Chichester, England, United Kingdom
Examining the potential for CO2 to be used to reduce air emboli and reduce surgical site infections. It is used in the majority of heart valve operations in the UK. It is interesting that the surgical site infection rate on the leg for endoscopic vein harvesting is around one percent (1) and the open vein harvesting infection rate on the leg is around three percent. This differential is almost identical to the difference between the surgical site infection rates between coronary artery bypass grafts and valves. The surgical site infection rate for CABGs is 3.5 percent (2) and the SSI rate for valves is 1.3 percent. Why is there a similar differential between the two rates? I would say that the bacteriostatic nature of the CO2 is helping to reduce the SSI rate. CO2 is used in the majority of valve operations and also it is the gas used for endoscopic vein harvesting. Surely a cardiac unit needs to test the theory by seeing if the surgical site infection rate for CABGs is reduced by using appropriately applied CO2? References 1. Shahzad G.Raja, Zubair Sarang Endoscopic vein harvesting: technique, outcomes, concerns, & controversies. Department of Cardiac Surgery, Harefield Hospital, London, UK. 2. Surveillance of surgical site infections in NHS hospitals in England, 2017/18. Table 3: Cumulative inpatient and readmission SSI incidence by surgical category, April 2013 to March 2018.
By spending years researching CO2 at a molecular level it has brought a deeper understanding of the clinical benefits that carbon dioxide can bring to patients if the gas is used appropriately. In order for clinicians to understand how best to use CO2 there has to be a foundational change to the understanding of how carbon dioxide moves and how the molecules interact with each other. We are all taught the kinetic molecular theory of gases at school and university. Unfortunately this law does not apply to carbon dioxide. By filming the gas at 4.3 micron (the frequency that carbon dioxide can be visualised at) one is better able to understand the materials one needs to use in order to maximise the clinical benefits of CO2. It is our mission through education to help clinicians understand how best to use CO2 to reduce air emboli, to reduce infection and to improve healing. I continue to develop patents within the CO2 delivery field to aid in reducing the suffering of patients. The TEMED Gas Diffuser was the first step; there are further products waiting to come to market in this field. As well as aiding in patient care TEMED has been revolutionising suction in the surgical environment. As Great Ormond Street once wrote “thank you Chris for changing our surgical practice”. By developing and patenting the TEMED Suckers we have minimised the amount of precious blood that is wasted during Cardiac Surgery procedures. More information can be found on the educational websites CO2InSurgery.com and CardiacSucker.com Product information can be found on TEMEDmedical.com
After Co-Founding Chalice Medical in 1998, I established Chalice Medical as one of the key cardiac perfusion companies in the UK.
Sales Manager for Cardiovascular and Peripheral Vascular disease.