Device for tracheotomies assisted performance, both emergency and elective ones: life-saving surgical operations and patient safety
Complications and mortality associated with tracheotomy are mostly avoidable if the procedure is carefully performed. Post-tracheostomy complication rates are found to be significantly higher in emergency tracheotomy than in elective one (2 or 5 times higher). In these situations, patient’s condition could be a critical difficulty for surgical operation because of patient’s anxiety and sudden movements.
Tracheo4Life combines in a single device imaging systems for a medical diagnosis and mechanical means for patient’s immobilization and the subsequent precise incision in the trachea, according to the anatomical characteristics of the case. This innovative device has been the result of multidisciplinar cooperation between a research team from the Technical University of Madrid and health-care professionals from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
This solution provides a new device for performing tracheotomies, both emergency and elective ones, which enhances the effectiveness of the surgery and patient’s safety, particularly in those situations requiring a faster medical operation.
To this end, the device includes:
“Tracheo4Life combines medical imaging systems, an effective stabilization method of the patient, a precise mechanism for the tracheal incision and a control unit in a single device”
“Tracheo4Life represents an essential advance to improve the reliability of emergency tracheotomies, sucha a critical surgery in terms of complications and patient safety”
Tracheo4Life UPM contact
Andrés Díaz Lantada, Pilar Lafont Morgado, José Alberto Jaén Gallego
ETS Ingenieros Industriales – UPM
e: adiaz@etsii.upm.es (Andrés Díaz contact)
UPM contact
Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Area
Centre of Support for Technological Innovation – UPM
e: innovacion.tecnologica@upm.es