The Politecnico di Milano and the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam pooled their medical and technical expertise to create a new technology for insufflators. Politecnico di Milano’s research team, led by Prof. Raffele Dellacà from the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, played a crucial role in the development of the new approach, producing the first prototypes and control algorithms for the system.
Insufflators are innovative instruments designed to create a temporary cavity in the bodies of patients through the application of pressurised gas, providing the surgeon with the necessary space to perform the surgical procedure from inside the body, and limiting the need for large incisions in the abdomen and chest.
Current insufflator technology has some limitations, such as with regard to the application of pressure that does not consider the specific characteristics of the patient's tissues and breathing.
The new concept of intelligent turbine insufflation, developed and patented by the Politecnico di Milano and the Erasmus Medical Centre, aims to overcome these limitations. The new technology continuously adapts the insufflation pressure to the condition and breathing of the patient, improving operating conditions for the surgeon and outcomes for the patient.
Recently, the Erasmus Medical Centre and the Politecnico di Milano formed a public-private partnership with the spin-off Spatium Medical and the Australian design company IDE Group to develop and industrialise this and other technologies, and to launch the first clinical trial of the new insufflator.
This important milestone was achieved with the first evaluation of a patient during surgery at the Erasmus Medical Centre. The study marks the introduction of the new insufflation technology into clinical practice.