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Harrisburg nurse enters medical invention into design contest

Soteria Safety Cylinder has potential to protect patients and healthcare workers


Justin Addison Editor/Publisher
Posted 9/1/20

Sheila Ray, a   Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist from Harrisburg, hopes that by winning an international design contest, her new patented invention may be produced and put into practice in …

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Harrisburg nurse enters medical invention into design contest

Soteria Safety Cylinder has potential to protect patients and healthcare workers


Posted

Sheila Ray, a  Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist from Harrisburg, hopes that by winning an international design contest, her new patented invention may be produced and put into practice in operating rooms around the world. She designed the Soteria Safety Cylinder after witnessing life-threatening events in the surgical arena caused by wire and tube entanglement.

The device is intended to protect the breathing circuit from inadvertent damage and disconnects with anesthesia, or intubated patients in intensive care units. It also protects monitoring lines during anesthesia, transports, and prolonged intubation. The ability to rapidly access monitoring cables, intravenous lines, arterial lines, and other invasive lines, has been indicated as a crucial component in reducing adverse events.

The Soteria Safety Cylinder has the ability to reduce inadvertent endotracheal extubations and manipulations of the breathing circuitry which eliminates the risk of cross-contamination and the spread of mucus and droplet nuclei in the air. This is a crucial advantage, especially given the current COVID-19 pandemic. It has the ability to be attached to both a surgical bed and an IV pole.

Mrs. Ray said she had her eureka moment when she observed tangled lines and close proximity of the surgical team to the patient’s breathing apparatus while working in an operating room.

“I was reminded of my father’s words as a child growing, asking questions, and looking at a plate in the kitchen with the word, ‘think’ carved in bold letters,” she said.

Research of intellectual property and patents indicated that no systematic mechanism existed to protect breathing circuits from damage and inadvertent extubation. Millions of dollars are spent by the U.S. government every year pertaining to adverse events and airway issues during surgery, transport of intubated patients, and patients in intensive care units.

“I was determined to succeed,” she said. “The onset of the coronavirus fueled my determination because of the device’s potential ability to protect patients and workers from aerosolized contaminants by protecting the breathing circuitry and possible reintubation.

“Patient outcomes could be optimized and millions of dollars could be saved by this simplistic device,” she explained.

So far Mrs. Ray has received three patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and was featured in the National Council of State Boards Journal’s September issue.

The Soteria Cylinder has been accepted for the Create the Future Design Contest by a panel of international judges and is currently in sixth place out of more than 200 entries.

“I am the only nurse, nurse anesthetist, individual female entry, and Missourian in the field of engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs,” she said. 

The majority of the contest’s entrants are teams from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and South America. And while the highest number of votes does not automatically guarantee a win, it provides significantly greater likelihood that a medical device corporation will take an interest in the device. Voting is online and open to the public through Friday, Sept. 11. The link to vote is: https://contest.techbriefs.com/2020/entries/medical/10551

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