DUK lands its first Indian patent with apparatus for salvaging blood

In what could prove to be a life saver for many, the Digital University Kerala (DUK) has come up with an invention --a gravity driven apparatus for reinfusing the blood of patients during surgeries--that has won it its first Indian patent.

- K S SREEJITH @T'Puram

The device, developed by a team of researchers led by Dr Joseph Tharion, senior research scientist at DUK, could prove to be path-breaking for patients who rupture the fallopian tube in ectopic pregnancies. In such cases, delay in removing the blood collected in the abdominal cavity could even endanger the life of patients.

Globally, the mortality rate due to ectopic pregnancy is 3.5%, while in India it is 1.5-2%. "In tribal hamlets, northeastern states, conflict zones, and continents like Africa, fatality rates are very high," Joseph told TNIE.