MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Autologous Blood Transfusion Device

One-line solution summary:

Low-cost Autologous Blood Transfusion device for use during delivery of ruptured ectopic pregnancy resulting in Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH)

Pitch your solution.

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a complication of delivery and the most common cause of maternal death, accounting for about 35% of all maternal deaths worldwide. Autologous Blood Transfusion is widely used to address this. Autologous Blood Transfusion is the collection of blood from a patient and re-transfusion back to the same patient when required, in this case PPH during child birth.

Today in remote/rural clinics, the following process is followed:

Fresh blood from peritoneal is collected in a sterile dish
It is then filtered through eight layers of sterile gauze pieces
Collected in a sterile bag
Transferred into blood infusion bag
Re-transfused back

We are proposing, a low-cost device (for developing nations) that,

Works without a power source
Is easy to use with no specialized training
Is easy to manufacture locally
Is a single use device that prevents disease spread, if any

What specific problem are you solving?

PPH remains the number one killer of mothers and accounts about 28% of all maternal deaths in developing countries. For example, in India, PPH is a major cause of maternal mortality leading to 38-50% of maternal deaths.

Today in rural/remote clinics in developing countries, there is a lack of a low-cost device to perform Autologous Blood Transfusion to avoid maternal deaths caused due to PPH during child birth. There are make-shift methods used due to lack of an easy-to-use and easy-to-dispose device. These methods take a lot of time and effort to set up and are not efficient for healthcare workers.

What is your solution?

The device consists of a tube where one end is attached to a chamber through a 3–way-valve and the other end is inserted into the body cavity. The valve's third port is connected to a standard 20mL syringe or priming bellow via a one-way-valve. This valve prevents the flow of liquid while allowing air flow. The chamber contains a micro-filter to remove clots. The output port of the chamber is connected to a blood giving bag that contains anti-coagulant that can be detached once full.

Prior to use, the giving bag is filled with the appropriate quantity of anticoagulant via a syringe and needle.

During use, the free end of the tube is placed in the body cavity to be drained and the system primed by pulling on the syringe plunger or bellows. Once the blood starts to flow, past the 3-way-valve, the actuator is used to direct the flow into the filter chamber.

The blood now flows through the micro-filter into the blood giving bag. The filter chamber and blood giving bag are placed below the body cavity to allow for gravity feed. Once full, bag is detached and used to infuse the patient and another bag canbe attached.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Our solution serves Healthcare Workers, Nurses and Clinicians by giving them the ability….

to eliminate the complexity of creating a make-shift Autologous Blood Transfusion system
to save significant amount of critical time to set up a make-shift system during every child birth
to reduce and potentially eliminate maternal deaths caused due to PPH

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Expand access to high-quality, affordable care for women, new mothers, and newborns

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.

The Maternal and Newborn health challenge is aimed towards making a difference for women, mothers and subsequently newborns.

Our proposed solution aims to fundamentally eliminate maternal deaths caused due to Post-partum Hemorrhage (PPH) during child birth. The key dimensions we are targeting are 1) low-cost, 2) ease of use and 3) no power source to target healthcare clinics in remote/rural parts of developing nations.

At its core, our solution equips the healthcare workers with a device to perform autologous blood transfusion when encountered with PPH during child birth, to eliminate maternal deaths.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Boston, MA, USA

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Pari Gaikwad