INNOVATION SUCCESS | Bhtresearch

Innovation Success!

BHT consultant radiologist wins competition at Medtech futures event!

Dr Luke Lintin, Consultant Radiologist at BHT beat off stiff competition to win an NHS innovation voucher competition at this years Medtech futures event.

The Health Tech Enterprise event, March 1 at Hinxton Hall Conference Centre, was hosted by Vivienne Parry OBE. It brought together expert speakers and panellists who highlighted the need for innovative solutions to meet the current, unmet needs within the NHS necessary to deliver a world class healthcare service.

The event culminated in the Voucher Competition Award Winner being announced. Dr Luke Lintin's medical device to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women was chosen from a shortlist as the winner. The award comes with a £3000 voucher of in-kind support to work with the sponsor, EG Technology Ltd on manufacturing a prototype.

[L-R: Vivienne Parry OBE, Dr Luke Lintin, Danny Godfrey, EG Technology Ltd.]

The idea, to create a minimally-invasive, image guided, day case procedure for the treatment of SUI in women came about following the controversy surrounding the complications related to vaginal mesh procedures and the outcome of the Cumberlege report. This resulted in a massive reduction in the number of mesh procedures performed in the UK, and left a large void in the treatment options available to women suffering from SUI.

Luke, realising there was huge opportunity for innovation in this field, to come up with a new alternative to vaginal mesh procedures, but also avoiding the morbidity and cost associated with current complex surgical options said:

"As a specialty, interventional radiology has an excellent track record for creating, elegant and minimally invasive alternatives to surgical procedures, through the development of ever-more advanced medical devices and increasingly detailed, real-time imaging of human anatomy."

On the impact winning the award will have on his innovative solution, Luke added:

"I am delighted to be awarded the Health Tech Enterprise award for my innovation, and am looking forward to collaborating with EG Technology and the Research and Innovation Department at BHT to take my idea to the next stage. I will use the funding from this award to develop new prototype devices for human (cadaveric) tissue studies, in order to further develop this procedure."