Carrier Ensures Safe Transport of Neonates

A new carrier has been developed that is safer than prior systems for the transportation of critically ill newborn babies.

Paraid (Birmingham, UK) and Lightweight Medical (Glasgow, UK) have launched two products aimed at the neonatal transfer market. These are a neo-restraint and neo-capsul that have been developed as a result of in-depth discussions with clinicians specializing in neonatal care. The neo-capsul was conceived, designed, and developed by Lightweight Medical and is manufactured and distributed by Paraid.

Over the three years of the project, Paraid will invest nearly £250,000 on the product design and development of the carrier, with Lightweight Medical securing an additional grant of £90,000. This represents a substantial investment for Paraid, but Barry Scholes, company owner and manager, believes the market is considerable and that any hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit could benefit from these products.

Paraid's neo-restraint is based on carbon-fiber restraint bars, a washable foam mattress, and six dual-density foam wedges that can be configured in any position along the bars. Cotton straps, secured with hook and loop, pass over each pair of foam wedges resulting in a soft, yet rigid structure that reduces the potentially harmful effects of vibration and can restrain a baby weighing 500 g to 5 kg safely and comfortably. An integral net bag in the mattress cover means that all components can be washed together after use, and kits are color-coded for easy identification. Neo-restraint can be retro-fitted to the majority of transport incubators and trolleys currently in use by the British National Health Service (NHS) and other neonatal transfer teams internationally.

The neo-capsul has a lightweight aluminum space frame that encases the neo-restraint in a double-skinned acrylic "bread-box” design and allows medical teams easy access to the infant for monitoring and treatment during the journey. The original shape not only provides stability, but also enables sound levels within the chamber to be reduced significantly, decreasing the potential distress of the baby inside.

"Working with an external research and development team is extremely beneficial as it means I can concentrate on running the business knowing that the project is in safe hands,” noted Mr. Scholes. " Lightweight Medical's communication skills are a major strength. The team is very commercially minded and keeps us in touch with each step of design development, consulting regularly with us on fabrication issues. Because of this close consultative approach there have been very few modifications as we move into production.”



Related Links:
Paraid
Lightweight Medical