Surgical Drain Rescue, RIH 324

Description:

Overview

Surgical drains are used frequently in operations to allow fluid to drain out of the body. Typically, these drains are flexible tubing that collects in a bulb or accordion collection receptacle. Surgical drains are placed near the end of the operation, and, after placement, the wound is closed. One of the risks of placing a surgical drain, is that the surgeon can, inadvertently, suture the drain into the patient. This becomes evident when the surgeon or an assistant to the surgeon tries to remove the drain at the bedside. There is resistance noted if the drain is sewn into the patient. Pulling too hard on the drain can result in breaking the drain tubing, which then results in a retained foreign body in the patient. The typical scenario in cases where the drain is sewn into the patient, is for the surgeon to take the patient back to the operating room, open the incision, and cut the suture that is preventing the drain from being removed, and remove the drain.

The invention outlined here allows for the percutaneous bedside removal of the drain alleviating the need for the surgeon and patient to return to the operating room (OR) to remove the drain. The invention is a crown reamer set sized to fit over any standard surgical drain. The area around the drain exit site is prepped in a standard fashion. The drain receptacle is removed. The crown reamer sized to fit just over the drain is placed over the drain. When the reamer enters the skin, the crown reamer is advanced with the reamer turned counter-clockwise (the leading edges are blunt when turned counter-clockwise) until resistance is met. The reamer is then turned clockwise with gentle tension applied to the drain. The reamer will cut the suture, and the drain can then be removed easily.

Market Opportunity

The invention allows for the bedside removal of a surgical drain which has been sewn in. Every hospital in the country will keep it in stock because it will prevent a return to the operating room which adds costs to the hospital and exposes the hospital and the surgeon to enormous liability. The set will consist of disposable reamers of different diameters to fit over all standard drains.

Innovation and Meaningful Advantages

There are no comparable devices for avoiding return to the OR when a drain is inadvertently sewn in. This is an area of great liability in spine surgery.

Collaboration Opportunity

We are interested in exploring 1) startup opportunities with investors in the medical device space; 2) research collaborations with leading medical device companies to develop this technology; and 3) licensing opportunities with medical device companies