NHS Tayside invention transforms resuscitation for COVID-19 pandemic

NHS Tayside invention transforms resuscitation for COVID-19 pandemic

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00:01 TUESDAY, 23 MARCH 2021

NHS Tayside invention transforms resuscitation for COVID-19 pandemic


On the first year anniversary of the UK-wide lockdown, and the beginning of 12 months which impacted on everyone’s lives, today marks the arrival of a new piece of life-saving kit which has the potential to transform how clinical teams and first responders carry out CPR in a safe way.

At the outset of the pandemic, frontline clinicians experienced a whole new set of daily challenges and were innovating and breaking new ground every day.

In Tayside, Medical Director, Professor Peter Stonebridge, recognised that the nature of the COVID-19 virus meant that droplets of the virus could potentially be released when healthcare teams – or first responders – had to carry out CPR.

In hospitals, teams had Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when they were carrying out CPR, but that is not always the case for first responders. Even in hospitals during resuscitation of a patient, where speed is critical, putting on PPE correctly to make sure everyone is safe takes time and can cause delays. Professor Stonebridge had an idea that if some sort of PPE could be put on the patient first, this could minimise the risk of spread of droplets of viruses or bacteria and keep patients and staff safe. This is when the SARUS-CPR hood started to take shape.

Professor Stonebridge was able to develop the idea by passing on a model prototype to Scottish Health Innovations Ltd (SHIL) and performance outdoor clothing and equipment manufacturer, Keela, who brought the SARUS-CPR hood to life in the form of a small lightweight, easy-to-use hood.

The hood has been designed to allow trained CPR responders to easily fit it onto a collapsed patient as soon as they arrive on the scene. This helps to also reduce the time taken to initiate airway ventilation and makes resuscitation much safer for both patients and personnel.

It is made from transparent fabric which creates a barrier between the patient and the individual performing resuscitation and reduces the risk of contamination from bacteria and viruses.

Professor Peter Stonebridge said, “Frontline healthcare workers and care givers have been absolutely vital to our response to the pandemic and out of all of the challenges of managing the spikes of COVID-19, there has been a lot of innovation in healthcare.

“Thanks to the input of other experts in manufacturing and design, the kernel of an idea has been developed into the SARUS-CPR hood and I am very grateful to all the collaborators on this project.”

Mr Rod Mountain, Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon from NHS Tayside who led the development of the hood with SHIL and Keela Outdoors, said, “As an NHS worker, I am immensely proud to have been part of its development. This has been a genuine collaborative effort between NHS Tayside and Keela, drawing upon fantastic local engineering and garment manufacturing expertise. COVID-19 drove the innovation, prompting us to look at different approaches to PPE, but we now believe its applications go well beyond the current pandemic.”

Keela Managing Director, Ruwan Fernando, said, “We were delighted to be approached by NHS Tayside to be part of the SARUS-CPR hood project. Our technical team of expert designers worked in collaboration with the NHS to design, prototype, and engineer the product and we are thrilled to be able to launch the SARUS-CPR hood.”

Robert Rea, Head of Innovation at SHIL, said, “The SARUS-CPR hood is a real testament to home grown collaborative expertise, taking clinician-led insight from the NHS and turning it into a tangible device that’s now ready to be launched onto the market. The teams at NHS Tayside and Keela have played a vital role in realising that ambition. Their clinical and manufacturing expertise combined with SHIL’s intellectual property and commercialisation expertise has accelerated launch onto the market.”

Background

The SARUS-CPR hood

The SARUS-CPR hood is made up of an anaesthetic mask and viral filters that are integrated into the textile based hood to allow for ‘Bag and Mask’ airway ventilation. The double drawstring neck closure, with ‘tension stop control’ is designed to avoid overtightening around the neck. The device has been designed with an integrated, closed oral suction tube to remove oral fluids such as saliva, blood and vomitus, while a viral air escape filter has been added to reduce air contamination, should air pressure build up within the hood.

The hood needs to be used together with a standard ventilation bag and is designed to complement current cardiac compression and defibrillation practice. The hood components and seals have been tested by NHS engineers. The Institute of Occupational Medicine has tested the hood for aerosol particle containment.

The SARUS-CPR hood in use:

Two versions of the hood are available:

1.SARUS-CPR clinical: includes a closed oral suction system, for personnel with access to suction.


2.SARUS-CPR first responder: without a suction system, for personnel without easy access to suction.

Notes to editors

Keela

Keela was born and bred in the foothills of the Highlands - a Scottish outdoor manufacturer created for and by its surroundings. Designed for the outdoors, innovation is key to the Keela textiles, products, and fabrication.

The company has been pushing the boundaries of outdoor gear and textile design for 40 years. The first Keela kit was put through its paces by local mountain rescue teams, and today emergency services and rescue teams still rely on Keela garments.  Keela is worn the world over by adventurers, expedition leaders, and outdoor enthusiasts - from the highest mountain to the deepest cave, Keela kit performs in all conditions and is designed, engineered, and manufactured with innovation and quality at its heart.

Delivering the best products using modern techniques and innovative technologies has always been at the forefront of Keela’s designs. It is what led Keela to develop their own unique System Dual Protection, SDP, a pioneering double layer fabric system that provides game-changing breathability.  SDP solves the problem of condensation building up inside a waterproof garment when the conditions are cold and wet, and the wearer is active and sweating. SDP earned Keela a Queen’s Award for Innovation, the only performance fabric system in the world to be granted this accolade.

Keela develop quality technical garments chosen by professionals and worn by outdoor enthusiasts. They create garments that allow people to discover a love of the great outdoors.

In association with the creation of the SARUS-CPR hood, Keela has previously supported the NHS by manufacturing PPE at its Glenrothes site. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team expanded the company’s facilities by 10,000 sq. ft and created 50 new jobs to keep up with demand and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Using Scottish-produced fabric from Coupar Angus, the team dispatched PPE to the NHS on a weekly basis.

Scottish Health Innovations Ltd (SHIL)

Scottish Health Innovations Ltd (SHIL) work in partnership with NHS Scotland to identify, protect, develop, and commercialise healthcare innovations to improve patient care.

The multidisciplinary team use specialised knowledge to help bring new ideas and innovations from healthcare professionals to life. SHIL provide expert services including intellectual property advice and protection, regulatory expertise, project management, idea incubation, funding advice, development and commercialisation, and post-commercialisation monitoring.

SHIL support collaboration across the Scottish healthcare innovation ecosystem and work to ensure NHS Scotland provides the right environment to support innovation with an empowered workforce continually driving improvements in the quality and value of patient care.

23 March 2021