No matter how advanced technologies can be obtained, especially in health care environments, each new innovation Comes down to a simple premise: you see a problem, then you solve this problem. And in most cases Medtech, this solution is full of years of higher level engineering.
As is the case with Front Line Medical TechnologiesInnovative cobra manufacturer (bleeding control, resuscitation, arterial occlusion system), a device that temporarily blocks the aorta during emergency situations. We turned to Asha Parekh, Ph.D., co-founder of the front line and biomedical engineer behind Cobra-Os, to learn more about this device and the future of Medtech.
Parekh says that she and her co-founder Adam Power, MD, had the idea of Cobra-Os when she saw that there was no infallible way to bring patients from point A to point B when they bleed. “The Cobra-Os provides circulatory support in emergency situations. It can be used in a variety of applications, ”explains Parekh. “The intention is to keep a patient alive until he can obtain the final care he needs…. So, it is a temporary measure to keep a patient in good standing, whether in a hospital, golden emergencies, or it is a motor vehicle accident or on a military battlefield. »»
Save lives beyond the hospital
The device has a wide variety of applications and environments, according to Parekh. It is used by trauma surgeons, vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, cardiologists and emergency doctors. So it’s not just something you need in the hospital. You might need it on your way there.
“Unfortunately, for 1 of the 10 of patients who suffer from cardiac arrest outside a hospital, it is unlikely that their hearts will start again. They will not get the return of traffic, ”she explains. “So, this is an application where we are trying to fill this gap and give patients a chance to go to these final care.”
Recognize the need
In any industry, the best architectural solutions are those that have wide eyes open. They see the problem, then they find the solution. This is what Parekh and power did when they observed patient care.
“I spoke to people who worked with paramedical paramedics, ambulances, emergency rooms, and they said they just grabbed everything that was trying to make it work. There was not really what they can do in the case of cardiac arrest other than continuing to do RCR, “she said about the clinical need she continued. “We have seen that there was an opportunity to fill these shortcomings in care and ask:” How can we improve this? ” »»
Measure medical success
Patient results are the main measure of the success of a medical device, but factors such as feasibility, patentability and financial benefits also define Medtech achievements. The launch of a device like cobra-os, a class II device with an intermediate level risk, begins with obtaining an FDA or Health Canada license.
Parekh says that, because the health care industry is so strongly regulated, there is no shortcut. “We must make sure that the results are favorable. But there is a bit of a gray area because our tool gives a patient a chance of survival – when they are already in a situation where they could die and sometimes give them a last effort. “The magnitude of the injury varies, just like the people.” There are however guidelines; when and on whom we must do, this is not yet completely defined or accepted. “
Pioneer of the next generation of Medtech
When Parekh was in her first year of her undergraduate engineering studies, she estimated that there were 10% of women. In higher education, she says it jumped at around 20%. And now, in the biomedical engineering conferences she gave, she fortunately reports that the classes were almost 40% of women. “The biomedical engineering, in particular, has won a lot of traction for women,” explains Parekh.
The way she sees it, not everyone should be encouraged in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). “We must create a conscience and bring out the passion of the people who are really interested. This is what will advance the field. We can get the most out of people when they really like it, “she says,” and we want people like that to grow in their passions. »»
Who line up with Recent Data of Labor Statistics. Their projections are that the stem professions will increase by 10.4% between 2023 and 2033 (a much faster rate than the overall growth of the planned workforce of 4%).
But what motivates all this – the facts, the figures, the conscience – is a passion for problem solving.
There are always things in the pipeline, says Parekh. Then it becomes a matter of too many problems and not enough time to solve them all. “We want us to have time to work on each project we wanted,” she says. “Cobra-Os is a passionate project. We really love, love, love, love it. “”
This article originally appeared in the March / April 2025 number of success magazine.
ASHA PAREKH, pH.D.