A medium-power ultrasonic generator for the prevention and therapy of bone consolidation is among the most recent results of scientists at the Institute of Cybernetics, Mathematics, and Physics (ICIMAF in Spanish). The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, learned about it in detail this Friday afternoon.
This specific device, named Boneconsol, is progressing through the process required by the national regulatory authority for its validation. It will allow the country to achieve technological sovereignty for the production of a non-invasive, state-of-the-art ultrasonic system for bone consolidation.
Led by Dr. Ernesto Carrillo Barroso, from the Department of Applied Physics at ICIMAF, the objective of this project is to provide the country's orthopedic surgeons and rehabilitation physiotherapists with high-quality, domestically designed equipment. This equipment will optimize the desired therapeutic effects without inducing false negatives, controlling the efficacy of medical treatments, reducing unnecessary hospital stays, and promoting a faster patient recovery and return to daily life.
The Cuban President paid particular attention to the development of a medium-power ultrasonic bone welding device and, as part of this project, to the production of a ceramic-resin composite based on polymers and calcium phosphates for fracture fixation using this welding technology.
Dr. Julio Francisco Rivero Hernández, a specialist at the Frank País International Orthopedic Scientific Complex, praised the scientific and technological level of ICIMAF, placing it on par with its counterparts worldwide.
He considered it a success that the collaborative work had yielded a biocompatible and cost-effective biomaterial for the domestic manufacture of bioactive screws for resorbable osteosynthesis with ultrasonic bone welding, particularly for the treatment of non-displaced intracapsular hip fractures, among other injuries.
As part of the proposed surgical technique for resorbable osteosynthesis for minimally invasive fixation of these fractures, Dr. Rivero Hernández emphasized the importance of having our own technology for treating a health problem that is increasingly prevalent among the elderly, a population segment that already occupies a significant portion of our demographic pyramid.
Among other contributions from ICIMAF, the Head of State also learned about the design and development of a new reusable and low-cost piezoelectric sensor to measure blood flow in coronary implant surgeries by ultrasound; and about a result aimed at the application of Doppler technology for the measurement and validation of blood flow in Angiology and coronary implants based on Android technology, which converts raw acoustic signals into high-resolution spectrograms and precise hemodynamic indices.
UNDERDEMANDED AND UNUSED TALENT
In discussions with scientists and directors from ICIMAF, CITMA, and other institutions, Díaz-Canel highlighted the tremendous talent at ICIMAF, which, he noted, should be better utilized. He criticized the fact that some of the research conducted there is not sought after, supported, or used in various sectors of the economy.
ICIMAF also stands out for the convergence of veteran scientists with recognized experience and young talent within its research teams, including university graduates who left their studies less than a year ago and are already demonstrating their worth and dedication.
This is the case, among others, of Amanda Navarro, a young automation engineer who graduated a year ago from CUJAE (Technological University of Havana), and who is part of the development of an Agriculture 4.0 project that includes the use of drones and mobile robotic platforms for monitoring and treating crops.
