MEDICAL INNOVATION:

Emergency Clot Removal Device

Human Centered and Team Lead

The current status quo for blood clot removal requires a Hybrid OR and three different teams (Minimally Invasive, Open Surgical, and a Perfusionist). Most hospitals have very few Hybrid OR’s and patients who have an emergent clot removal have very little time when they arrive. Our client found a need to develop a system that could work in this emergent situation in any type of OR suite.

The “Emergency Clot Removal Device” is designed to work specifically for that emergent situation. It is designed to have a fast and intuitive set up, a small team, and a single surgeon to extract the clot in time to save the patient

I had the opportunity to lead a multi-disciplinary team to develop a commercially viable device while leading and executing with a team of designers and researchers to drive the products development through usability needs.

Responsibilities Included: Handle development and design // Packaging development // Labelling // Instructions and Quick Reference Guides // Leadership and Strategy

Usability.

Understanding the clinical need, and expected use model, we went directly to early stage prototypes and brought in users to test and guide us through the expected use flow to reduce the cognitive load in a high pressure situation.

Feasibility.

While developing the designs and refining the form, the design team worked in parallel with engineering to guide the required functionality, feedback, and touchpoint locations, while considering manufacturing.

Combined.

Design is the bridge from the user’s capabilities to the objects functionality. In an emergent situation, this could not be more critical. The device is designed for easy set up and intuitive to use without having to look at the device.

The device is meticulously designed to work in the hand, while the surgeon focuses on the monitor. It was refined several times to ensure that a 5% female - 95% male could use it seamlessly.