AIIMS researchers develop device to administer IV medicine

Researchers at AIIMS have developed a novel device to administer intravenous drugs directly into the bone marrow in case of medical emergencies like heart attacks, trauma injuries and dehydration.

The device -- IntraOz -- would help treat patients in whom doctors are unable to locate a vein to administer intravenous (IV) medicines.

"The vein through which IV medicines are given is untraceable in patients who have suffered cardiac arrest, trauma injuries, dehydration.In such cases, using IntraOz, we can directly inject the medicine into the long bones," Jayant Karve of the Stanford India Biodesign Centre at AIIMS said.

Karve along with his colleague Srinivas Kiran Jaggu were conferred the India Innovation Pioneers Challenge (IIPC) Award 2009 in the Scholar Sparks category. The award, instituted by Department of Science and Technology and Indo-US S&T Forum, carries Rs three lakh in cash and a citation.

 

Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan gave away the awards here last night.

The innovation is also useful in treating children.

"The idea is to save precious seconds in attending to emergencies as any delay in treatment may lead to morbidity," Karve said.

The device developed by the young scholars is cheap when compared to those used in foreign countries.