Minimally invasive surgeries are becoming more and more common, and they have pronounced benefits—from reduced infection rates to faster recovery times—over open surgeries. Today, surgeons are gravitating toward smaller and smaller incisions, and, in some cases, no incision at all by using the body’s natural orifices for surgical access. What were historically higher risk surgeries with extended hospital stays are now accomplished as outpatient procedures during office visits.

Technology miniaturization, specifically the optimization of microelectronics and nanotechnology, will continue to fuel this trajectory. While needle-based arthroscopies that leverage carbon nanobots sound like science fiction, they could one day become the norm.

Continue on to "What Does the Future Hold for Medtech?"

Hear more about what the future has in store for medtech at the MEDevice San Diego conference and exposition, September 1–2, 2015.