Medical innovation is a cornerstone of the research mission at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Recently, Manne Research Institute’s Innovate2Impact team (I2I) has collaborated with surgeon innovator Seth Goldstein, MD, MPhil, Justin Ryder, PhD, and a diverse cohort of industry experts and Lurie Children’s healthcare providers on an initiative to improve the safety of sterile fluid delivery onto the sterile field, reducing the chances for contamination and needlestick injuries while optimizing workflow efficiency. The exploration into these sterile fluid delivery solutions began in spring 2023 with the I2I Hackathon: Medical Devices event, during which Lurie Children’s clinicians identified and explored challenges in the clinical environment. The second phase consisted of collaborative concept refinement by engineering design consultants, multidisciplinary teams from Lurie Children’s, and I2I team members.
The remarkable team driving the current project phase includes Lurie Children’s surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, operating room leaders, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians, as well as an external product development engineering firm, Ontogen Medtech. On November 20, 2024, these stakeholders convened for the next step in moving the innovation forward—the evaluation of a device prototype. The meeting kicked off with a recap of the innovation journey, including an overview of the limitations of current operating room practices for transferring sterile fluids onto a sterile field, the solution ideation process, product conceptualization, and development of the current device design.
Functional hands-on prototypes were presented by Ontogen Medtech's team, who guided the group through the device’s operation. Participants tested the prototype and provided feedback on design features including safety and ease of operation. The group also leaned on its cross-section of expertise to identify the multiple clinical settings where the device could be utilized to meet different procedural needs and safety standards. Their valuable feedback will be used to inform the next engineered versions of the sterile fluid delivery prototype and to guide the I2I team as it develops potential commercialization strategies.
I2I aims to support medical research and new ideas at Lurie Children’s in their progress toward scalable impact and commercialization. To learn more about I2I’s work or to share an idea you may have, visit luriechildrens.org/I2I.
