The inventors of two devices developed by the Regional Medical Physics Department won awards at the first NHS Innovations North ceremony.
A portable pupilometer to allow doctors accurately to measure reactions in people's eyes, helping them to diagnose life-threatening head injuries, scooped one of the first £7,000 prizes at the region's NHS Innovations North award ceremony at Durham Light Infantry Museum.
The new device developed by an anaesthetist and medical technologist at Newcastle General Hospital gives the first exact measurement of how much pupils dilate, making it possible for medical staff closely to monitor changes in a patient's condition. The device could potentially be used by paramedics at accident scenes, in intensive care and by psychologists.
Andy Clark, Senior Medical Technologist at the Regional Medical Physics Department, said: "I am delighted we have won this award. It is great to actually get some reward for innovation. To see our device go from the prototype stage and then see it being manufactured is really rewarding. We hope the pupilometer will help nurses in dealing with cases of people with head injuries and help the paramedics as it means it will be one less thing for them to worry about."
The pupilometer is one of the first inventions to be patented and marketed by NHS Innovations North. It is a system designed to identify expertise and pioneering work within the local health service to ensure money earned from it is ploughed back into the organisation to benefit patients. NHS Innovations North, which is run by Sunderland-based business support organisation RTC North, employs experts and new product development and offers free advice to any employee of the NHS who thinks they have an idea to improve healthcare.
Further details of the Pupilometer are available in our Innovations section.
A device which accurately and safely measures blood pressure is being used in hospitals across the country. The Accoson Greenlight 300 Sphygmomanometer, an electronic version of the old mercury blood pressure monitors which are being phased out of hospitals on safety grounds, won a special award last night.
It was developed by Alan Murray, Professor of Cardiovascular Physics and his colleagues at the Regional Medical Physics Department, in association with London-based company AC Cosser. Professor Murray said: "The device is currently undergoing independent clinical validation at the Mayo Clinic, USA. The results will be published later this year."
Further details of the Accoson Greenlight 300 are available in our Innovations section.
Click on the Innovation link at the side of any page to see our leading edge work.
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