NuForceps - improving assisted child birth for mother and baby

Giving birth is one of the most natural of processes having evolved over millions of years to allow the safe delivery of an offspring. However, sometimes, some assistance in the birthing process may be required to affect a delivery. The use of obstetric forceps was first reported in 1792 and this device has proved highly efficacious over the years, and today is still seen as the best of the tools available for carrying out an assisted delivery. However, the last recorded improvements to the obstetric forceps which achieved widespread use were made about 150 years ago. The modern obstetrician (often complete with iPhone) when presented with a situation where an assisted delivery is required is therefore reaching for a device designed in Victorian times. Alternative devices are available, but are not as good and are more likely to
result in a caesarean section, which brings with it increased risk to both mother and baby. We are therefore re-developing the obstetric forceps for the 21st Century.
A survey of obstetricians carried out at an international conference in 2009 identified the key concerns about the device and informed the specification for a redesign of obstetric forceps.
Key to clinician’s concerns were the potential for injury to both mother and baby through use of the existing device, the unlimited amount of pulling force which could be applied to the baby and the fact that the device is made of metal. Based on this information we have developed an initial prototype device and have filed a patent application on its key features. We now wish to accelerate the development of this device, facilitating the production of a number of pre-production prototypes for use in a clinical evaluation. The potential global market value for this device is estimated at up to £200m annually and it is anticipated that successful commercialisation will allow significant job creation and re-investment in R&D as well as providing better care for both mother and baby.