Better radiation-proof clothing in healthcare

Better radiation protection clothing for healthcare professionals

New medical technology gives healthcare professionals access to radiation-proof clothing made of a brand new, patented material that is more ergonomic and not as hot to work in. In recent years it has become much more common to use X-ray technology in surgical procedures. For the patient it means that surgical procedures are often less extensive, take less time to heal and require less recovery time in hospital afterwards, but for healthcare professionals it means they are exposed to increased doses of radiation.

The film is in Swedish, but scroll down to read more about the subject in English.

Increasing demand

“For the patient, it means a smaller intervention that will take less time to heal and require a shorter recovery time in a hospital bed,” says surgery nurse Gunilla Zeidler at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. “But those of us working with the procedure are exposed to more radiation. This means we have to wear protective overalls for extended periods. The overalls are hot and not very comfortable.”

Ten Medical Design (10MD)

Petra Apell and Fredrik Gellerstedt at Ten Medical Design became aware of the problems associated with radiation protection clothing through their work. Previously, healthcare staff only had to wear the clothes for a short while. But as minimal-invasive surgery developed, wearing radiation protection clothes for longer periods became the norm. It was soon obvious that protective clothing had not undergone the same burst of development as minimal-invasive surgery. Traditionally manufactured protective clothing made of metal composites is both dense, warm and impervious, which causes discomfort and even physical pain among healthcare personnel.

Petra and Fredrik began to think about how to make radiation protection overalls with more comfortable and ergonomic properties. Perhaps they could even be made of woven textile to make them more supple and flexible. A few years later, Petra and Fredrik, together with researchers at various universities and university hospitals, had succeeded in developing a brand new textile, NAFT. NAFT enables a more ergonomic design for radiation protection clothing. NAFT is a textile that breathes and in the future will hopefully be washable in a regular washing machine. After testing at several clinics in Europe, Ten Medical Design has now had its first product CE-approved. This is a helmet called HeadPeace which protects the healthcare worker’s head from radiation.

“Our radiation-resistant textile gives us unique opportunities to develop products that are more responsive, breathable and potentially washable. We will now continue to develop this material and develop more products to offer a complete range to healthcare professionals,” says Petra Apell.

Medtech4Health supports medical technology development

The Gothenburg company Ten Medical Design (10MD) won funding from two of Medtech4Health’s calls for funding applications. In 2016, they received the money in the Clinical Verification funding call (which was later combined with our extensive collaborative funding application call) and 2017 in the call for funding under Competence Enhancement for Smaller Companies.

European MedTech Week 2018

This film was produced as part of our participation in this year’s European MedTech Week. During this week, 4th to 8th June, medical technology is being celebrated across Europe. Every day, companies, universities and hospitals collaborate across the country to develop and test new products. Or to make existing products even better.

Share your story about what medical technology is for you or how has helped improve your health. Use the hashtag #medtechweek and #medtechweekSE. Visit Medtech Week’s official website for more information in English.

Original Swedish text by Kristina Svensson.