Revolutionary forceps design delivers safety for babies
14/01/2009 15:55
A breakthrough product which brings the traditional forceps used to assist difficult births into the 21st century is set to save the lives of mothers and babies.
The Safeceps™ are a revolutionary version of current obstetric forceps which measure the amount of pressure exerted on the baby’s head, reducing the risk of serious injury and trauma to mother and child.
The fact that traditional forceps have been linked to death and long term damage has been blamed for more and more mothers-to-be opting for often unnecessary forms of assisted childbirth, such as caesarean sections.
It is hoped that the new Safeceps™ which ensure safety to both mother and baby will restore confidence and transform how instrumental deliveries are perceived.
The company behind the product, PMI (PRO Medical Innovations Ltd), is a spin-out venture of the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), with recent graduate Dale Harper (MSc) at the helm of the project which he started working on as part of his BSc Product Design.
Dale, who has since been appointed at UWIC’s National Centre for Product Design & Development Research (PDR), said: “There is a clear need for this product and our biggest market driver is safety. The interest of the child is everything and Safeceps™ will protect them by preventing against excess trauma, brain damage or death. Then there is looking after the mother and how an instrument is used has implications on her body. Finally, Safeceps™ is also making it safe for the obstetrician who put their jobs on the line every time they use an instrument in assisted child delivery.
“The design of current forceps have not really evolved in centuries and if the obstetrician pulls too hard with the current instrument during birth, it can kill
the child in extreme cases, while even normal use causes facial damage and trauma. These cases have left mothers very fearful and clinicians are now more aware that failure to achieve a successful instrumental delivery is one of the important factors in the rise in caesarean section rates.
“Obstetricians want the tool they use to be safe, reliable and give certainty in what they are doing. They want to know that nobody is going to come back and sue in five years time, as obstetricians have been taken to court in the past over damage caused during a forceps delivery. Because our instrument takes a record of the force used, it mitigates that risk against the obstetrician but in no way takes responsibility away.”
The Safeceps™ are a plastic version of obstetric forceps which connect to a monitoring computer through a flexible cable. When in use the Safeceps™ measure the key forces being exerted upon the foetal head and present this information through a computer screen with the option of audible warning sounds. The system can be integrated into existing maternal computer systems and be customised to meet the needs of individual users.
PMI, which as well as product designer Dale, includes senior consultant obstetrician Dr Khaled Ismail (North Staffordshire NHS Trust) - the medical authority of the team, plus two electro mechanic engineers. The company was formed in March 2008 and strategically chose to partner with UWIC as they have the industrial knowledge and expertise needed.
In the 10 months since its conception, PMI has come runner up in a national business plan competition and been awarded £10,000, and are now in a position to see the Safeceps™ fully commercialised and taken to market.
As the purpose of the Safeceps™ is to save lives around the world, Dale already has ideas in place to eventually launch them in African and Eastern European countries as non-computerised, mechanical versions.
Notes to Editors:
Dale Harper is available for interviews.
For further information contact Sarah Huckson, Press Officer, Tel: 029 2041 6221, or e-mail: shuckson@uwic.ac.uk
Web: http://www.uwic.ac.uk/