse defibrillator analyser, which features advanced measurement technology, the battery powered analyser offers both manual and automatic test programs for the safe testing of all mono-phasic, bi-phasic and pulsed waveform defibrillators and AEDs.

Republican knives out for Obama’s medical devices tax

News agency Reuters reports that republicans in the U.S. Congress will move to avoid a medical device tax imposed less than two years ago under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law.

The 2.3% excise tax on sales of most medical devices sold in the United States helps fund the law, known as Obamacare, and applies to products ranging from bedpans to heart pacemakers. It took effect in January 2013 and is projected to raise about $30 billion a year in government revenue over 10 years.

Though no full-scale repeal of Obamacare is expected, even with the Senate now under Republican control, the move against the tax is part of efforts to gradually chip away at the law.

The recent mid-term elections will elevate Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, a long-standing opponent of the tax, to the chairmanship of the tax-writing finance committee in the Senate.

“The senator will continue to examine and support every viable opportunity to permanently repeal Obamacare’s onerous tax on medical devices,” said his spokeswoman Julia Lawless.

In 2013, the Senate approved a symbolic resolution calling for repeal of the tax, with more than 30 Democrats joining Republicans in support of the non-binding measure.

Opposition to the tax is also widespread in the House of Representatives, so there is a strong chance it could be repealed. Republicans held the majority there even before the elections and voted on 50 occasions to repeal all or part of Obamacare. More at www.reuters.com

Video star

The Rigel 288 has become one of the most recognised electrical safety analysers on the market today. Its unique, earth bond technology and use of internal memory make it a truly valuable tool for every biomedical test professional.

Now, in a move to boost the support and service Rigel provides to customers, a new online video has been produced explaining more about the benefits of this highly versatile analyser and demonstrates how biomed engineers can take advantage of the product for comprehensive, high performance in-service testing. Watch in full at www.rigelmedical.com/288

Tap into £1m of R&D funding

Companies in Wales with a medical project it feels is risky, can now bid for funding to research and develop the project

.

Risky projects may be difficult for companies to take forward and develop – Innovate UK is looking to help these projects, where the majority of the project activities take place in and around the South Wales medical technology cluster.

Up to £1 million is on offer through our new Launchpad competition, along with a programme of business support. We’ll also help applicants raise more external finance to help fund and commercialise the project.

Medical technology is one of Wales’ major industrial strengths. There are around 300 life science businesses in the country, including rapidly growing small businesses. Many of these are in South Wales.

The aim of the Launchpad is to help companies clustered there to go further and faster towards commercial success. We want to draw investment and people into the area and to encourage networking and collaboration.

The competition is now open with the deadline for stage 1 video submissions/applications on midday on 10 December 2014. More at https://ts.catapult.org.uk

Rigel analyser leads the way in dialysis machine testing in Japan

Nikkiso Co Ltd, the leading manufacturer of dialysis machines and related devices in Japan, is using the Rigel Medical 288 automated safety analyser to improve biomed electrical safety testing.

The move has led to improvements in testing procedures as part of an in-service annual safety check programme for its machines installed at hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the country.

The portability of the 288 is a benefit to Nikkiso’s team of over 100 technicians who are able to take advantage of a single solution to quickly and easily complete both earth bond and leakage testing on the dialysis machines. Rigel’s unique earth bond test circuit ensures accurate measurements at low currents which have resulted in a drastic reduction in size and weight of the Rigel 288.

It remains the industry’s smallest automatic safety analyser, providing fast and accurate testing of patient, enclosure and earth leakage as well earth continuity and insulation resistance. Its compact design and user friendly interface is particularly beneficial for the technicians involved in testing, providing improved portability and ease-of-use during completion of electrical safety checks.

Satoru Kawarabayashi, Marketing Manager at Nikkiso, said: “The 288 is an excellent instrument, providing a fast, cost effective reliable testing solution. The engineers, in particular, find it easy-to-use and appreciate the fact that it’s compact enough to carry around with them.

“It incorporates a good range of features for a tester of its size, while the connectivity benefits are particularly impressive. The user-friendly screen, featuring a simple step-by-step test diagram, is also easy to understand and follow.

“The ability to import and export data is also a particularly beneficial feature, enabling us to store test information which can then be easily retrieved and used for audit purposes.”

Do you use Rigel Medical equipment? – If you think you may have a story for future e-news bulletins, please let us know by contacting us here.