Device developed which eliminates risk of air embolism

A device has been developed that eliminates the risk of air embolism when delivering powder haemostats during surgery.

Medical device design agency, Team Consulting, has created the Convesaid haemostat spray device that stops bleeds during surgery.

Haemostat powders are quickly sprayed onto wounds to stop bleeding. However, air sprays carry a risk of pushing air into a vein, causing a lethal embolism.

To combat this, Team Consulting developed a powder sprayer that could never cause embolism. Convesaid’s airflow design uses the Coanda principle – the tendency of an airflow to follow an adjacent curved surface. This means that only haemostat powder exits the device.

A recent study from the British Medical Council found that 30% of speciality inpatient surgeries involved a bleed during the procedure which increased the length of hospital stay.

The device uses a battery powered pump to create a stream of air, which picks up the haemostat powder particles and blows them out of the end of the device.

The team’s original prototype device functioned well, but feedback suggested that it was too large. In response, the team developed a smaller handheld disposable device with new features such as a lock-out which prevents the trigger from moving until the device is switched on.

Dr Ben Wicks, head of medtech at Team, said: “Convesaid gives surgeons the ability to stop a variety of bleeds in a rapid, accurate and safe way. It takes no time to set-up and is unencumbered by any air lines. Convesaid will give haemostat manufacturers the ability to deliver haemostats more effectively, more conveniently and, above all, more safely than ever before.”