A pneumothorax, or a collapsed lung, is becoming all too common in Israel these days as a wave of terrorist knife attacks has swept over the country. Treatment requires a speedy approach and involves using a needle to decompress the thorax followed by a tube insertion, a pretty slow and demanding task considering the situation. Tube placement being so challenging often leads to paramedics choosing to take off for the hospital before performing this step.
Students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s BioDesign: Medical Innovation program have developed a device that makes the process much easier and quicker, dropping it from about fifteen minutes down to around one. The ThoraXS creates an opening for inserting the chest tube, and is operated with a single hand, letting the medic use the other hand to push the tube in. It’s inserted flat and then pushed open, creating enough space for the chest tube to come through.
Here’s video with the designers of the device:
Via: Hebrew University…