From treating cardiac arrhythmias to managing chronic pain or enabling minimally invasive therapies, thermocouples are crucial components for ensuring safety and efficiency in medical devices.
A new whitepaper from Alleima, a trusted end-to-end development and manufacturing partner for the medical device industry, explores the growing significance of medical-grade thermocouple wires, diving into their manufacturing, applications, and transformative role across modern healthcare. With decades of metallurgical innovation, its broad range of precision manufacturing capabilities and its progressive collaboration with leading medical device manufacturers, Alleima is the ideal partner for designing, developing and manufacturing thermocouples for of the most demanding applications, including pulsed field ablation, renal denervation, and critical care equipment such as ventilators and incubators.
Choosing the right thermocouple type
Thermocouples are comprised of two dissimilar metal wires joined at one end that generate a voltage when heated. This principle, known as the Seebeck effect, is the basis for real-time, high-precision temperature monitoring in everything from ablation catheters to ventilators.
Medical-grade thermocouples must meet especially high standards, not only needing to be extremely accurate, but also exceptionally small, biocompatible, and able to withstand sterilisation and harsh operating environments. Alleima’s new whitepaper outlines how different thermocouple types, such as Type T, K, E, and N, meet these standards and offer specific benefits depending on their use, from cryoablation catheters operating at -75°C (-103°F) to high-temperature autoclave sterilisation cycles.
Innovations in ablation therapies
In thermal ablation therapies, thermocouples are essential in balancing efficacy and safety. For example, in radiofrequency (RF) ablation, thermocouple wires embedded in catheter tips measure tissue temperature at the site of energy delivery. These measurements help modulate power in real time, preventing complications such as charring or overheating.
A particularly exciting development is the emergence of pulsed field ablation (PFA), a non-thermal ablation technique gaining traction for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Unlike traditional methods that rely on heat or cold, PFA uses short electrical pulses to selectively ablate heart tissue through electroporation. While PFA minimises the risk of collateral thermal damage, thermocouple wires are embedded in the catheter to monitor any unintended temperature rises caused by resistive heating during energy delivery. This real-time feedback helps protect nearby structures such as the oesophagus and phrenic nerve.
Thermocouples are also becoming essential in broader healthcare infrastructure, including monitoring airflow temperature in ventilators, maintaining stable environments in neonatal incubators, ensuring sterility in autoclaves, and supporting advanced imaging systems such as MRI and CT scanners by preventing overheating.
Partnering with Alleima
What sets Alleima apart is its vertically integrated approach, from alloy production to wire drawing and insulation coating. The company offers ultra-fine thermocouple wires down to AWG50 (0.0205 mm) and custom configurations tailored to specific medical applications. With a library of more than 200 alloys and decades of collaborative work with medical device OEMs, Alleima delivers performance, reliability, and innovation in equal measure.
To find out more about innovations in medical-grade thermocouples and how Alleima can support your project, download the whitepaper below.
