CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
2 January 2008
Implementation Investments
Medical Instrument Maker Uses SolidWorks, COSMOSFloWorks to Refine First Automated Glucose Measurement
Luminous Medical Inc. has used SolidWorks Corporation's 3D CAD and analysis software to design and refine a potentially life-saving glucose measurement system for hospital patients.
Any intensive care, operating room, or intermediate care unit requires tight control of patients' blood sugar levels. A nurse testing a patient by drawing blood once or twice per hour consumes some two hours of nursing time per day, placing a strain on staffing and affecting health-care costs.
To ensure aggressive monitoring without burdening staff, Luminous, of Carlsbad, Calif., has developed a first-of-its-kind automated glucose measurement system that continually takes blood samples from a patient's IV system, analyzes the blood spectroscopically, then sends the blood back to the patient. The Luminous Medical Glucose Measurement System required extensive and complex fluid thermal analysis, according to senior mechanical engineer Don Novkov.
"SolidWorks Corporation's COSMOSFloWorksT software let us efficiently model blood and saline movement through our device to increase measurement accuracy and improve the flow," said Novkov. "COSMOSFloWorks was the obvious choice to achieve the design. Hand-calculation would have taken me six months. Other fluid analysis software would have cost me $50,000. Empirical testing would have taken me several months without producing the improvements we achieved in two weeks."
Novkov's team used SolidWorks® 3D CAD software to design the 400-part assembly. The team selected SolidWorks because of its ease of use, full capability range, and track record over Novkov's career. "I switched to SolidWorks 12 years ago and see no reason to go back," he said.
Establishing tight glucose control in critically ill patients, regardless of diabetes status, has been shown to improve outcomes including highly significant reductions in complications, length of stay, and mortality, according to Luminous.
"As with any endeavor, the right tool made a big difference in the outcome of this product," said Rainer Gawlick, vice president of worldwide marketing for SolidWorks Corporation. "We're inspired that SolidWorks is a small part of improving patients' lives and extending health-care resources."
Luminous Medical relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller Digital Dimensions for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.
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