Back to ArticlesVCC streamlined the LED system for a critical MCS device, improving reliability and efficiency.
Market Background
Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) systems are life-sustaining medical devices designed for patients with severe heart failure. These portable systems provide continuous cardiac support, improving patient mobility and quality of life while awaiting heart transplants or other long-term solutions. Given the critical nature of these devices, clear, reliable LED indication is essential for both patient and caregiver awareness—ensuring that system status, connectivity, and alarms are instantly visible in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Customer Challenge
A leading medical device manufacturer required several custom LED indicators for an indoor/outdoor handheld MCS unit. The device needed to display multiple critical statuses, including:
•Two alarm lightguides for urgent alerts
• An LED indicator built into a custom rotary knob
• A BUS indicator to show connectivity status to an external unit
Key Requirements & Challenges
⚠ Mission-Critical Reliability – The unit supports life-sustaining functions, meaning indication must be error-free and highly visible in all lighting conditions.
⚠ Prolonged Development & Lifecycle – The prototypes were needed for two years of clinical trials, and the final production units required a ten-year lifecycle.
⚠ Customer Had No Internal Design Capability – While the customer had a vision, they lacked the in-house expertise to design, optimize, and manufacture these custom LED indicators.
Our Solution
VCC partnered with the customer to fully design and execute the LED indication system:
• Optimized Alarm Indication – Instead of two separate alarm lightguides, VCC combined them into a single custom lightpipe, reducing component complexity while maintaining distinct alarm visibility.
• Rotary Knob Indicator Innovation – VCC designed a fully integrated rotary knob indicator, embedding the LED seamlessly into the knob housing.
• Efficient BUS Connectivity Indicator – We engineered a dedicated BUS lightpipe that met the required specs for clear connectivity status.
• Massive LED Reduction – By optimizing lightpipe design and optical efficiency, we reduced LED count from 22 to just 8, significantly lowering power consumption, BOM costs, and heat generation.
• From Concept to Production-Ready – Two of the lightpipes existed only as conceptual ideas at the customer’s end—VCC took them from idea to fully functional, manufacturable designs.
Results & Impact
Simplified Inventory & Assembly – Combining two alarm indicators into a single lightpipe reduced SKU count, making inventory easier to manage and reducing assembly time.
• Lower Costs & Higher Efficiency – Cutting LED count from 22 to 8 lowered material costs and improved throughput during assembly.
• 70% Improvement in Uniformity – VCC’s optical design improvements led to a 70% increase in uniform light distribution compared to the customer’s original alarm indicator concept.
• Accelerated Time to Market – With a fully optimized indication system, the customer was able to rapidly move from prototype to clinical trials, bringing this critical life-sustaining device closer to market.
Conclusion
By leveraging VCC’s expertise in lightpipe and HMI design, the customer not only achieved their vision but dramatically improved the performance, efficiency, and manufacturability of their medical device. The final solution ensures clear, reliable indication in all conditions, giving patients and caregivers confidence in this life-critical technology.
