Breakthrough tech in paediatric care

Health Innovation North West Coast has supported the introduction of innovative digital chest drains at a UK paediatric trust for the first time.

Chest drains are essential for removing air or fluid from a patient’s chest after an injury or surgery, but conventional devices have significant shortcomings: they need constant monitoring, make significant demands on resources and are prone to human error.

The new digital drain, known as Thopaz+ and developed by Swiss company Medela, is safer, more accurate and requires fewer resources.

Health Innovation North West Coast worked with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside to secure reimbursement for the deployment of the digital drain at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool.

The funding arrangement is part of NHS England’s MedTech Funding Mandate (MTFM) policy which aims to ensure patients benefit from effective and cost-saving technologies more quickly.

Rhiannon Clarke, Senior Programme Manager in the Patient Safety and Care Improvement team at Health Innovation North West Coast, said the team’s familiarity with the funding policy was key to the chest drain’s adoption.

“It was a real pleasure to work with Alder Hey because we could see they were receptive to an innovative solution and wanted to do the best for their patients.

“Through the MTFM we were able to provide them with the key. We were able to help because clinical teams don’t always have the time or the experience to know where help is available. The main thing is the drains will have an impact on patient care.”

Alan Bridge, Surgical Matron at Alder Hey: “Health Innovation North West Coast played a crucial role in the implementation of this device. Through them, we were able to secure funding for this innovative new technology.

“As a leading paediatric trust we are continuously exploring pioneering innovations that benefit patients and we were grateful we could call on their experience to help identify a solution.”

The Thopaz+ drain is a portable system that gives regulated negative pressure close to the patient’s chest and continuously monitors and records air leak and fluid drainage.

It features a regulated suction pump with a digital display, while sensors in the system turn the pump on and off to ensure the pressure level set by the healthcare professional is precisely maintained.

Under the MTFM policy, trusts liaise with local commissioners to ensure they are reimbursed when adopting approved MedTech devices.