Health & Medical

Tongue Sucker®: Life-saving equipment

Davies, Greer, Huntley and Stroux

Tongue Sucker is a simple-to-use device designed to hold the airway of an unconscious casualty open.

It is non-invasive and can be used for adults or infants; and the design is such that an untrained bystander can clear the airway of one casualty and then move on to assist others without risk to the first casualty. It can also be used in hospital procedures.

Tongue Sucker was developed by 2006 graduates Graeme Davies, Phillip Greer, Christopher Huntley and Lisa Stroux of the RCA's Industrial Design Engineering programme.

The team used 7/7 as a starting point to consider problems associated with mass casualty incidents. It became apparent from discussions with emergency services that any delay in the arrival of emergency services was critical. If a casualty's airway is not secured within five minutes of injury, the patient will die.

Further research revealed that more than a quarter of a million people are rendered unconscious in the UK each year. While unconscious, there is a great risk of suffocating on one's own tongue due to the loss of muscle tone, which can result in brain damage or death.

Paramedics are trained to high level to open the airway of the unconscious casualty safely, using specialist tools called Guedal airways. Untrained bystanders would not be qualified to use such tools.

Tongue Sucker has won several awards including the Index 2007 award, a Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award, Imperial College Challenge and a prestigious Red Dot Communication Design award.

With the generous support of the Audi Design Foundation, the team have been developing the device further. In 2008, the Tongue Sucker was licensed to Wallace Cameron International.

For more information about this patent pending device please contact Wallace Cameron International.