Integrated Computer Solutions Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Why risk it? Meticulous software testing can save the lives of medical device users

[Image by Pexels via Pixabay]

Jay Noble and Stephanie Van Ness, Integrated Computer Solutions

Software testing is not optional.

Let me repeat: Software testing is not optional!

Software defects are one of the most common reasons for clinical or consumer medical device recalls, and serious issues stemming from software errors abound. A 2020 study by the Australian government identified a rash of problems, such as errors related to resilience and reliability, including software that crashed, froze or functioned only intermittently — or failed to respond at all.

How do software errors present themselves in the real world? Here’s just one example of software gone wrong. In 2016, clinical software used widely by practitioners in the U.K.’s National Health Service had been miscalculating patients’ risk of heart attack, errors that had gone undetected since 2009. As a result, at least 300,000 hear…

Integrated Computer Solutions, Variscite to collaborate on hardware and software solution

Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS) and Variscite announced today that they are collaborating on new solutions in the embedded market.

The collaboration aims to offer a complete hardware and software solution to customers in the market, with Variscite’s SoM (system on module) solutions and ICS’ best-in-class software services set to provide a complete system solution that offers customers accelerated development, decreased development cost and more reliable continuity of maintenance and support, according to a news release.

Waltham, Massachusetts-based ICS said Variscite is the only SoM vendor member in the NXP Platinum Parner program, assuring the highest quality and stable supply for its product portfolio, which includes VAR-SOM and DART.

ICS’ software solutions have already been implemented on Variscite’s modules in several projects to allow customers to have a significantly accelerated product release.

“We are ver…

ICS establishes dedicated medical device practice

Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS) is establishing a dedicated medical device practice amid increased demand for complex medtech.

ICS said its work in the medical and life sciences markets has nearly doubled year-over-year as connected technologies drive innovation and transform healthcare.

“There has been extraordinary innovation and growth in the medtech sector in recent years which has only accelerated due to COVID-19,” ICS CEO Peter Winston said in a news release out yesterday.

“ICS has deep experience in UX-driven device creation which is well-suited for the safety-critical requirements of modern medical devices,” Winston said. “While developing these devices has become far more complex, it has also raised the bar and opened new possibilities for groundbreaking devices. This has led to expanded opportunity and the establishment of our dedicated medical device practice.”

ICS’s investments to establish the medical device prac…

How ICS helped Quidel on next-gen COVID-19 diagnostics

Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS) recently announced that it served Quidel as the application developer for the next-generation molecular diagnostic system for its Savanna platform.

The goal is low-cost, point-of-care testing for a range of diseases and conditions including COVID-19, MRSA and HIV.

The Savanna project started with user experience design to create an intuitive CLIA-waived touchscreen interface and an extensible processing architecture, according to the companies. It also includes software applications and powerful, forward-looking cybersecurity for its fleet in the field.

“Supplementing our team with ICS’ skilled software engineers and designers enabled us to bring the development process in-house, resulting in a more responsive development cycle and tighter coupling with UX design,” said Johannes Kehle, VP of Savanna and managing director of Quidel Germany GmbH. “It goes without saying, this outcome couldn’t have happened at a more impe…