PleuraGoh is a cost-effective catheter fixation device for reducing iatrogenic injuries and improve reliability of tube-thoracostomy treatment

ABSTRACT

Tube-thoracostomy is administered for removal of accumulated fluids such as air, blood, puss and water inside the pleural cavity of the chest. Catheters called Intercostal drain (ICD) are inserted into the pleural cavity through an incision created in the chest-wall. The drainage process takes from a few hours to a few days to complete. Estimated annual global volume of such procedures is 125 million (20 million in India), as a treatment in traumatic and non-traumatic conditions. However, 1 in every 5 tube-thoracostomies lead to complication (25 million complications per year). Nearly 20% of these complications are attributed to displacement of ICD catheter and air-leakage into the chest cavity from the incision site. As a result, the patients has to undergo the same procedure twice. pleuraGoh offers a way to secure intercostal drain (ICD) in tube thoracostomy patients in order to prevent displacement and air-leak-related complications. It hold and anchors the catheter and seals the incision site. In addition to this, it contains a membrane to cover the catheter to ensure leak-proof removal.

PROCESS

Stanford India Biodesign is a program jointly conducted by Stanford University, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), and Government of India. 10 participants chosen from nearly 3000 applicants were divided into three focus areas. My team and I were allocated the focus area of emergency medicine The first phase of the project was clinical immersion. We spent roughly 3 weeks in the emergency ward of AIIMS. We observed, noted and researched about various events, procedures, and practices. From that, we developed an understanding of clinical background of problem areas and unmet needs with global significance. We prepared an extensive list of unmet needs. These unmet needs were then filtered on the basis of parameters such as patient impact, provider impact, treatment options, market size, physicians feedback and team strengths and weaknesses. This filtration resulted in selection of one need, of tube-thoracostomy complications. We had observed several tube-thoracostomy procedures where the chest-tube was inserted into the chest-cavity through an incision in the chest-wall. The patients then carried this tube and a container for extracted fluid with them for several days, during which dislodging of the catheter and recurrent iatrogenic pneumothorax due to air-leak at the incision site were common. This led to repeated procedures in many cases. The second phase involved invention of a solution. Our team brainstormed and filtered the concepts based on feasibility, competitive landscape and time constraints. We created mock-ups and functional prototypes and received feedback on the design. The chosen solution, pleuraGoh, was then taken for patent application

PATENTS

Zaveri, H; Parikh, A; Ravulapalli, N; Mukherjee, R; Jha, P; Kumar, S; Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, assignee. 2014. Fluid extraction device. India Patent Application No. 3263/DEL/2014. Filed December 11, 2014. Published May 13, 2016 . Patent Pending

PRESS COVERAGE

India to Capture 10% of Global Medical Technology Market by 2025: Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Science & Technology, Government Of India. The Telegraph, January 2016