New device offers improved means of treating postpartum haemorrhage

UK design specialists have been able to create a new type of uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) that can treat postpartum haemorrhage cheaply and efficiently.

The new UBT has been specially designed to help healthcare workers in low-resource settings to respond to life-threatening situations experienced by mothers after childbirth, with the aim of reducing global maternal mortality rates.

Current UBTs can cost as much as $200 (132 pounds) and need to be carefully inserted by trained clinicians in a theatre setting. By contrast, the new device, created by the Cambridge Design Partnership, is safe to use even in inexperienced hands, and is cost-effective to manufacture.

Lucy Sheldon, human-centred design specialist at the Cambridge Design Partnership, said: "Our aim was to maximise usability in the hands of minimally-trained birth assistants and lower the overall costs of the intervention, through reducing the medical professionals, equipment and training required to safely and effectively use the device."

The organisation is now seeking partners and funding to continue the development of its UBT concept, as well as to test new training and deployment strategies.