January 2012: A 2011 study by PATH for four ambu-bags and their comparative advantage for use by midwives in Indonesia found relatively small differences between the four products including the Tekno-Tube. Because it is made locally it is the preferred device for Indonesia.
March 2012: The Tekno Tube device is manufactured in Indonesia and available for a cost of $9 US from Frontiers for Health.
This device was developed out of the need for cheap, effective ways to save newborns in post-Tsunami Aceh, Indonesia. The bag valve mask is an essential device for resuscitation of newborns suffering from asphyxia. Before the Tekno-tube, midwives in Aceh used the gold standard, a disposable $30 device--both too expensive and too wasteful for the setting. The Tekno-Tube is an $8 alternative that provides a reusable solution that is manufactured locally. A plastic tube connects to a simple mask, allowing a midwive to blow into a baby's mouth for resuscitation.
From the Mass General Hospital news
In Aceh, Kris Olsen realized that by and large, the primary health providers for expectant mothers — local midwives — could not afford to purchase or replace any medical tools that were to be used relatively infrequently and for a one-time use. One tool, in particular, the bag valve mask, helps to resuscitate asphyxiated newborns. At $30 each, the bag valve mask was too expensive for midwives to have on hand in cases of newborn asphyxiation, and often babies who simply needed a little assistance in taking their first breaths would die. Olson and his team realized that there was a critical need for a low-cost resuscitation device that was both inexpensive and reusable.
Considering these factors, Olson discovered a locally manufactured, reusable alterative to the bag valve mask. At only $8 each, the Tekno-Tube — a plastic tube with a small mask fitted on one end — allows the midwife to safely blow into the baby’s mouth and help it breathe if asphyxia presents at birth. To promote the adoption of the Tekno-Tube by the Aceh midwives, Olson and his team established a simple yet comprehensive and successful training program. Nearly 500 midwives have been trained and have the opportunity to take refresher training every four months.
From an abstract presented at the World health Congress:
The Ambu Bag, the gold standard, costs $30 to $50 in areas we have trained. PATH has conducted several device evaluations and found a tube and mask device, costing $8-$10, is as effective. In Aceh, Indonesia, the health system was disrupted by the 2004 Tsunami and the preceding civil conflict. There had been no continuing medical education for the midwives for 9 years before the Tsunami. In 2005 CIMIT Global Health Initiative with Indonesian Ministry of Health, and International Organization of Migration, developed a Training of the Trainer network of midwives. The modules are concise, on-site, and integrated into the existing health system.
Additional postings from Boston.com:
Utne Reader Names Three Boston Residents as “Visionaries”National Magazine Selects Dr. Kris Olson Among 50 People who are Changing the World BOSTON (Oct. 14, 2009) — Utne Reader names three Boston residents as visionaries who are making their individual marks on the world. Nawal Nour, Kristian Olson and John Wilbanks are among 50 people the magazine has included in its November-December issue, on newsstands Oct. 20. During her OB/GYN residency, Sudanese native and Macarthur fellow Nour developed a center for African women who have been circumcised. She continues to run that reproductive health care organization, African Women’s Health Center, in Boston. As the program leader for the CIMIT Global Health Initiative, Olson works to improve the effectiveness of health care providers in low-income areas of the world by combining local customs with sustainable technologies and thorough training. Wilbanks serves as executive director for Science Commons, a member of the Creative Commons organization. The group works to facilitate the sharing of scientific work and resources more widely to spur innovation and create greater opportunities for discovery. “Each of the inventors, environmentalists, media activists and community organizers we chose to celebrate this year are fueled by an inexhaustible desire to serve the greater good. Labors of peace, love and justice are rarely celebrated these days, and given the many challenges facing our world, it was exciting to give readers 50 reasons to believe in a brighter future,” says David Schimke, Utne Reader’s editor in chief. WEB EXCLUSIVE: For interviews and other features about this year’s honorees, visit: http://www.Utne.com/Visionaries
