A small device that can save big costs.
The surgeon Gabriel Börner has developed a tool that effectively stitches the abdomen together after open surgery.
For more than 10 years, Gabriel Börner has been working as an emergency surgeon at Helsingborg’s hospital. In parallel with performing operations at the hospital, he is working on a thesis at Lund University which is about developing – and evaluating – an equipment to close the abdominal wall after an open surgery.
The research results show that the instrument is both faster and has higher precision compared to traditional technology where the abdomen is closed by manual traditional suturing. The technology reduces the risk of incisional hernia for the patient and protects the surgeon and operating nurse from puncture wounds, which otherwise could mean a risk of contracting blood infections such as HIV and hepatitis C.
If a device can help make surgery safer, there is much to be gained. Both for the patient, for the healthcare staff, and for the healthcare economy. A wound infection means that the patient may have to receive antibiotics and a hernia costs up to 100 000 SEK to repair, says Gabriel.
He has just stepped down from the CEO role but will continue to drive development work within the company. – It is exciting to understand that I had this capability in me. Building a business from scratch has been a completely new experience. I had an idea, and with long term thinking it has been possible to overcome a lot of obstacles and barriers that have appeared along the way, says Gabriel.
