Formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health will be exhibiting at the Retrieval Conference in Glasgow next week, marking the full launch of an innovative tool which enhances the safety and efficiency of vital surgical interventions outside the operating theatre

Retrieval will take place on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 May at the Golden Jubilee Hotel and Conference Centre where the benefits of the Surgical SCRAM™ bag will be showcased.

The bag has been designed around common surgical equipment required for undertaking emergency procedures at the scene.

Thanks to its stencilled kit dump for an efficient standardised layout, and removable surgical panels that allow for flexibility in working on both sides of the patient, it is considered ideal for situations where a surgical approach may be necessary.

Head of Project Management at InnoScot Health, Gillian Henderson said: “We’re delighted to be exhibiting once more at the fully booked Retrieval Conference and to be engaging again with the national prehospital and emergency retrieval community.

“It’s always great to meet such passionate people who are truly immersed in that community, but also for us to communicate the support and expertise we can offer to those with innovative ideas such as the SCRAM™ portfolio.

“This year, our focus will be on fully introducing the Surgical SCRAM™ bag – labelled a ‘brain-friendly tool for high-stakes surgical interventions’ which reduces cognitive load in critical situations thanks to its structured, easy-to-orientate layout.

“SCRAM™ started as an idea from Air Ambulance Paramedics, and is now a commercially successful, expanding product range for a wide spectrum of emergency scenarios – and its Surgical variant represents another important, innovative addition.

“All are very welcome to visit our stand at Retrieval to learn more or have an informal chat while seeing Surgical SCRAM™ in action.”

The UK’s national and prehospital critical care transfer conference is organised by the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS).

Amid a busy programme, Retrieval session topics this year include ‘Building high performing Pre-Hospital teams’, ‘Paediatric Ashyxia with out of hospital cardiac arrest’, and ‘Learning, reflecting and debriefing beyond hospital handover’.

Surgical SCRAM™ was co-created by Paul Swinton and Advanced Paramedic in Critical Care, Stian Mohrsen.

Using the same design principles that led to the creation of the SCRAM™ portfolio, they have developed a tool specifically tailored to meet the requirements of resuscitative emergency surgical procedures, with aims including a reduction in cognitive load and performance improvement.

After conducting a survey of pre-hospital critical care services in several European countries to determine the standard equipment used during emergency surgical procedures – including thoracotomies and resuscitative hysterotomies – Paul and Stian created a prototype of the bag’s standardised layout.

That was then rigorously tested through various methods, including bench-top interaction, simulation, and gathering user feedback at the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service base in Glasgow.

Throughout the testing and iteration process, critical care clinicians provided useful evaluation, allowing Surgical SCRAM™ to better meet the needs of pre-hospital emergency surgery.

The SCRAM™ portfolio – proudly manufactured and distributed by Openhouse Products with global partners – has been supported through development and commercialisation by InnoScot Health which identifies, protects, develops, and commercialises healthcare innovations to improve patient care by helping to bring new ideas from healthcare professionals to life.

InnoScot Health has received and evaluated over 2,200 innovative ideas, protected the intellectual property, trademark, copyright and design right for over 250 NHS inventions, and successfully negotiated 30 commercial license deals with companies both within the UK and internationally.

The InnoScot Health website encourages health and social care staff to submit ideas through its easy, intuitive submission form or online consultations option.