720583Prototype Development and Clinical Evaluation of a Surgical Swab WasherClosedGRD Development of PrototypeInnovate UKIntra-operative Cell Salvage (ICS) is an established technique that enables red blood cells lost during surgery to be captured and returned to the patient. ICS has widely recognised clinical and cost benefits in comparison with blood transfusions. During surgery approximately 30% of blood loss is soaked up in surgical swabs. Human blood is considered to be such a valuable resource that some hospitals attempt to recover this blood and direct it to the ICS system by manually washing the swabs in saline. This is a slow, laborious and dirty process with associated health and safety hazards. SwabTech Ltd has developed a prototype swab washer which can automatically and efficiently extract blood from swabs in a sterile environment. Lab tests have proven that this device results in higher red blood cell yields than those achieved by manual swab washing. The aim of this project is to develop the prototype further and evaluate it within operating theatres leading to regulatory approval and commercialisation of the device. An automatic swabwasher will enable the widespread adoption of swab washing in the UK and abroad and increase the amount of blood that can be recovered using ICS, enhancing the viability and cost effectiveness of ICS and the return on investment from existing equipment. There will be benefits to patients and operating theatre staff, savings on blood costs and the preservation of valuable blood stocks for patients with the greatest clinical need. Operating theatre staff will be released from the requirement to manually wash swabs which will reduce their exposure to the hazards associated with handling human blood and reduce the risk of microbial contamination. Comprehensive market research indicates the device has significant commercial potential with a UK market size of £3M and a worldwide export market of £35M based on the current use of ICS which is growing significantly, particularly in developing countries that do not have national blood banks.