| Page: | |
|
1.
|
An Industry Mainstay |
|
2.
|
An Industry Mainstay(cont'd) |
|
3.
|
People |
|
4.
|
Innovations |
|
5.
|
Solutions Partner |
An Industry Mainstay
When John Cadwell was in his residency at the University of Washington, he
became frustrated with the electromyography instruments that were available
at the time. They were slow, difficult to use, extremely expensive and used
old analog technology. They consisted of a sea of knobs and buttons that looked
more like an airplane cockpit than a medical instrument. The doctor spent
more time operating the machine than diagnosing the patient.
Using his passion for electronics and his understanding of the physician's
needs, he came up with an idea to use microprocessor-based technology to take
advantage of the speed, accuracy and lower costs that computer chips provided.
Another goal was to make the machine easier to use so the doctor could spend
more time seeing patients and less time running the test. He approached his
brother Carl, who was practicing dentistry at the time; with his idea the
two of them started Cadwell Laboratories in John's basement in Seattle. The
world's first microprocessor based instrument, the Cadwell Model 7000, debuted
in 1979 and created an amazing buzz among the medical community at meetings
and presentations. The end result was the first microprocessor-controlled
electromyography instrument. This creation combined EP, EMG and NCV capability
into one unit.
.