Medical Tech Outlook Weekly Brief
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For years, oral care in hospitals has remained a deceptively simple challenge with complex consequences. The traditional tools used at the bedside often require multiple components, preparation steps, and caregiver involvement, an approach that can be difficult to sustain in high-pressure clinical environments where nurses are already balancing critical patient needs. That challenge becomes even more significant in intensive care units, where vulnerable patients face an increased risk of complications, including hospital-acquired pneumonia. While oral hygiene is a recognized part of preventive care, the realities of hospital workflows can make consistent implementation difficult. For nurses managing medications, monitoring equipment, documentation, and urgent interventions, adding a time-intensive oral care routine can become another operational burden. Toothsure was built to address that gap. Rather than viewing oral care as a routine nursing task, the Kentuckybased early-stage medical device company is rethinking oral care by developing solutions designed to simplify the process for healthcare providers while giving patients greater independence wherever possible. Its flagship products, OralVac and OralVac+, combine brushing, rinse delivery, and suction capabilities into a single, pre-filled system designed for different patient populations across healthcare settings. The company’s broader vision is straightforward: transform oral care from an overlooked routine into a more efficient, accessible part of patient care.
Modern healthcare continues to demand better visualization tools that can improve minimally invasive procedures, but many advanced imaging systems still face three fundamental challenges: cost, complexity, and the ability to convert visual information into meaningful data. SterileWave, LLC is addressing these challenges through a new approach to surgical imaging that combines affordable optical technology, single-use device design, and artificial intelligence capabilities. The company is developing single-use imaging solutions that aim to deliver the image quality clinicians expect from traditional systems while reducing the financial and operational burdens associated with reusable devices. By eliminating the need for repeated sterilization and reprocessing, SterileWave’s technology is designed to support greater efficiency, improved infection control, and broader access to advanced imaging..
For decades, wound care has relied heavily on visual inspection and clinical judgment. However, numerous studies show that clinically significant bacterial burden often appears without classic symptoms, particularly in patients with comorbidities like diabetes. The disconnect between visible signs and the underlying bacterial condition can delay appropriate intervention and extend healing time. MolecuLight closes this gap through real-time objective imaging that supports informed treatment decisions. Its advanced fluorescence technology allows clinicians to visualize bacterial burden at the point-of-care, supporting better patient outcomes and an evidence-informed approach. The handheld device integrates fluorescence imaging, wound measurement and thermal assessment into a compact platform engineered for accurate, reproducible imaging while remaining comfortable to operate with one hand during bedside procedures.
Contamination control cannot depend on asking stretched teams to simply “disinfect harder.” Hospitals must return patient rooms to service, pharmaceutical and biotechnology facilities must maintain production schedules and food processors cannot halt operations. Organizations therefore need to prevent contamination before it causes infections, recalls or shutdowns. TOMI Environmental Solutions, Inc.supports this shift through SteraMist®, a universal and scalable ionized Hydrogen Peroxide (iHP®) platform designed for high-level decontamination. The technology passes a fine mist of 7.8 percent hydrogen peroxide through a cold-plasma arc, creating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that rapidly destroy microorganisms on contact. The submicron mist reaches difficult-to-access spaces without requiring manual wiping, while short treatment times and minimal PPE requirements let it fit into existing protocols. This combination of efficacy and operational simplicity enables organizations to use advanced decontamination more routinely. SteraMist is already used for daily treatments in healthcare, scheduled decontamination in laboratories and validated environmental control in critical facilities. The same iHP platform scales from handheld and mobile units to fully integrated automated systems. Expanding automation, workflow integration, digital documentation and validation, TOMI is helping move contamination control from responding after a problem occurs to preventing it through routine, repeatable processes. “Advanced decontamination shouldn’t just eliminate pathogens; it should allow organizations to operate more confidently,” says Dr. Halden Shane, CEO. Delivering Greater Coverage with Less Chemical Originally developed alongside DARPA to neutralize biological threats such as anthrax, SteraMist changes how hydrogen peroxide is delivered. Conventional vaporized systems may heat 35-70 percent hydrogen peroxide solutions to create a fog. The ionization process used by SteraMist produces hydroxyl radicals while maintaining a substantially lower chemical concentration. The resulting submicron particles move in all directions like a dry mist. Once there, they disrupt microorganisms’ organic cellular structures, achieving reductions greater than 99.9999 percent. Producing that effect required TOMI to precisely balance BIT® Solution output with cold-plasma ionization. This balance prevents abrasive surface damage, leaves no toxic residue and enables application around electronics and delicate materials commonly found in healthcare environments. These qualities allow advanced decontamination to fit more naturally into existing infection-prevention protocols. Straightforward application reduces training requirements. The mist’s 360-degree movement extends the reach of one operator, enabling facilities to cover complex spaces while making better use of available personnel.
Conventional light therapy devices typically rely on one or two relatively powerful light modes to provoke biological responses. DNA Vibe takes a more elegant approach: work smarter, not harder. Its patented multi-mode regenerative wearables combine fractional red light—at just 1 percent the intensity of typical LED light pads—with low-level near-infrared, pulsed and randomized micro-vibration, and micro-magnetic oscillations. Together, these stimulate gentle harmonic effects designed to support the body’s natural regenerative functions. The insight behind the technology is that molecular and cellular structures central to regeneration—including DNA, chromatin, and cells themselves—possess repeating properties naturally conducive to harmonic effects at very low energy levels. These effects can help relax structures and increase the dwell time of relaxed chromatin states, potentially reducing structural congestion and enhancing transcription and signaling efficiencies that support natural regenerative processes. Think of bumper-to-bumper traffic: when congestion is high, everything slows down. Remove half the cars and create more space, and suddenly everything moves more efficiently.
MedTech
Nikki Ross, Senior Director, Sterile Processing, OhioHealth
Wound Care
Michael King, Medical Director, Upperline Health
Patient Monitoring Devices
Pat Jackson, Director, Patient Experience & Advocacy, Huntsville Hospital
In Vitro Diagnostics
Luke Mitchell, Executive Director - Ambulatory Surgery, Lab, Imaging, Pathology, Prevea Health
Biomechanics
Dave Olson , Senior Vice President, Medicare Advantage & Network, DentaQuest
Cardio Vascular Devices
Mitchell Fong, Founder and CEO, Innovise Consulting | Advisory Board Member, PulsePoint Path
Medical Equipment
Laura Segovia, Sr. Project Manager, Clinical/Lab Information Systems and David Murray, Corporate Executive VP Operations, Sonic Healthcare USA
Single-use surgical imaging solutions improve infection control, visualization, procedural efficiency, patient safety, and clinical performance.
Oral care devices improve dental hygiene, preventive care, convenience, personalized routines, and long-term oral health outcomes.
Technology That Supports Better Care
Our cover story features Toothsure, recognized as the Top Oral Care Device 2026. The company is making everyday oral care more accessible with a device designed to support better dental hygiene outside the clinical setting. Its approach gives people practical ways to take a more active role in their health between appointments.
Also recognized is SterileWav as the Single-Use Surgical Imaging Solutions Company of the Year 2026. The company brings visual information into surgical settings, supporting clinical decisions and workflows during procedures. SteraMist is recognized as the Disinfection and Decontamination Products Company of the Year 2026. The company helps healthcare providers solve the challenge of keeping clinical environments properly decontaminated and ready for patients and staff.
MolecuLight is recognized as the Top Advanced Wound Care and Diagnostic Imaging Device 2026. Its imaging technology gives clinicians another way to assess wounds and better understand what they are treating when making care decisions.
The issue also features perspectives on changes taking place across healthcare delivery. Dave Olson, Senior Vice President, Medicare Advantage & Network at DentaQuest, discusses the importance of bringing oral health into broader healthcare planning for seniors and improving access through stronger partnerships. Luke Mitchell, Executive Director of Ambulatory Surgery, Lab, Imaging, Pathology, examines the shift of surgical procedures toward ambulatory settings and what is expanding the range of care delivered outside traditional hospitals.
From everyday prevention to complex clinical decisions, the stories in this issue look at where technology can make care more practical for both patients and healthcare professionals. We invite our readers to explore these perspectives and see how new tools are changing the way care is delivered.
