Lifesaver for winter mornings
The so-called aortic dissection, i.e. the rupture of the main artery that supplies the heart, ranks 13th in the death statistics for over 65s. According to statistics, the risk is particularly high on winter days and before 12 noon. Researchers still do not know why this is the case.
However, a new device that we were able to bring to market maturity in collaboration with AOT, a spin-off of the Medical University of Vienna, is now regarded as a game changer in aortic surgery.
When AOT approached us, we actually had to swallow deeply. Because the subject was serious.
It was a matter of life and death.
And about a medical device that is used in a highly critical scenario. During the operation, patients whose aorta is dilated and therefore at risk of tearing (aortic aneurysm) are cooled down for around 20 minutes (deep hypothermia) and their heart activity is interrupted. This allows the surgeon to operate blood-free and with good visibility. In this short time window, the damaged part of the blood vessel is removed and a replacement aorta (tube) is literally stapled on.
The "aorta stapler" actually placed extremely high demands on us. During development, we contributed our expertise to make the device ready for production and the market relatively quickly. We quickly had to leave the "standard" behind when it came to selecting a suitable plastic. A so-called PEEK high-temperature plastic was used. As costs played a major role for the start-up and no large series were expected initially, we suggested to the customer that they use the Lercher master mold. This allows small runs to be produced quickly and cost-effectively in absolute series quality.
Instead of a complete tool, only the mold insert for the corresponding part is created in our tool shop. This is then integrated into our master tool (frame). The finished tool can then be clamped in one of our 40 plastic injection molding machines (some of which are in a clean room) and production of the plastic parts can begin. All parts of the Aorta stacker were produced by us in this way, including assembly, packaging and sterilization.
