Injecting drugs into the muscles behind a child’s eyeball isn’t as easy as it sounds. Current best practices take no less than three skilled hands and a lifetime of specialty medical training. It is among the astonishing sounding medical procedures that are, in fact, routine and unremarkable to those who do them every day.
The same exacting requirements that make that procedure routine inspired the invention of a new medical device – the Precision Syringe.
The Precision Syringe is a standard one mL syringe with a modified barrel. With one hand, one person can precisely place the needle and depress the barrel. It is a simple invention born of a complex procedure. “It’s n
ot surprising that this tool came out of the world of pediatric ophthalmology,” said Precision Syringe founder Adrian Blake. “Everyone knows from their own experience how delicate and sensitive the eye is. Now think about how delicate and sensitive a baby’s eye is.”
The same challenges present in placing a sharp needle safely past a child’s eye are present in so many other procedures. It may be more forgiving, but dentists and dermatologists face similar needs for precision syringe placement. “It turns out that there are many procedures across many specialties which would benefit from a tool like this,” Blake said. “The syringe offers greater comfort forthe patient and greater reliability for the practitioner, so we can see why people see a fit with their needs.”
Precision Syringe is taking the innovation conceived in some of the most exacting uses of the humble syringe and finding applications in the most surprising places. “I have been surprised by how many other specialties have the same desire for greater patient comfort and user precision,” Blake said. “I didn’t think it would be such a great fit for dentistry, and I didn’t think we would get such interest from overseas. But it goes to show you how good the design is.”
Working with UNeTech, Precision Syringe is looking for additional healthcare professionals, home health providers, and families living with chronic medical conditions that require precise injections. If you are interested in learning more about the Precision Syringe or interested in evaluating a prototype and willing to provide some additional feedback about the use in your practice, your care team or your home life, please contact precisionsyringe@unetech.org and arrange a chance to evaluate a prototype.
_____________________________________
Photos in this blog post were taken by Charlie Litton, M.A., UNeMed Marketing & Web Content Specialist