SCTIMST scientists develop device to help people avoid thrombosis

The Thiruvananthapuram-based Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology has developed a device to help blood flow in legs’ veins, preventing the chances of a susceptible person developing life-threatening Deep Vein Thrombosis, the Department of Science and Technology said on Sunday.

The DVT implies the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in legs, and it can lead to life-threatening complications.

The fragments of impure blood clots reaching the heart and then finding its way to the artery, which carries pure, oxygen-rich blood to various parts of the body, can cause 'pulmonary artery embolism', a potentially life-threatening complication.

The scientist at Thiruvananthapuram‘s SCTIMST, an institute under the Department of Science and Technology, has developed this device which can help blood in legs’ veins keep flowing.

The device can bring relief to patients affected by prolonged immobility or bed-ridden state, possibly due to post-operative immobilization or paralysis of legs. A large number of such patients are affected by DVT causing pain, swelling, redness, warmth and engorged surface veins, the DST said.

The engineering team which made this device included Jithin Krishnan, Biju Benjamin and Koruthu P Varughese from the SCTIMST. Such devices are imported at a cost of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh while the one developed by SCTIMST can be made available domestically for less than Rs 1 lakh, the DST officials said.

The newly developed device works by compressing the legs’ veins in sequence to facilitate the flow of blood out of it to heart.

The compression pressure is set in such a way that the veins are compressed but not the arteries. It is equipped with closed-loop monitoring of compression pressure and also has controls through valves which are driven by an electronic circuit.

A dedicated software and a control circuit are provided in the device to ensure that safe compression levels are always maintained. The device is also equipped with a power supply back-up in the case of power failure.

The license for manufacturing and sale of the device has been transferred to Kochi–based enProducts Pvt Ltd, the DST added.