The new Surgical SCRAM™ enjoyed a successful launch at the Retrieval Conference in Glasgow last week alongside licence partner Openhouse

The latest addition to the successful SCRAM™ (Structured CRitical Airway Management) portfolio commanded significant interest from delegates attending the UK’s national and prehospital critical care transfer conference, organised by the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS).

Paul Swinton, National Education Lead for the Scottish Air Ambulance Service, was pleased by the response to Surgical SCRAM™, co-created by himself and Advanced Paramedic in Critical Care, Stian Mohrsen and manufactured and distributed by Openhouse Products with global partners.

The portfolio has been supported through development and commercialisation by NHS partner InnoScot Health which was also exhibiting at the event.

Paul said: “It was great to see how busy the Openhouse stand was at Retrieval. Surgical SCRAM™ was a key talking point and delegates seemed to enjoy having a chance to see and explore the kit themselves, finding that it means less load, more flow, and fewer mistakes.

“We received a very positive reaction – as did InnoScot Health which showcased a variety of SCRAM™ products and was able to discuss the development process with interested delegates.

“Using the same design principles that led to the creation of the SCRAM™ portfolio, Stian and I developed Surgical SCRAM™ as a brain-friendly tool for high-stakes surgical interventions, with aims including a reduction in cognitive load and performance improvement.

“We conducted a survey of pre-hospital critical care services in several European countries to determine the standard equipment used during emergency surgical procedures, and the results allowed us to create a prototype of a standardised layout which was rigorously tested, including critical care clinicians providing continuous feedback.

“It’s now pleasing indeed to see others in the prehospital and emergency retrieval community responding so well to that approach, agreeing with our methodology, and providing positive feedback at Retrieval on the benefits of Surgical SCRAM™ in the flesh.”

He added: “Surgical SCRAM™ is the first of its kind and a valuable addition to the equipment and techniques available for pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM).”

The portfolio now extends to nine different high-performance solutions for critical care and retrieval medicine in both the hospital and prehospital settings. SCRAM™ is being used by high performance teams globally.

Research on the Adult and Paediatric variants has shown that this innovative approach to emergency airway management and tracheal intubation significantly reduces intervention time, results in fewer procedural errors, and reduces cognitive load.

The SCRAM™ portfolio has expanded from the original Adult variation to now include Paediatric and Tactical variants.

Project Manager at InnoScot Health, Marianne Murphy said: “The portfolio provides a structured, reproducible approach to critical care and retrieval medicine in both the hospital and prehospital settings, with the aims of reducing cognitive load and improving performance.

“We’re proud to be working so closely with Paul and Openhouse on this ever-evolving success story. We also saw a great response to the portfolio at Retrieval – particularly Surgical SCRAM™ which represents another innovative addition – while getting the chance to reengage in-person with the national prehospital and emergency retrieval community.

“We look forward to supporting SCRAM™ as it evolves even further.”

InnoScot Health aims to identify, protect, develop, and commercialise healthcare innovations to improve patient care by helping to bring new ideas from healthcare professionals to life.

It has received and evaluated over 2,200 innovative ideas to date, successfully accelerating a range of medical devices, products, and technologies for use in on-scene emergency settings, hospitals, and care homes, both in Scotland and around the world.

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