Triangle projects case study:

A sutureless dressing for better wound management
This Imperial College - Royal College of Art Triangle project, was driven by the need for a dedicated chest drain and wound closure device that would overcome the problems associated with current dressings and devices.

The presence of air or blood in the pleural cavity of patients is a serious condition which can become life threatening. To address this problem, chest drains are currently secured in place using stitches, self-adhesive tape and dressing pads. The disadvantage of these current methods is that they do not allow easy inspection of the wound or repositioning of the chest drain- something which is often needed.

To address these unmet needs, Imperial College clinicians, Drs James Kinross and Erik Mayer worked with InnovationRCA designers, Edward Goodwin and Richard Hartshorn, to develop a dedicated chest drain fixation and wound closure device.

The resulting patent-pending device delivers several benefits over existing tools and provides clinicians with an airtight environment around the wound through which the chest drain can be manoeuvred as needed and so reducing the risk to the patient of pneumothorax.

As well as providing several clinical benefits, the Chest Drain Dressing provides the patient with a less painful experience. Imperial Innovations, the technology transfer company which commercialises Imperial College technologies is now leading the commercialisation of this innovative device.