On Tuesday, September 22, Nicolas Perry received the Outstanding Action Award at the Health Innovation Forum in Bordeaux. This award, presented by the newspaper La Tribune, recognizes the project launched during lockdown by the Bordeaux professor and researcher, which aims to design closed-system tracheal valves for COVID-19 patients in intensive care.
From the start of lockdown in March 2020, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Bordeaux-Talence, the I2M laboratory, and the Carnot ARTS Institute mobilized to help healthcare workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, the campus designed protective visors (using 3D printing and then plastic injection molding) and a closed-system tracheal valve, an essential component for intubating patients in intensive care.
Tracheal valves, a necessary and complex component to manufacture
The Bordeaux University Hospital asked the Bordeaux-Talence campus to produce tracheal valves. These valves enable oxygenation and decongestion of the bronchi. However, faced with an explosion in demand at the national level and the lack of local production of this type of component, hospitals and clinics were confronted with an increased risk of shortages. Nicolas Perry, a lecturer and researcher ( Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Bordeaux-Talence / I2M laboratory), coordinated this complex project, at the crossroads of pure engineering (the original system had to be redesigned and simplified to facilitate production) and project management involving a large number of manufacturers in the region (KSB, Cresilas, DLAdditive, Lynxter, Axis, and Erpro).
The tracheal system delivered has been validated, both in terms of its functionality and watertightness and its resistance to sterilization, by the various departments concerned at Bordeaux University Hospital, following which clinical trials were conducted to generalize its use. The ANSM (French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety) granted an exemption on April 15 for the use of this valve in the context of Covid-19.
Success is based on bringing healthcare professionals into contact with industry and academic players. La Tribune's"Outstanding Action" award recognizes collective efforts and individual effectiveness in responding to challenges for the common good, drawing on the skills of each player in agile and responsive collaboration, with strong geographical proximity.
