The SNIP Device

SNIP是一家总部位于英国的医疗设备中小企业，其核心项目团队由Jonathan Davies（首席执行官/SNIP设备发明人）、Margaret Heaslop（项目总监/临床研究负责人）和Mark Little （3D设计师/制作人）组成。当婴儿出生时，由于轻微的先天性疾病而难以喂养，给孩子和父母造成的痛苦可能是毁灭性的。大约7%的婴儿出生时就有舌结，尽管可以进行矫正手术，但由于需要熟练的外科医生，其可用性有限。这意味着可能会有等待名单和旅行的需要。一些家长可以负担得起私立学校的学费，但低收入家庭就没有这个选择了。如果该手术可以由其他医护人员进行，将节省昂贵的手术时间，并能在出生后不久进行治疗。为了满足这一需求，SNIP正在开发一种医疗设备，使技术不熟练但经过培训的操作员能够在几分钟内安全地矫正舌结。由于不需要电力，该设备可以在任何地方使用，而且大约75%的部件将由生物可降解材料制成。该设备具有内置的安全功能，以减少受伤的可能性。有舌结的新生儿不必在喂养上挣扎太长时间，父母也会节省很多压力和金钱。医疗保健行业将受益于该设备，因为它将降低矫正成本，外科医生将可以自由地进行更复杂的手术。该设备将在全球范围内使用，甚至在偏远地区，因为操作人员只需要很少的培训。SNIP的解决方案将是第一个结合安全功能的舌结矫正装置，使低技能的操作员能够执行高精度的程序。

SNIP is a UK-based medical device SME with a core project team of Jonathan Davies (CEO/SNIP device inventor), Margaret Heaslop (project director/clinical research lead) and Mark Little (3D designer/producer).When a baby is born and has difficulty in feeding because of a minor congenital condition, the distress caused to the child and parents can be devastating. Around 7% of babies are born with tongue-tie, and, although corrective surgery is possible, its availability can be limited as it requires a skilled surgeon. This means there can be waiting lists and the need for travel. Some parents can afford to go private but those on low incomes do not have the choice. If the procedure could be performed by other healthcare workers, it would free up costly surgeon hours and enable treatment shortly after birth.To address this need, SNIP is developing a medical device that will enable less-skilled but trained operators to safely correct the tongue-tie in just a few minutes. The device will be usable anywhere as it does not need power, and around 75% of the components will be made from bio-degradable material. The device has built-in safety features to reduce the likelihood of injury.Newborns with tongue-tie will not have to struggle with feeding for so long, and parents will be saved much stress and money. The healthcare industry will benefit from the device as it will reduce correction costs, and surgeons will be free to perform more complicated procedures. The device will be usable globally, even in remote areas, as operators require minimal training. SNIP's solution will be the first tongue tie correction device that incorporates safety features and enables low-skilled operators to perform the high-precision procedure.