Cook Medical
NavAlignTM IVC Filter Delivery System
Pulmonary embolisms are a life-threatening condition which affect thousands of Americans each year, and if left untreated, can kill one out of three individuals. Pulmonary embolisms (PE) occur when a blood clot becomes dislodged from the vein wall and migrates to the lung, blocking blood flow in the pulmonary artery. To combat this life-threatening condition, Cook Medical partnered with Farm to redesign their existing IVC filter delivery system to treat and prevent pulmonary embolisms.
Farm conducted human factors and usability research, including surgeon interviews and extensive task analysis, to better understand the physical and cognitive steps required to position and deploy the filter. The findings uncovered key elements of the design and workflow that required unnecessary steps and physical challenges which contributed to user error and possible misalignment of the filter. Initial Farm concepts were tested with users to compare single or two-handed approaches, as well as to define many of the ergonomic and cognitive improvement details.
Farm's filter delivery system design eliminated the effects of pull/push and rotation on the filter, reducing the potential of filter misalignment. A unique feature was designed into the introducer to provide tactile feedback to users on the final positioning of the filter, allowing them to maintain focus on the monitor and eliminate premature deployment. Other improvements consisted of the reduction of steps needed to complete the deployment of the filter in the delivery process, resulting in a simplified device that enables precise movements, increased accuracy, and improved device efficacy. Not only was the device easier to use and operate, but was also engineered to be more cost effective to manufacture.
The NavAlignTM IVC design has not only exceeded user needs and expectations, but has also created a totally unique and highly intuitive device that includes features unavailable on any other IVC system on the market today.
Additional Information:
http://www.cookmedical.com
Press Release (April 12, 2010) - Cook Medical Introduces Next Generation NavAlignTM System for Streamlined IVC Filter Delivery