Surgibox

Last updated
Surgibox
TypeSurgical device
InventorDebbie Lin Teodorescu
ManufacturerSurgibox Inc.
Website https://www.surgibox.com/

Surgibox is a portable inflatable operating theater [1] [2] designed to provide a safe and sterile surgical environment for use in settings such as disaster relief areas, humanitarian efforts, and remote combat zones.

Contents

History

Surgibox was invented by Debbie Lin Teodorescu while working in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, [1] who saw the need to perform urgent surgical procedures without access to an operating theater and sterile operating environment.

Design & Function

The patented Surgibox design [3] is used primarily for abdominal, chest, pelvic and orthopedic surgical procedures. [1] It is designed to be portable. [4]

There are three parts in Surgibox, a plastic bubble, a control module and a battery pack. Surgibox is inflated with HEPA using solar power and uses renewable batteries. It weighs less than 5 kilograms and can be transported in a 30-litre backpack. [5]

Surgibox sticks to human skin using adhesives. The skin and the plastic bubble form a sterile space, which allows surgeons to operate through entry ports on the side of the device. The plastic bubble is single-use format. [6] [1]

The Surgibox enclosure keeps the sterile space well within the safety limits of operating theaters and also protects healthcare workers from fluids. [7]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic surgery</span> Medical surgical specialty

Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of burns. While reconstructive surgery aims to reconstruct a part of the body or improve its functioning, cosmetic surgery aims at improving the appearance of it. Comprehensive definition of plastic surgery has never been established, because it has no distinct anatomical object and thus overlaps with practically all other surgical specialties. An essential feature of plastic surgery is that it involves treatment of conditions that require or may require tissue relocation skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surgery</span> Medical procedures that involve incisive or invasive instruments into body cavities

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and/or instrumental techniques to physically reach into a subject's body in order to investigate or treat pathological conditions such as a disease or injury, to alter bodily functions, to improve appearance, or to remove/replace unwanted tissues or foreign bodies. The subject receiving the surgery is typically a person, but can also be a non-human animal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operating theater</span> A room in a hospital in which surgeries are performed

An operating theater is a facility within a hospital where surgical operations are carried out in an aseptic environment.

Phalloplasty is the construction or reconstruction of a penis or the artificial modification of the penis by surgery. The term is also occasionally used to refer to penis enlargement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eye surgery</span> Surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa

Eye surgery, also known as ophthalmic surgery or ocular surgery, is surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa. Eye surgery is part of ophthalmology and is performed by an ophthalmologist or eye surgeon. The eye is a fragile organ, and requires due care before, during, and after a surgical procedure to minimize or prevent further damage. An eye surgeon is responsible for selecting the appropriate surgical procedure for the patient, and for taking the necessary safety precautions. Mentions of eye surgery can be found in several ancient texts dating back as early as 1800 BC, with cataract treatment starting in the fifth century BC. It continues to be a widely practiced class of surgery, with various techniques having been developed for treating eye problems.

Gender-affirming surgery for female-to-male transgender people includes a variety of surgical procedures that alter anatomical traits to provide physical traits more comfortable to the trans man's male identity and functioning.

Vaginoplasty is any surgical procedure that results in the construction or reconstruction of the vagina. It is a type of genitoplasty. Pelvic organ prolapse is often treated with one or more surgeries to repair the vagina. Sometimes a vaginoplasty is needed following the treatment or removal of malignant growths or abscesses to restore a normal vaginal structure and function. Surgery to the vagina is done to correct congenital defects to the vagina, urethra and rectum. It may correct protrusion of the urinary bladder into the vagina (cystocele) and protrusion of the rectum (rectocele) into the vagina. Often, a vaginoplasty is performed to repair the vagina and its attached structures due to trauma or injury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhytidectomy</span> Type of cosmetic surgery

A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy, is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are multiple surgical techniques and exercise routines. Surgery usually involves the removal of excess facial skin, with or without the tightening of underlying tissues, and the redraping of the skin on the patient's face and neck. Exercise routines tone underlying facial muscles without surgery. Surgical facelifts are effectively combined with eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) and other facial procedures and are typically performed under general anesthesia or deep twilight sleep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survival kit</span> Emergency equipment

A survival kit is a package of basic tools and supplies prepared as an aid to survival in an emergency. Civil and military aircraft, lifeboats, and spacecraft are equipped with survival kits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrotoplasty</span> Type of surgery to create or repair the scrotum

Scrotoplasty, also known as oscheoplasty, is a type of surgery to create or repair the scrotum. The history of male genital plastic surgery is rooted in many cultures and dates back to ancient times. However, scientific research for male genital plastic surgery such as scrotoplasty began to develop in the early 1900s. The development of testicular implants began in 1940 made from materials outside of what is used today. Today, testicular implants are created from saline or gel filled silicone rubber. There are a variety of reasons why scrotoplasty is done. Some transgender men and intersex or non-binary people who were assigned female at birth may choose to have this surgery to create a scrotum, as part of their transition. Other reasons for this procedure include addressing issues with the scrotum due to birth defects, aging, or medical conditions such as infection. For newborn males with penoscrotal defects such as webbed penis, a condition in which the penile shaft is attached to the scrotum, scrotoplasty can be performed to restore normal appearance and function. For older male adults, the scrotum may extend with age. Scrotoplasty or scrotal lift can be performed to remove the loose, excess skin. Scrotoplasty can also be performed for males who undergo infection, necrosis, traumatic injury of the scrotum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asepsis</span> Absence of disease-causing microorganisms

Asepsis is the state of being free from disease-causing micro-organisms. There are two categories of asepsis: medical and surgical. The modern day notion of asepsis is derived from the older antiseptic techniques, a shift initiated by different individuals in the 19th century who introduced practices such as the sterilizing of surgical tools and the wearing of surgical gloves during operations. The goal of asepsis is to eliminate infection, not to achieve sterility. Ideally, a surgical field is sterile, meaning it is free of all biological contaminants, not just those that can cause disease, putrefaction, or fermentation. Even in an aseptic state, a condition of sterile inflammation may develop. The term often refers to those practices used to promote or induce asepsis in an operative field of surgery or medicine to prevent infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dressing (medicine)</span> Sterile pad or compress applied to wounds

A dressing or compress is a sterile pad applied to a wound to promote healing and protect the wound from further harm. A dressing is designed to be in direct contact with the wound, as distinguished from a bandage, which is most often used to hold a dressing in place. Many modern dressings are self-adhesive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrosurgery</span> Use of high-frequency, alternating polarity, electrical current in medical operations

Electrosurgery is the application of a high-frequency alternating polarity, electrical current to biological tissue as a means to cut, coagulate, desiccate, or fulgurate tissue. Its benefits include the ability to make precise cuts with limited blood loss. Electrosurgical devices are frequently used during surgical operations helping to prevent blood loss in hospital operating rooms or in outpatient procedures.

Vaginal hypoplasia is the underdevelopment or incomplete development of the vagina. It is a birth defect or congenital abnormality of the female genitourinary system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrubs (clothing)</span> Lightweight, washable clothing worn by hospital staff or other medical personnel

Scrubs, or sometimes Surgical Scrubs, or Nursing Scrubs, are the sanitary clothing worn by physicians, nurses, dentists and other workers involved in patient care. Originally designed for use by surgeons and other operating room personnel, who would put them on when sterilizing themselves, or "scrubbing in", before surgery, they are now worn by many hospital personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enrique Finochietto</span> Argentine academic, physician and inventor

Enrique Finochietto was a distinguished Argentine academic, physician and inventor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aspirator (medicine)</span> Suction device removing bodily fluids

A medical aspirator is a suction machine used to remove mucus, blood, and other bodily fluids from a patient. They can be used during surgical procedures but an operating theater is generally equipped with a central system of vacuum tubes. Most aspirators are therefore portable, for use in ambulances and nursing homes, and can run on AC/DC or battery power. They consist of a vacuum pump, a vacuum regulator and gauge, a collection canister, and sometimes a bacterial filter. Plastic tubing is used to continuously draw fluid into the collection canister.

Ethnic plastic surgery, or ethnic modification, refers to the types of plastic surgery performed frequently due to certain racial or ethnic traits, or with the intention of making one's appearance more similar or less similar to people of a particular race or ethnicity. Popular procedures which may have an ethnically-motivated component are rhinoplasties and blepharoplasties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Westchester Hospital</span> Hospital in New York, United States

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), now known as Northwell Health, is a not-for-profit, 245-bed, all-private-room facility in Mount Kisco, New York. Founded in 1916, it serves residents of Northern Westchester, Putnam County and southern Dutchess County, as well as parts of Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Postoperative wounds are those wounds acquired during surgical procedures. Postoperative wound healing occurs after surgery and normally follows distinct bodily reactions: the inflammatory response, the proliferation of cells and tissues that initiate healing, and the final remodeling. Postoperative wounds are different from other wounds in that they are anticipated and treatment is usually standardized depending on the type of surgery performed. Since the wounds are 'predicted' actions can be taken beforehand and after surgery that can reduce complications and promote healing.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Newey, Sarah (2019-06-08). "UK funded inflatable operating theatre set to revolutionise emergency surgery". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  2. Beck, Melinda (2016-09-26). "The Challenge of Health-Care Innovation in Developing Nations". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  3. 1 2 "Design Museum's annual awards offer a glimpse into the world of tomorrow". Channel 4 News. 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  4. "SurgiBox Operating Room in a Backpack". Creating Hope in Conflict. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  5. "Genius Inflatable Operating Theatre Fits in a Backpack So Surgery Can Be Performed Anywhere". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  6. "Inflatable Operating Room Could Bring Safe Surgery to Front Lines". www.nationaldefensemagazine.org. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  7. Miller, Sally A. (2018). Design of an ultraportable surgical enclosure for low resource environments (Thesis thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. hdl:1721.1/115652.
  8. "Harvard i-lab honors student innovators - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  9. "The Story of Surgibox". NECN. Retrieved 2021-10-26.