Cardioplegia clamp
The 3D printed Cardioplegia clamp produced by Bennett Engineering Design Solutions
Bennett Engineering Design Solutions has successfully developed a bespoke 3D-printed Cardioplegia clamp for King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust in London.
The Leicestershire-based engineering design company were approached by the head of clinical perfusion science for the Trust, Michael Whitehorne, last year to help develop a customised solution to support the use of Cardioplegia Sets in its operating theatres.
After impressing with the quality of their pressure gauge holder developed previously by the design team, Bennett Engineering Design Solutions were asked to produce a clamp based on similar principles.
“The clamps that were available at the time for holding the Cardioplegia Set’s heat exchanges which cool down the patient’s blood during cardiac surgery, were no longer meeting the Trust’s requirements.” John Bennett, Director of Bennett Engineering Design Solutions said. “The clamps simply didn’t secure the heat exchanges well enough, they could also be sometimes slow and difficult to use.”
A complete redesign was needed. The Trust, which is one of the UK’s largest teaching hospitals, required a solution that would attach easily to standard masts and instrument stands as the heat exchanger must be quickly changed in an emergency. It needed to be easy to clean, suitable for sterilisation and also possible to adjust the orientation of the heat exchanger through 360° so blood can run without interruption.
“The challenge with the design was to create the right geometry to satisfy the Trust’s requirements.” Bennett continued. “The initial prototype needed to be improved to make the changeover quicker. Adjusting the geometry of the catch took two iterations, we also needed to minimise the number of parts required, to ensure ease of use while being aesthetically pleasing too.
“The clamp features an over centre clip finger for the attachment so the removal of the heat exchanger is simple and intuitive to use. We chose to develop our design using 3D printing as we believed it offered greater flexibility on the design geometry, enabling us to create more organic shapes. This was then followed by the material Alumide, to deliver a tough, highly professional ‘look and feel’ to the end product.”
The completed design used standard components along with 3D printed parts to achieve a simple and cost effective solution. By utilising 3D printing, complicated geometry could be included at no extra cost, allowing the design team far greater freedom in the delivering of improved aesthetics.
Although a bespoke design, the Cardioplegia clamp can be adapted to be used in any operating theatre by the expert team at Bennett Engineering Design Solutions.
