Medical expo showcases technology to global buyers

The Florida International Medical Expo took over the Miami Beach Convention Center last week as exhibitors and visitors from around the globe gathered to view innovative technologies and products that were showcased.

“This year we have 1,300 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors,” said Gil Alejo, exhibition director at Informa Markets, during the show.

Additionally, 15 country pavilions included China, Taiwan, Poland, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, and India.

Colombia organized a national pavilion for the first time, said Mr. Alejo. “They have eight to 10 companies, and for the most part, it’s all infrastructure or hospital equipment that they’re very strong with, some disposable as well. For them, they’re looking for dealers and distributors, primarily in different parts of Latin America or US.”

Bisonte, which translates to bison, is a company that began in Colombia and is now catering to all of Latin America, said Andrea Varón, account director at Bisonte.

The company’s name stems from the bison’s distinct perseverance.

A bison doesn’t run from the storm, said Ms. Varón. “We are a very strong company, a very wild company. We started eight years ago in Bogotá, Colombia, and we started as an advertising agency. We develop digital and audiovisual content for the pharma industry. All our content has educational purposes … like e-learning courses, e-learning platforms, also audiovisual content, like videos, 3d videos, VR experiences, AR experiences.”

The people who showed the most interest in the company’s products at FIME are producers, said Ms. Varón. “We just came across a company which also distributes devices. They are very interested when they sell a product to just send people the video or the link on how to use it. That’s kind of the main example of people who have had interest in our product.”

Most clients produce medical devices that are complex to use, said Ms. Varón. They want to ensure that their products are used correctly.

The product is not sold directly to hospitals. Instead, it is sold to manufacturers who develop products used in hospitals, said Ms. Varón. These are “very delicate products, so if you use it [incorrectly] you can affect someone’s health and someone’s life. They have to ensure the correct use of the products.

“That’s where we come in. We have a lot of different tools for educational marketing solutions so products can be used in the correct way. You can teach how to use a product in a video in an interactive way. Also, because we are in the healthcare industry, everything has to be educational, because our clients are doctors, they have to learn the products very well.”

Bisonte caters to Latin America and is moving into North America as it develops content in Spanish, English and Portuguese.

“We are covering Canada at this moment,” said Ms. Varón, “and we are entering the US market.”

Technology is also advancing in the healthcare field.

Ainnova, said Rodrigo Herrera, co-founder and CTO, is a company focused on creating solutions for early detection of diseases using artificial intelligence in an accessible way.

“We have software service solution that with this software service solution we’ll be able to detect diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and cardiovascular risks,” said Mr. Herrera. “At this moment, we’re doing research for Alzheimer as well, just with an image of the eye of the retina … then we just upload it to the system. In a matter of two seconds, we’ll be providing our results. This will basically be screening solutions that it will provide new customers, student doctors, physicians, certainly a specialist of the area.”

The company is based in Texas, said Mr. Herrera, “and we are also headquartered in Costa Rica. We have the solution working in Mexico, we are opening in South America as well, and at this point, we are keeping touches in Asia.”

The idea is to make it accessible to everyone and help those who may be unaware they have a medical condition, said Mr. Herrera.

“At this point, we are in the digital era,” he said. “Using this type of solution to make it accessible to everybody is totally affordable and interesting for everybody. We are in touch also with insurance companies, so they can analyze their customers and can offer as well some insurance plans based on the solutions that we are providing.”

The event showcased products ranging from equipment to clothing.

Anything that one can be pictured in a hospital setting, a doctor’s office, a laboratory or imaging center, said Mr. Alejo, could be found at FIME. The objective is to connect those medical device companies to dealers, distributors and hospitals.

Medical equipment was showcased in many booths.

Avante Health Solutions provides medical equipment based in Kentucky and does business in over 150 countries.

“We offer a combination of new private label equipment Avante brand,” said Kary VanArsdale, director regional at Avante Health Solutions, “and professionally refurbished equipment for the operating room and the ICU and other areas of the hospital.”

The company’s target regions are the Americas, Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and Africa. The business caters primarily to hospitals, surgery centers, clinics, and private practitioners.

A new product highlighted is the ventilator.

“In a lot of clinics worldwide they lack compressed air,” said Ms. VanArsdale. “In other words, in the United States we’re very fortunate. Most hospitals have air oxygen and nitrous coming in through the walls, and you just hook up the equipment and you’re ready to go and start funneling gasses to the patient and operating on patients. In other areas of the world, they don’t have the sophisticated medical gas systems that we do, so they have to rely on, for example, oxygen tanks and air compressors. Air compressors are large, heavy, bulky, they’re costly, so they add more to the cost of equipment.”

The ventilator showcased is a turbine-driven ventilator, said Ms. VanArsdale. As a result, it isn’t necessary to have an air compressor. For the facilities that lack compressed air, there’s no need to have a bulky compressor. The ventilator is operated-powered through the internal mechanisms of the ventilator.

An incubator was also exhibited.

The FDA approved incubator offers a cost-effective alternative to big brands such GE, Philips and more expensive models that people don’t have the money to purchase, said Ms. VanArsdale.

“Infant care is a critical part of the healthcare process because in many countries,” said Ms. VanArsdale, “especially in Africa, infant mortality is still very high. Over here in the Americas, we’ve been more fortunate. We’ve done a better job of getting infant mortality down, but over in Africa in and some parts of the Caribbean and other areas of Asia, infant mortality is still higher than it should be. Having an incubator is essentially a lifesaving device for infants that are born prematurely.”

Those who visit the convention looked to find the newest technologies and opportunities in the healthcare world. One was Paola Duval, a second-time FIME visitor.

“People are always looking for new things,” said Ms. Duval. “Every day technology advances, and so it is to change from the old and move in with the new … a majority of the things I am looking for I find here.”

Maria Amparo Yuste, who has been attending FIME for over 10 years, also seeks the newest advancements in the field.

“I pretty much come every year to check on new products,” said Ms. Amparo Yuste, “what are the new trends and talk to clients.”

This year’s FIME was one of the best, said Mr. Alejo. “What we found after covid, now that it’s kind of like in the rearview mirror, people are looking to get back to face to face, B2B events. Obviously, during the pandemic, everyone tried to connect virtually, and we know that didn’t really work all that great. At the end of day, it’s that human interaction that’s never going to change and for our exhibitors, that’s the only way for them to actually meet with their current exhibitors or find new clients.”