Doc designs device to prevent errors during major surgeries

Lucknow: In public health, human errors can cost a life. The accidental loss of a guide wire during the insertion of a central venous catheter is a serious medical error. The wire can pierce into organs, cause internal bleeding and even death of patient. But now help is at hand.
Associate professor at SGPGI's emergency medicine department, Dr Tanmoy Ghatak, has designed a small device to check the problem. Known as guidewire trap, this light-weight device prevents the guide wire from accidentally slipping into the body during procedures.The device has already earned a design patent and is being reviewed for process patent which will pave way for approval and testing in real-life setting."The device is simple but extremely promising when dealing with the human error," said Dr Ghatak adding, "this under-reported problem can lead to medico-legal complications for practising doctors." Global estimates show that at least two such cases are reported per month in developed countries. "Extent has to be higher in India. This device will safeguard interest of both patients and doctors," said Dr Ghatak. On reasons behind the problem, he said: "In case of emergencies, doctors or intensivists may be hard pressed for time while in other scenarios trial and error may be responsible as the task is handled by trainee doctors. In periphery, where private doctors and hospitals extend health services, even paramedical staff undertake the process which may go unmonitored." Head, emergency medicine, Prof RK Singh said, "The device is outcome of a doctor's out of the box thinking." SGPGI director Prof RK Dhiman congratulated the department for the feat. "Innovations are not about big things. They can be simple solutions to everyday problems," he said taking pride in the device.