Sustainable Laparoscopic Surgery for Low-Income Countries: FDA Approval and Business Model for Access (2019-2020)

The goal of this Bass Connections project was to develop a low-cost, reusable laparoscope suitable for use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

In 2019-2020, this project team advanced the device from the prototype stage to a viable commercial product for patients in LMICs. Movement into the production phase required analysis of feedback from Ugandan surgeons, protection of intellectual property, FDA approval and creation of a business model.

Timing

Fall 2019 – Summer 2020

Team Outputs

Tamera Fitzgerald. NIH U01 - Cancer Technologies for LMICs ($2,000,000 grant awarded from National Health Institutes, 2022)

Norma E. Farrow, Sarah J. Commander, Christopher R. Reed, Jenna L. Mueller, Aryaman Gupta, Amos H. P. Loh, John Sekabira, Tamara N. Fitzgerald. 2020. "Laparoscopic experience and attitudes toward a low-cost laparoscopic system among surgeons in East, Central, and Southern Africa: a survey study." Surgical Endoscopy.

Sustainable Laparoscopic Surgery for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (poster by Natalie Rozman, Enakshi Sunassee, Aryaman Gupta, Cayla Schuval, Arushi Biswas, Bailey Knight, Shreyas Kulkarni, Meredith Brown, Tiff Jiang, Sarah Hubner, Samantha Kost, Caroline Maloney, Pratik Doshi, Judy Ho, Sarah Dunn Phillips, Jenna Mueller, Tamara Fitzgerald)

ReadyLift: Novel Technique for Gas-independent Laparoscopic Procedures in LMICs (poster by Aryaman Gupta, Erin Brown, presented at Global Health Showcase, Duke University, November 4, 2019)

Sustainable Laparoscopic Surgery for Low-income Countries (poster by Natalie Rozman, Arushi Biswas, Cayla Schuval, Enakshi Sunassee, Sarah Phillips, Jenna Meuller, presented at Global Health Showcase, Duke University, November 4, 2019)

ReadyView Software with Tele-mentoring for Sustainable Laparoscopic Surgery in Low-income Countries (poster by Shreyas Kulkarni, Meredith Brown, presented at Global Health Showcase, Duke University, November 4, 2019)

Video

Low-Cost Laproscopy for Global Surgery

    Reflections

    Arushi Biswas

    This Team in the News

    Designing Tomorrow, One Healthcare Innovation at a Time

    See related teams, Increasing Access to Laparoscopic Surgery in Low-income Countries (2020-2021) and Low-cost Laparoscopic Surgery with Tele-mentoring (2018-2019).

    Bass Connections team members.

    Team Leaders

    • Tamara Fitzgerald, School of Medicine-Surgery: Pediatric General Surgery
    • Jenna Mueller, Pratt School of Engineering-Biomedical Engineering

    /graduate Team Members

    • Enakshi Sunassee, Biomedical Engineering-PHD
    • Natalie Rozman, Electrical/Computer Engg-PHD, Electrical/Computer Engg-MS
    • Peiching Ho, Business Administration-MBA

    /undergraduate Team Members

    • Samantha Kost, Public Policy Studies (AB)
    • Cayla Schuval, Electrical & Computer Egr(BSE)
    • Caroline Maloney, Biology (BS)
    • Shreyas Kulkarni, Computer Science (BS)
    • Arushi Biswas, Biomedical Engineering (BSE)
    • Bailey Knight, Biology (BS)
    • Tiffany Jiang, Public Policy Studies (AB)
    • Sarah Hubner, Political Science (AB)
    • Aryaman Gupta, Biomedical Engineering (BSE)
    • Meredith Brown, Statistical Science (BS)
    • Erin Brown, Biomedical Engineering (BSE)

    /yfaculty/staff Team Members

    • Amos Loh Hong Pheng, Duke-NUS Medical School
    • Sarah Dunn Phillips, Margolis Center for Health Policy

    /zcommunity Team Members

    • Julius Mugaga, Makerere University - Kampala
    • John Sekabira, Mulago Hospital, Uganda
    • Robert Ssekitoleko, Makerere University-Kampala

    Theme(s):