Packable Mini Surgery Room Can Bring Safe Operations To Patients Everywhere

Not everyone has the luxury of receiving medical treatment in a fully-equipped hospital, clinic, or operating room. Unfortunately, there are times of crisis, such as during natural disasters or wars, when doctors have to administer life-saving aid in a less-than-stellar environment.

As such, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who created the spin-off company SurgiBox, have come up with the SurgiField system—a “pop-up” mini operating theater that can be carried in a single backpack and set up in just minutes.

The setup, which helps ensure a sterile operating environment that can be brought nearly anywhere, comprises a sealed single-use clear plastic, dubbed the SurgiBubble, an electric air pump Smart Control Module (SCM), and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. 

If an emergency arises in the wilderness, doctors and nurses can place the pre-sterilized clear “bubble” over the part of the body to be operated on. This works as the bottom edges of the sheet adhere to the patient’s skin, with the structure held afloat by its collapsible frame.

At the same time, the attached SCM helps maintain airflow within the SurgiBubble while ensuring the air remains pure with a HEPA filter. During surgery, the doctor simply reaches into the space via two armholes, with a complete vision of their movements enabled by the clear plastic.

Once the procedure is completed, the sheet can be removed and discarded, while the rest of the system can be packed up into the backpack and reused in the future. 50 such SurgiField packs have been donated to frontlines in Ukraine, which have helped save 31 lives thus far.

Going forward, the first full production run of the innovative solution will go to aid surgeons in the Doctors Without Borders program. There are plans for the company to expand the technology to non-emergency use and help expand locations in which sterile surgery can be performed.

“We’re trying to get safe surgery to patients that need it. In this day and age, outside of a very small chunk of the world, it’s very difficult to get surgery safely,” explained SurgiBox Founder Debbie Teodorescu.

“You can have the same doctors, the same outstanding skills, but if you’re lacking in the facilities and the equipment, you just can’t offer the same care,” she explained.

[via New Atlas and SciTechDaily, images via SurgiBox]