Medical gadgets fair targets a healthy profit
With the billion-dollar medical equipment market in China expected to grow, buyers from around the world filled the halls of the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai last week, where the latest medical equipment and devices were on display.
Ever wonder where doctors and nurses get their gadgets?
One device that was catching the eye of buyers at the Hong Kong International Medical Devices and Supplies Fair was a pair of hi-tech smart glasses that help nurses find veins.
"Even the best nurses have trouble getting the needles in the first time around," said Frank Ball, president of Evena Medical, a small Silicon Valley company that produces the Eyes-On glasses. "They fail 40 per cent the first time around."
He said it can be particularly difficult to draw blood from young patients, whose veins are smaller. The failure rate can be as high as 60 per cent. The glasses use multiple light frequencies to see below the surface of the skin.
Another product that caught attention was a flossing tool called Toothbat. Looking a bit like a bat signal on a stick, the floss wraps around the ends of the wings, giving the option to floss from three different sides.