{"603368":{"#nid":"603368","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Safer Way to Handle Surgical Scalpel Blades ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen tasked with redesigning a medical device, four biomedical engineering majors focused their attention on scalpels. Specifically, the blade packaging for the tool.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir blade packaging was designed to protect health care workers from accidental injuries that can occur when handling exposed scalpel blades.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow their invention, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheScalPal\/\u0022\u003EScal-Pal\u003C\/a\u003E, is one of six competing for Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/inventureprize.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInVenture Prize\u003C\/a\u003E, an annual innovation competition. The winner will be chosen March 14.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECurrently doctors and nurses must handle the blade with their fingers to remove it or attach a new one to the scalpel handle. The foil packaging around a fresh blade is opened like an adhesive bandage. One person opens the packaging, while a second person grabs the exposed blade with needle holders and inserts it into the scalpel handle.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s easy for accidents to happen because the packaging forces the blade to be exposed,\u0026rdquo; said Alpharetta native Bailey Klee. \u0026ldquo;I was job shadowing in an operating room and I saw a nurse take off the blade and cut herself. We found a way to prevent that from happening again.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/the_scalpal\/\u0022\u003EScal-Pal\u003C\/a\u003E works much the same way as switching out razor blades. The blade is stored inside a single-use box made from pre-recycled polyethylene, akin to the plastic used in milk jugs. The scalpel handle is inserted into the box and the blade is attached. To remove the used blade, the scalpel is inserted back into the box and the blade is released from the handle and trapped inside. The entire box is then thrown away.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team 3D printed the pink and black box in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/bme-design-shop\u0022\u003EBME Machine Shop\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our design works because the blade is never exposed,\u0026rdquo; said Sydney Platt, who is from Lake Jackson, Texas. \u0026ldquo;No one has to touch it directly.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There is a market and a need for what we developed,\u0026rdquo; added Nicholas Quan from Richmond Hill, Ga.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHospitals spend more than $116 million a year on scalpel related injuries, reported Rachel Mann, a native of Homer Glen, Ill. Those same hospitals use more than 1 million scalpel blades a day.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We need to gain exposure with medical device manufacturers,\u0026rdquo; Mann said. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re hopeful the InVenture Prize will help make that happen.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe InVenture Prize finalist redesigned surgical blade packages so they\u0026rsquo;re easier and safer to use. The team is one of six finalists. Winners will be chosen March 14.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The InVenture Prize finalist redesigned surgical blade packages so they\u0027re easier and safer to use. "}],"uid":"27918","created_gmt":"2018-03-06 16:43:45","changed_gmt":"2018-03-06 18:26:40","author":"Laura Diamond","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2018-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"603316":{"id":"603316","type":"image","title":"Scal-Pal InVenture Prize finalist","body":null,"created":"1520347937","gmt_created":"2018-03-06 14:52:17","changed":"1520356900","gmt_changed":"2018-03-06 17:21:40","alt":"","file":{"fid":"229974","name":"Laura_Photo2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Laura_Photo2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Laura_Photo2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":672295,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Laura_Photo2.jpg?itok=q8tRmh3m"}},"603376":{"id":"603376","type":"image","title":"Scal-Pal team 2018 InVenture Prize finalist","body":null,"created":"1520357007","gmt_created":"2018-03-06 17:23:27","changed":"1520357007","gmt_changed":"2018-03-06 17:23:27","alt":"","file":{"fid":"229975","name":"Laura_Photo1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Laura_Photo1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Laura_Photo1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":690371,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Laura_Photo1.jpg?itok=vumIAr7K"}}},"media_ids":["603316","603376"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/inventureprize.gatech.edu","title":"Georgia Tech InVenture Prize"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7764","name":"InVenture Prize"},{"id":"169753","name":"student startups"},{"id":"3472","name":"entrepreneurship"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"},{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"},{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"},{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura Diamond\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nMedia Relations\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E404-660-2927\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.diamond@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}