The impact of integrated electronics in medicine

There are two salient points which convey the essence of the impact of integrated electronics in medicine. First, the quality and availability of health care are becoming increasingly dependent on radically new diagnostic, monitoring, and prosthetic instruments provided by electronics. Second, many of these new instruments, such as ultrasonic imaging systems, blood flowmeters, and artificial inner ears, impose very stringent performance requirements, which can be met only through innovative application of integrated electronics. In summary, the initial impact of integrated electronics on health care is now visible, and consequently it is apparent that we are beginning a new era of revolutionary advances in medical instrumentation. Health care may indeed present the most promising opportunity to improve the quality of life in our society through electronics.