From idea to bedside: The process of surgical invention and innovation

Abstract

Contemporary surgery utilizes extensive equipment and devices to enable its performance. As specialties develop and new frontiers are crossed, technology needs to advance in a parallel fashion. A modern surgical device is the end point of a sophisticated, complicated, and potentially treacherous route, which incorporates new skills and knowledge acquisition. Processes including Technology transfer, Commer cialization, Corporate and Product Development, Intellectual Property, and Regulatory Routes play pivotal roles in this voyage. Many good ideas may fall by the wayside for a multitude of reasons, including them not being protected by intellectual property, or being badly marketed or poorly adopted by clinicians. In this chapter, we attempt to illuminate the components required in the process of Surgical Innovation, which we believe must remain in the remit of the modern day Surgeon. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.