Remote diagnosis by cell phone

One of the fastest-growing sectors is telemedicine. Increasing advances are being made in linking "smart" medical devices with data and telecommunications systems. For people with heart problems and other at-risk patients, in particular, whose health has to be constantly monitored, telemedicine can provide great relief. It saves time-consuming visits to the physician yet makes patients feel they are being looked after effectively round the clock. In an emergency, patients can be located without any problem via GPS. Another advantage of the heart-monitoring cell phones is that, by allowing regular preventive treatment, they significantly reduce the number of costly crisis situations, so easing the pressure on the financially strained healthcare system.

"Five, four, three, two, one, zerooo!" Right on schedule, the Space Shuttle lifts off from Cape Canaveral and ascends into the sky over Florida. The launch, in particular, presents astronauts with immense physical difficulties. This is why they are monitored by telemedicine. Pulse, blood pressure, ECG all the important data are transmitted to the NASA Control Center until the astronauts return. But telemedicine is also becoming a feature of "normal" life. Those particularly interested in this flourishing future market are the suppliers of engineering polymers. Ticona's Market Development Manager for general industrial applications, Dr. Tilo Vaahs, explains the reason.

For a long time telemedicine tended to be the substance of science fiction. Now it's here for real and here to stay. Why?
Dr. Vaahs: There are several reasons. We're growing older all the time, the population is rising and health services are under extreme pressure to cut costs. Medical attention from a distant location which is all that "telemedicine" means can do much to help reduce those costs.

But the cost argument alone can't be the only vital factor in the future trend toward telemedicine
Dr. Vaahs: Absolutely. It's the patient, too, who stands to benefit most from telemedicine applications. In an emergency the first signs of a heart attack, for instance the diagnosis can be made so much faster today because innovations now allow vast amounts of data to be transmitted without delay.

Can you give a specific example to explain that?
Dr. Vaahs: One good example is Vitaphon's heart-monitoring cell phone. From the front it looks like a perfectly ordinary cell phone but on the back there are four sensor "buttons". If you hold it against the chest at heart level, it records an ECG, which can be transmitted to a doctor or medical call center in an emergency. If the situation is a real crisis or matter of great urgency, the patient can also be located rapidly by GPS.

Why are you, as a polymer supplier, so deeply involved in this topic?
Dr. Vaahs: Ticona is far more than "just" a supplier of high-quality polymers. We offer our customers additional expertise in implementing their plans and often work jointly with them to develop solutions to specific problems. But for us it also means constantly thinking one step ahead, foreseeing future developments and marketable trends. Our job is to keep crossing the bridge to the future, so to speak, both in our thinking and also in reality.

The market is actually very small at present, so is this investment worth while for Ticona?
Dr. Vaahs: Yes, because the key considerations are the enormous growth rates. Let me give an example of the market potential: In Europe alone there are something like 500,000 heart attack patients each year. There are also new business areas opening up in this sector. To turn telemedical applications from theory to practice there's a need for new products, such as monitoring units and devices. The use of high-performance polymers allows such innovations and to some extent is actually a driving force behind them. As another of our polymers, Vectra® LCP, is found in a variety of functional elements in nearly all present-day cell phones, the increase in telemedical solutions is bound to have a positive effect on Vectra sales.

Apart from such new trends, how is the market for medical technology products developing and what importance do engineering polymers have for this market?
Dr. Vaahs: All things considered, medical technology is a market of the future. We expect continuing strong growth, by up to eight percent annually. With a share of nearly 50 percent, polymers are now the most important group of materials used in medical technology. This share will continue to grow.

What other material trends do you foresee?
Dr. Vaahs: Plastics such as Topas® COC have great market opportunities because their barrier properties make it possible to extend the storage life of medicines. The FDA and other regulatory authorities are tightening the requirements imposed on polymers in direct contact with the active ingredients. These measures are concerned with purity and traceability of individual batches back to the additives used, as well as change management, in other words the principles of good manufacturing practice (GMP). Here too, we lead the field with our medical technology grades such as Hostaform® POM MT, Celanex® PBT MT, Fortron PPS MT and Vectra LCP MT, which already meet precisely these requirements.

So is that one of the reasons why Ticona is planning to expand production of special medical technology grades?
Dr. Vaahs: One factor is that medical technology represents a powerful growth segment for Ticona, and our customers' demands are increasing, as already mentioned. That's why we've decided to bring on stream a dedicated production line in Kelsterbach for our Hostaform POM MT product range in 2005. This production line is based on the pharmaceutical GMP concept. It means we'll continue to be a reliable partner for our customers in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

How about beyond telemedicine are there signs of any other development trends in the medical technology sector?
Dr. Vaahs: Yes, in the inhalation of active ingredients, for instance. Everyone knows aerosol inhalers or dry powder inhalers for treating asthma attacks. This treatment method is currently being perfected and is soon to be used for diabetes, one of the most widespread diseases. In the past, insulin has had to be injected into the bloodstream but now it can be introduced into the bloodstream through the alveoli of the lungs. It's on the membranes of the alveoli that the oxygen exchange process takes place. If it proves possible to transport insulin powder to the alveoli, the active ingredient can enter the blood circulation via those membranes. The mechanical inhaler for this purpose has been developed by Nektar Therapeutics in the US, and Pfizer is going to market the inhalable insulin. Phase III clinical studies have already been completed, and in Europe the system has been submitted to the authorities for approval. The mechanical aspects of the system are extremely important as well. Besides using materials with good slip-friction properties, the mechanism has to work properly every time. This is possible only by using engineering polymers with low creep tendency etc. that are suitable for precision injection molding. With Ticona being a leading supplier of materials in the inhaler systems sector, this is another field using functional components made from Ticona polymers Ticona inside, so to speak.