At Estes, product development is a passion and an art form. From conceptual design to prototyping and manufacturing a final product, all stages require innovation, engineering expertise, and highly-specialized automation. Meticulous attention to detail is essential for any medical product design and manufacturing success.
It’s been over six years since Dr. Babak Hassid, aka Dr. Bobby, approached Estes Design and Manufacturing with the concept and plans for an invention that could revolutionize the medical community, particularly cath lab doctors and support technicians.
Other sheet metal manufacturers told him they couldn’t do it; it wouldn’t work. Then he came to Estes, who listened and partnered with him. After six years of partnering together and multiple prototypes, Estes forged a relationship with this nationally and internationally recognized cardiologist and inventor. The outcome? The fourth iteration of ‘The Freedom Shield,’ now in the final validation phase, will revolutionize cath labs and become standard equipment for hospitals and medical centers.
Why Do Doctors and Staff in Cath Labs Need Protection?
When a patient comes in for a heart catheterization, a small wire is inserted, often in the thigh, and slowly fed up through a large artery to the heart, where various instruments record critical heart functions. X-Rays aid the doctor and guide the catheter safely through the artery–this imaging is called fluoroscopy.
X-Rays in small doses don’t pose a health problem, but overexposure can lead to various types of cancer or sterilization in men. As a result of these risks, precautions are taken to ensure medical personnel stay safe. To that end, all affected staff must wear heavy, cumbersome lead aprons weighing 10-15 pounds to protect themselves from harmful X-Radiation.
Why Do My Joints Ache?
Our medical professionals are hurting. Take a look at the statistics from Burlington Medical on the effects of working in a catheterization or other X-Ray lab:
- The weight of a 15-pound lead apron exerts an estimated 300 pounds per square inch on intervertebral disks.
- Over 15 percent of interventional cardiologists require treatments for spine symptoms.
- Wearing a 10-pound apron for only half a workday places a cumulative 39,000 pounds of force on the human body.
Knowing these statistics and experiencing these adverse physical effects first-hand, Dr. Bobby knew something had to be done.
New Medical Product Design: The Freedom Shield
What other sheet metal fabricators said they couldn’t do didn’t stop Dr. Bobby from pursuing the manufacture of this vital piece of medical equipment.
- The Problem: How to design a lightweight, protective device with mobility and the strength to absorb X-Rays while keeping medical staff out of harm’s way.
- The Answer: Estes designed and built a mobile base on motorized casters with a vertical column that extends six feet horizontally at the top. A pane of lead-infused glass hangs from this horizontal arm with protective, notched vinyl-covered lead sheets at the bottom. A second pane of vinyl-covered lead can extend to provide adjustments as needed per patient. A joystick control panel offers easy angle adjustments for the panes and provides ease of control in relocating the entire piece of equipment.
- The Benefits: Not only does the design safely protect medical staff from radiation, but it also allows a better range of motion, less joint discomfort, and fewer spinal injuries.
Clinical Trials Currently Underway
Estes and Dr. Bobby are currently working on sending the Freedom Shield prototype into the field for testing and product validation. Dr. Bobby oversees much of this testing process from his New York office.
They’ll test the prototype to detect how much radiation gets around the shield and pour over data to ensure the overall safety of the machine. Doctors in cath labs routinely receive two to four mini sieverts (a measurement of radiation) in a year. Anything below 50 is considered safe. The Freedom Shield will have to match or beat that. And it’s looking very positive!
Efficient Medical Device Prototyping and Manufacturing by Estes
Estes is a LEAN manufacturing facility and produces some of the finest sheet metal work in the industry. With expert prototyping by the Estes Accelerator team, Estes is ready to manufacture The Freedom Shield in small batches as soon as the trials are finished. Dr. Bobby had this to say about bringing his shield idea to Estes:
“It was not necessarily the technology of it that made it complex, but to make it small and compact enough to use in the operating room was a challenge. Estes understood this challenge and was willing to take it to the next level and to continue with it. The company was not of the attitude, ‘We can’t do this, that won’t work.’”
We’re proud of our relationship with Dr. Bobby and excited to get this product in the medical community’s hands as soon as testing finalizes. At Estes, we don’t stop at ideas. Our experience and manufacturing expertise allow us to make those ideas a reality. Stay tuned for updates and pictures of The Freedom Shield.
Contact Estes Medical Design to learn more.
