SurgeryPlanet

Autotransfusion cell saver system is a hospital-based blood management medical device designed to collect blood lost during (and sometimes after) surgery, process it, and return the patient’s own red blood cells (RBCs) when clinically appropriate and permitted by facility policy. It sits at the intersection of operating room efficiency, transfusion stewardship, and safety-critical workflow—because it involves real-time handling of human blood under time pressure.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ECMO system is a high-acuity life-support medical device designed to temporarily support gas exchange (oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal) and, in some configurations, circulatory support by pumping blood through an external circuit and membrane oxygenator.

Retinoscope is a handheld ophthalmic medical device used to perform **objective refraction**—an estimate of refractive error based on how light reflects from the patient’s retina. Unlike subjective refraction (which depends on patient responses), Retinoscope supports assessments when communication is limited, time is constrained, or a quick cross-check is needed.

Prism bar set is a simple but highly practical clinical device used in eye care to quantify ocular misalignment and related binocular vision findings. In everyday terms, it is a set of prism “bars” with graduated prism strengths that clinicians hold in front of the patient’s eye(s) during standardized tests (commonly cover-test–based methods) to estimate the magnitude and direction of a deviation.

Occluder paddle is a simple but essential piece of ophthalmic medical equipment used to temporarily block (occlude) one eye during vision assessment and binocular vision testing. You will see it in outpatient eye clinics, emergency settings, inpatient consult workflows, pediatric screening programs, and preoperative or postoperative assessments where clinicians need quick, repeatable, low-risk occlusion without applying anything directly to the eye.

A Stereoacuity test kit is a clinical device used to assess **stereopsis**—the visual system’s ability to perceive depth from binocular (two-eye) vision. In practical terms, it helps teams understand how well a patient can detect small differences in depth when each eye receives a slightly different image.

Color vision test plates are printed (or sometimes laminated) plate sets—often bound as a book—used to screen for color vision deficiencies by asking a person to identify numbers, symbols, or paths embedded in colored dot patterns. They are common in eye clinics, occupational health, pre-employment screening, and broader hospital workflows where rapid, low-cost visual function screening is needed.

Portable vision screener is a handheld or compact clinical device designed to **quickly screen** patients for vision problems and risk indicators that may warrant a more complete eye examination. In busy hospitals and clinics, it helps teams identify patients who may need referral, prioritize care pathways, and document screening results in a consistent way—often in seconds.

Handheld slit lamp is a portable ophthalmic medical device used to examine the front structures of the eye (often called the anterior segment) using a focused “slit” of light and magnified viewing. It brings slit-lamp-style biomicroscopy to the bedside, emergency department, outreach clinics, and other settings where a full tabletop slit lamp is impractical or unavailable.

Non mydriatic fundus camera is a retinal imaging medical device designed to capture photographs of the inside of the eye (the “fundus”)—including the retina, optic disc, macula, and retinal vessels—without routinely using pupil-dilating drops. In many models, the operator aligns the eye using low-intensity illumination and then captures an image with a brief flash.

*This guide is written for clinical users, administrators, procurement teams, and biomedical/operations leaders who need a practical overview of handheld pachymetry—what it does, how it is used safely, and how to think about real-world deployment and support.*

Auto lensometer is a clinical device used to measure key optical parameters of spectacle lenses—typically sphere, cylinder, axis, prism, and near addition—so teams can verify and document eyewear accurately and consistently. In hospital eye departments, outpatient clinics, and optical services, it supports safer workflows by helping staff confirm what a patient is wearing (or what has been dispensed) before results are recorded, glasses are remade, or care pathways proceed.

A Kinesiology tape dispenser is a simple but operationally important piece of hospital equipment used to store, dispense, measure, and cut rolls of kinesiology (elastic therapeutic) tape in a controlled and repeatable way. While it is usually a low-complexity clinical device, it can strongly influence workflow efficiency, tape waste, staff safety (cutting blades), and basic infection-control practices in therapy and outpatient settings.

A Cold compression unit is a therapeutic medical device designed to deliver controlled cooling together with adjustable compression to a targeted body area, typically through a wrap, cuff, or pad connected to a control unit. In hospitals and clinics, this combination is commonly used to support comfort, swelling management, and standardized postoperative or injury-related care pathways—while also reducing the variability and mess often associated with improvised ice packs.

Compression therapy device sports is a category of medical device and related medical equipment designed to apply controlled external pressure to a limb (most commonly the legs, sometimes the arms) using garments such as sleeves or boots. In many designs, a pump cyclically inflates and deflates multiple chambers to create intermittent or sequential compression. In sports medicine and rehabilitation contexts, similar technology is also used as “recovery” compression equipment—however, the intended use, regulatory status, and performance expectations may differ by manufacturer and by country.

Walking boot CAM boot is a removable lower-limb immobilization and support medical device used to help protect the foot and ankle, limit motion, and enable safer mobility during recovery pathways defined by a treating clinician. In many hospitals and clinics it functions as a practical alternative to, or step-down from, rigid casting—especially when repeated skin inspection, dressing changes, or swelling fluctuations are expected.

Internal bone stimulator is an implantable medical device used to deliver therapeutic electrical stimulation at or near a bone healing site, most commonly to support fusion or healing in situations where nonunion risk is higher. Unlike external bone stimulators that are worn outside the body, an Internal bone stimulator is placed surgically and is intended to work continuously without relying on patient adherence.

External bone stimulator is a non-invasive medical device designed to deliver targeted physical energy (most commonly electromagnetic fields, electrical stimulation, or low-intensity ultrasound) to a bone healing site with the goal of supporting bone repair. These systems are used as adjunct hospital equipment in orthopedics, trauma, and spine pathways—often bridging inpatient care and home-based recovery.

Powered reamer system is a powered surgical instrument platform used to enlarge, shape, or prepare bone using rotating reamer heads driven by an electric, battery, or pneumatic motor. In many orthopedic and trauma procedures, this medical device supports consistent bone preparation for implants or fixation hardware while helping teams standardize operating room (OR) workflows.

Orthopedic navigation system is a computer-assisted surgical guidance platform used in orthopedic procedures to help teams plan, track, and verify instrument and implant positioning in real time. In many hospitals, it sits at the intersection of clinical performance, operating room (OR) efficiency, patient safety, and capital equipment strategy—often involving surgeons, OR nursing, anesthesia, sterile processing, biomedical engineering, and IT/security.