UK Surgeons Engineer and Collaborate on Medical Tech Design

During a routine surgery that combined their specialties, Dr. Mark Fritz, a laryngologist in the University of Kentucky Department of Otolaryngology, and Dr. Moamen Gabr, an interventional gastroenterologist in the Department of Internal Medicine, noted that their workflow in endoscopic surgeries could be improved and expedited if they had a particular surgical instrument. The problem was, said instrument didn’t exist.

“Such a tool would not only provide much needed effectiveness in our procedures but also cut down significantly the operational time,” said Dr. Gabr.

Gabr and Fritz reached out to Dr. Guigen Zhang, professor and chair of the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, with their dilemma. Since first meeting a year ago, Zhang guided the design, managed the procurement parts and developed a working prototype device, while Fritz and Gabr ensured that the device met the clinical requirements.

Read the full story from University of Kentucky here.