Award-winning resuscitation trolley could save the
lives of vulnerable babies
Health & Wellbeing
20
CASE STUDY
Background
Evidence suggests that there is benefit to leaving a
newborn’s umbilical cord intact after childbirth until at
least 1-2 minutes after birth. Sick or premature babies
gain most from this delay, but they are the very ones
who need the immediate attention of a paediatrician.
It is currently not possible for newborns to be properly
resuscitated with the cord intact and paediatricians
need to choose between cutting the cord (and the
baby’s ongoing oxygen supply) to take the baby to the
large resuscitation unit at the side of the delivery room,
or leaving the cord intact but being unable to resuscitate
the baby properly.
The project
The ‘BASICS’ trolley enables the immediate
resuscitation of newborns whilst the umbilical cord is
still intact. This small, simplified resuscitation trolley
can be used alongside the mother and baby even at
caesarean section or forceps delivery. It has a built-in
oxygen supply, suction and heater and allows doctors
and midwives to check for vital life-signs and provide
resuscitation at the mother’s bedside whilst the baby
is still safely connected to its mother via the umbilical
cord. The intact cord provides the baby with an ongoing
oxygen supply and maintains the baby’s blood volume.
The idea has been taken up by Inditherm plc which is
producing the CE marked product for sale and clinical
testing. The Intellectual Property (IP) has been
transferred to Inditherm in return for a payment to
a charity fund with each sale.
Outcomes
•
Overcomes one of the major objections to
delayed cord clamping
•
Development of an innovative product likely to
become the standard of care throughout the world
•
Industry partner to be the first to produce the
trolley, gaining a unique selling point of producing
the only product ‘tested in NIHR clinical trials’.
The BASICS trolley won the top award for Best
Innovation in Service Redesign in the cardiovascular
innovation awards category in the Medical Futures
Innovation Awards, Europe’s leading showcase of
early-stage innovation in healthcare. The awards
recognise innovative ideas in healthcare from
frontline clinicians, scientists and entrepreneurs.
We were delighted to be chosen
as the industry partner to
commercialise the BASICS
concept and have worked
closely with the research team
to ensure the product meets the
demanding clinical needs. The
BASICS trolley, which will be
marketed under the LifeStart
TM
brand, is an ideal addition to our
product range.
Nick Bettles,
Inditherm plc Chief Executive
Partner
Inditherm plc
Activity type
Contract research, Intellectual Property
Academic lead(s) Professor Andrew Weeks, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Institute of Translational Medicine,
Women’s and Children’s Health
Additional funding NIHR funded the research as part of a programme grant entitled ‘Improving quality of care
and outcome at very preterm birth’, a £1.8 million research collaboration led by the University
of Nottingham. Additional funding was obtained from the Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS
Foundation Trust ‘Newborn Appeal’.
