Doctors have long theorized that being able to precisely warm (hyperthermia) and cool (hypothermia) patients, depending on their conditions and surroundings, would be beneficial in a variety of neurological and cardiovascular procedures. This has given rise to a group of medical device companies formed in the mid-to-late 1990s dedicated to developing temperature management systems. The big question has ben whether clinical data would validate the bets these companies made in this space. Early clinical data released recently has been positive, and large companies are interested in this area, sparking the first major temperature management deal.

Ten percentage of the population in industrialized companies could benefit from hearing aids, and since the market remains 80% unpenetrated, new hearing aid companies and their financial backers see an enormous opportunity. But the hearing industry presents unique challenges compared to other medical device markets; the poor performance of past devices keeps people from buying hearing aids, as does the lack of reimbursement. Profitability is difficult for manufacturers to achieve, because manufacturing of the custom devices doesn't benefit from economies of scale. Finally, small companies have a tough time getting past the gatekeepers of the hearing industry--audiologists who have entrenched relationships with dominant manufacturers. New companies are entering the market with widely different approaches, some based on technology, some based on changing distribution channels. For some, the new approaches have clearly failed; others are embarking on new strategies that have yet to play out.

Medical researchers have known for more than 50 years that cold can be an important cardio- and neuroprotectant, but concerns about the side effects of deep hypothermia and sloppy, time-consuming procedures turned physicians away. Advances in device design as well as new research on the value of mild hypothermia have unlocked the potential of the therapy to function as a temperature management tool in surgery and critical care, to protect against injury from emboli in cardiac surgery, in resuscitation and trauma, and perhaps the biggest opportunities, in stroke and heart attacks.

Medical researchers have known for more than 50 years that cold can be an important cardio- and neuroprotectant, but concerns about the side effects of deep hypothermia and sloppy, time-consuming procedures turned physicians away. Advances in device design as well as new research on the value of mild hypothermia have unlocked the potential of the therapy to function as a temperature management tool in surgery and critical care, to protect against injury from emboli in cardiac surgery, in resuscitation and trauma, and perhaps the biggest opportunities, in stroke and heart attacks.