I am Dr. Anupa Herath, currently working at base hospital Warakapola as a consultant anaesthetist. I have been working with SLIC since 2014 where I had excellent guidance, support and facilitation for my medical inventions. This low cost video laryngoscope was designed initially in 2015. It was recommended for clinical use by an expert ethical committee in 2016. Followed by a series of modifications and improvement Patent certificate was issued for the novel features of this device in 2017.
This device is used in anaesthesia in order to facilitate insertion of a special tube called “endotracheal” tube into patient’s trachea in order to provide artificial ventilation. Compared to commercially available devices in this calibre, this device facilitates the procedure with 100% accuracy with minimal damage and risk to the patient. It also makes this procedure easy and safe especially in patients with abnormal anatomy explained in anaesthesia as “difficult airway risk”
The cost for this device is about 10% of the most commercially available device and this can be made using both reusable or disposable material.
The clinical benefit and importance of this device became more and more significant with the COVID 19 outbreak. Use of this device significantly reduces the risk of exposure to the patient and it will protect the anaesthetist and the other health care workers from acquiring infection from an infected patient. With the facilitation and support from the SLIC we are looking forward to distribute this device among all the government hospitals to help the fight against COVID 19 pandemic.