Working with a team from Leeds University and NIHR Global Health Research Group the overall goal is to advance healthcare in rural North East India. The RAIS (Retractor for Abdominal Insufflation-less Surgery) project was funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), the research arm of the NHS. The mission was to develop novel innovations which increase quality of surgical care to those most in need; in this case focusing on laparoscopic (key-hole) surgery.
Two of our team spent a week in Kolkata gaining insights from rural surgeons, including observing live operations
The difficulty in introducing laparoscopic surgery in Low and Low Middle Income Countries (LMIC) is a lack of resources, in particular administering general anaesthetic and availability of gas cylinders. The objective was to incorporate benefits of minimally invasive surgery, but tackle the challenges requiring insufflation and general anaesthetic.
To overcome this problem, the team came up with a modified form of laparoscopic surgery – gasless laparoscopy. Using a specially designed device to lift the abdominal wall, gasless laparoscopy enables surgeons to perform minimally invasive operations under simple spinal anaesthetic with reduced recovery time.
Exploring different ideas in the studio
Technical drawing of how the device fits to an operating table
Illustration from the instructions we created
3D renders of the finished design
We see design as a catalyst to improving patient outcomes, so our input to this project is philanthropic, with the motivation that design has the power to improve lives. The other aspect to the design was that it should be relatively in-expensive to manufacture and ideally made within India to help keep costs down and support local businesses.
Training workshops for the surgical teams that will be using RAIS
After successfully passing compliance testing for medical devices, RAIS received its certification and was quickly followed with training workshops for the surgical teams that will be using it. We are pleased to hear that following the successful rollout there is interest to see the device put into use in Africa too. For more information about this and other projects being undertaken by GHRG-ST please visit here.
“The expertise that Pd-m International brings in understanding unique medical challenges and incorporating novel solutions into practical devices will be crucial to the success of our mission. We are extremely grateful to Pd-m International for their philanthropic approach to supporting the plight of some of the most globally challenged populations and helping GHRG-ST in its ambition towards universal health coverage by 2030.”
Work packages
