The CompanyOur client is a medical device company founded in the late 1990s to address the unmet need for better, more effective organ transport technologies. The Company has developed the first commercial, portable warm blood perfusion system that allows for a new type of organ transplant, called a living organ transplant. This technology, called an Organ Care System, or OCS, is designed to maintain organs in a warm, functioning state outside of the body during transport from organ donor to recipient. The OCS could potentially increase organ availability and improve outcomes for the growing population of patients with end stage organ failure in need of a transplant, bridging the widening gap between the number of organs available and the number of recipients awaiting transplants.
The Challenge
Our client needed an exterior casing for their heart transport device that was extremely strong, yet as light weight as possible. They wanted it to provide thermal insulation properties as well as being chemically inert. The casing had to have complex shapes build in to accommodate other aspects of their design and they wanted the exterior surface to be able to be painted to provide a high tech modern, yet clean medical appearance that was worthy of the radical new lifesaving technology that they were introducing.
The Solution
Our client came to us with their basic concept. Their design team worked with our design engineers to create a carbon fiber composite container that would meet their design challenges for complex shape, light weight, high strength, chemically inert, and able to accept an exterior painted silk screened logo. We were able to go from final design to initial prototype production for 7 different parts within 20 weeks, accomodating multiple design changes throughout the process.
The Results
Our client’s Organ Care System is now saving lives with heart transplants being performed in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the UK. FDA supervised trials have begun in early 2008 in various locations within the US. Our client expects to go into full production for Europe in late 2009 and for the US in 2010. They have already had discussions with VCI for modifications to the device to accommodate lung transplants. In the future, they also plan to make further modifications to handle transplants of kidneys, livers, and other organs.
Why Vermont Composites?
Our client chose Vermont Composites because of our:
- Extensive Composites Experience, especially in building medical devices.
- Knowledgeable and Innovative Design and Analysis assistance.
- Technical Expertise with composites, particularly carbon fiber.
- Expedited Prototyping Capability.
- Production Capacity to effectively handle medium to large volumes.
- Outstanding Quality Record.
- Timely Delivery Performance.
- Detail Oriented and Well Managed Project Teams.