What is EcoDrain?
EcoDrain is a surgical suction drain that gently draws fluid from a wound to help you recover after surgery. It is there to prevent accumulation of fluid or gas at an operation site, which provides prime medium for bacterial growth, hence reduce the risk of serious infections or complications. Our device channels drainage into a graduated reservoir using negative pressure.
Features
Ensure Sustainability, Patient's Safety, and Nursing Efficiency
Sustainability
Patient's Safety
Nursing Efficiency
01
Sustainability
Firstly, the surgical drain is manufactured by layering PLA filament using 3d printing technology. PLA, biodegradable and non-toxic plastic, is used to create a transparent and solid plastic bottle with accurate graduation.
02
Infection Detecting Mechanism
As the drain is a post-operational device, the risk of serious infection is always present, and its rapid exacerbation may be life-threatening; hence, early detection of infection is crucial. To address this aspect, we have deduced that detecting abnormal pH alteration of drainage is the most effective, feasible, and economically advantageous method for primary diagnosis of contamination: bacterial infection increases the acidity of the drainage as it produces acid during its aerobic respiration. Among the innumerable types of pH indicators, anthocyanin - abundant and natural colorant, with low to no toxicity- is selected as it could offer safe identification. It will be extracted from the red cabbage and then applied to the filament so that a certain part of the drain contains anthocyanin pigment, continually contacting the patient’s drainage.
03
Nursing Efficiency
3D printing technology is used to create precise graduation markings which allows medical personnel to measure the volume of fluid directly, eliminating the need for transferring the fluid to another container for measurement. Anthocyaynin strip, an infection detector, enables nurses to detect any post-operational complication at a glance. This facilitation of care not only benefits hospital, but also ensure patients' safety as nurses could devote extra time to other patients.
Validations
Biodegradability &
Structure Integrity
Primarily, biodegradable filament and 3D-printed design underwent several iterations to ensure structural integrity and functionality. The fragility, firmness, and presence of leakage were tested to avoid any outflow of drainage or hindrance of forming negative pressure. Then, we conducted additional experiments to identify potential obstructions that hinder the flow of drainage, and optimize its flow rate. For PLA filament, initial tests are involved to verify the biodegradability of the filament under simulated environmental conditions. Fortunately, PLA filament decomposed in 88 days within a controlled environment, confirming that the materials broke down as expected without compromising the device's performance.
Infection Detection
Mechanism
Moreover, to test the effectiveness of the anthocyanin infection detector, we conducted the test with cultured bacteria. After combining artificial human fluid and cultured bacteria, it was placed inside the drain for 1 day. As expected, the thin strip part of the drain -where anthocyanin was applied- has turned red due to the pH decrease of the fluid.
If you’d like more information about our features, get in touch today.