In this issue

Medical technology has developed rapidly over the last decade. But for a significant part of the population, this acceleration has not been far-reaching enough. Paediatric patients are often left behind as many devices are never approved for use in infants and children. This leaves parents and practitioners facing a serious dilemma: risk treatment with an off-label device that is only approved and trialled on adults – or risk no treatment at all.

But why do paediatric device approvals pale in comparison to the number of devices approved for adults? In this issue of Medical Technology, we take a deep dive into the world of paediatrics to find out what can be done to improve the current state of child-friendly medical devices.

One such area of concern is implants. Children require implants less frequently than adults do and consequently, few implants address the issue of growth. While a fixed-size implant may be suitable for a fully developed adult – a growing child will have to undergo multiple surgeries to replace the implant with a larger version. But what can be done to address this growing problem? We find out.

Also in this issue, we round up key innovations in neonatal care, get down and dirty with faecal microbiota transplant regulation, and speak to the minds behind FemTech Lab to find out about developments in the femtech space.

For all this, plus the latest insight and analysis from GlobalData, read on.

Eloise Mclennan, editor