Postoperative Drain Fixation

Drain Tube
Retention
Button

A 12 mm garment button transferring drain load from sutured skin onto hospital gown fabric.

◎ Conceived and designed at PGIMS Rohtak · CAD: SolidWorks · Physical prototype pending

CAD Reference · Drain Tube Retention Button Concept Development · SolidWorks

The Problem

Closed suction drains after major neck dissections are prone to dislodgement under the unsupported weight of the external connector and collection bottle assembly, a risk particularly significant after major neck dissections in oncology patients. Working with an expert with SolidWorks experience, I designed an oval button (12 mm diameter, 2.5 mm thick, U shaped drain channel sized to 7 mm OD drain tubing) that clips onto the drain tube and buttons into the patient's hospital gown, transferring load from the suture site to the garment fabric. All dimensions were derived from direct first hand clinical measurements. The oval profile was specifically selected to prevent tube slippage from the retention channel, a failure mode of the paper clip and micropore workarounds currently used in clinical practice.

Biodesign Stage Progress

Patient Specific Implants

Patient Specific
PEEK Implants

A custom built 380°C PEEK 3D printer producing CT derived maxillofacial implants at a fraction of commercial cost.

★ First Prize — MDU National Technology Day Exhibition · Featured in The Tribune, May 2024

Custom PEEK 3D Printer · UIET, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak

The Tribune · May 2024 — Jaw dropping innovation: Rohtak varsity implant aims to transform oral surgery

The Problem

Titanium, the current standard in oral implants, is rigid and can cause secondary bone and tissue damage. Commercial patient specific PEEK implants are priced beyond reach for most Indian institutions. Each patient requires a unique implant derived from their own imaging data.

The Solution

In collaboration with the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, UIET, MDU Rohtak, a custom PEEK 3D printer was built from scratch with nozzle temperature above 380°C and a controlled heated chamber. PEEK absorbs impact like natural bone, is biocompatible, and withstands sterilisation up to 500°C. Each implant is derived from the patient's CT scan via Mimics software for segmentation and patient specific CAD modelling.

Biodesign Stage Progress

Home Tracheostomy Care

Portable Battery Powered
Suction Device

A frugal, pressure controlled suction unit for home tracheostomy care in power unreliable settings.

◎ Ongoing — Need Statement Validated · Development in progress

Concept Reference — Portable Battery Powered Suction Assembly

The Problem

Patients discharged home on tracheostomy tubes in resource limited settings face a critical unmet need: AC powered suction devices fail during power outages, routine in rural and semi urban India, leaving tracheostomy blockage with no reliable management option at home. Battery powered alternatives (Laerdal being the recognised gold standard) are priced far beyond the reach of this patient population.

The Solution

Structured needs finding was conducted to formally characterise the patient population, failure point, clinical consequence, and existing solution gap. Development of a low cost, battery powered, pressure controlled portable suction device designed for home care use in resource limited settings is currently ongoing.

Biodesign Stage Progress

Intraoperative Nerve Protection

Ryles Tube
Nerve Sleeve

A near zero cost 360° nerve shield repurposed from a sterile nasogastric tube protecting the IAN during mandibular osteotomy.

★ Technical Note under review — JOMS · 6 month follow up: intact IAN function

Operative Illustration Panels — Ryles Tube Nerve Sleeve Technique for IAN Protection

The Problem

Inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) injury during mandibular osteotomy causes transient neurosensory deficits in up to 37% of cases. Piezoelectric systems reduce this risk but are unaffordable in resource limited settings. Conventional vessel loops provide protection on one surface only.

The Solution

A sterile Ryles nasogastric tube, universally stocked at near zero cost, slit longitudinally and placed as a 360° circumferential nerve shield sleeve. Formalised into a reproducible protocol with a French size selection table matched to published IAN canal diameters. Applied intraoperatively: fully intact IAN sensory function at 6 month review.

Biodesign Stage Progress

Transoral Submandibular Access

Finger Mounted
Intraoral
Dissector

A wearable finger sheath combining loop scissor spreading and Metzenbaum dissection for transoral submandibular access without a transcervical incision.

◎ Concept and mechanism design ongoing · IP landscape search to be initiated

The Problem

Submandibular gland and duct surgery conventionally requires an extraoral transcervical incision, resulting in a visible neck scar with risk to the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve. Transoral access via the floor of mouth is limited by confined working space where standard scissors cannot be effectively oriented.

The Solution

A finger mounted dissector combining loop scissor spreading action with Metzenbaum scissor tissue separation, worn as a finger sheath, integrating tactile duct palpation with active blunt dissection in a single motion within a space too confined for two handed instrumentation. Eliminates the transcervical incision and its associated morbidity entirely.

Biodesign Stage Progress