Environmentally friendly extraction machine scoops anaesthetist prize
The SageTech Automated Extraction Machine has been crowned the winner of the Association of Anaesthetists 2020 Award for Innovation in Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain.
Its process captures, extracts and purifies inhalation anaesthetics so that they can be placed back on the market under licence – creating a circular economy for a pharmaceutical product in the UK. SageTech believes its technology will reduce the cost and environmental pollution of anaesthesia.
Dr Sebastian Brown, co-founder and research director of SageTech, said “We are delighted to win the Association Innovation Prize 2020. SageTech is very excited to bring the possibility of recycling inhalational anaesthetics to life, to reduce our carbon footprint and enable flexibility in the way we deliver anaesthesia. We are pleased to be able to recognise the invaluable contribution from our industrial partners, funders and anaesthetists who have supported us and made this possible. Industry and healthcare professionals are coming together to address climate change and we are privileged to be a part of this transformation.”
As the award winner, Dr Brown received a certificate and prize money of £2,000. SageTech was shortlisted for the award alongside two other nominees:
- The AURA MKI - A low cost portable ventilator. The AURA MKI is a pocket size electronic ventilator with a control architecture that eliminates the need for the complex digital sensors or software seen in current devices. Presented by Dr Alastair Darwood.
- Portable CPAP Device for Low-resource Settings - Diamedica’s transport CPAP device is designed to save the lives of the tiniest babies in resource limited countries. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) helps premature and low birth weight babies with underdeveloped lungs to breathe. CPAP is widely used in neonatal units in high-income countries but is much less common in low-income countries where hospitals lack reliable mains electricity and medical oxygen required by most CPAP machines. Presented by Mr Robert Neighbour.
The Award for Innovation in Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain recognises innovation in healthcare for the benefit of patient safety, patient care and improvements in the hospital workplace.
Praising SageTech for its win Dr Ravishankar Rao Baikady, consultant anaesthetist and Association of Anaesthetists board lead on innovation, said: “SageTech’s ground-breaking technology will reduce the cost of anaesthesia and more importantly reduce environmental pollution. Recent studies suggest anaesthetic gases represent 5% of the carbon footprint for all acute NHS organisations and this new innovation will facilitate recycling of exhaled anaesthetic gases and contribute towards significant reduction in environmental impact of anaesthesia.”