New device set to revolutionize the resuscitation process for first responders

The innovative piece of equipment, named the SARUS-CPR hood, which is an acronym of Safer Airway Resuscitation, was invented by Professor Peter Stonebridge, NHS Tayside’s Medical Director.

It is a small lightweight hood made from transparent fabric which creates a barrier between the patient and the individual performing resuscitation. The hood reduces the risk of contamination and infection from bacteria and viruses such as COVID-19.

The hood has been designed to allow trained CPR responders to easily fit it onto a collapsed patient as soon as they arrive on the scene. This helps to also reduce the time taken to initiate airway ventilation and makes resuscitation much safer for both patients and personnel.

The SARUS-CPR hood can be used by trained personnel in a wide range of settings, including hospitals, GP surgeries and ambulances.

Frontline healthcare workers and care givers have been absolutely vital to our response to the pandemic and out of all of the challenges of managing the spikes of COVID-19, there has been a lot of innovation in healthcare.

Thanks to the input of other experts in manufacturing and design, the kernel of an idea has been developed into the SARUS-CPR hood and I am very grateful to all the collaborators on this project.”

Peter Stonebridge, Professor, Medical Director of NHS Tayside

Rod Mountain, NHS Tayside clinical lead for the project, said, “As an NHS worker, I am immensely proud to have been part of its development. This has been a genuine collaborative effort between NHS Tayside and Keela, drawing upon fantastic local engineering and garment manufacturing expertise. COVID-19 drove the innovation, prompting us to look at different approaches to PPE, but we now believe its applications go well beyond the current pandemic.”

The SARUS-CPR hood is a real testament to home grown collaborative expertise, taking clinician-led insight from the NHS and turning it into a tangible device that’s now ready to be launched onto the market. The teams at NHS Tayside and Keela have played a vital role in realizing that ambition. Their clinical and manufacturing expertise combined with SHIL’s intellectual property and commercialization expertise has accelerated launch onto the market.”

Robert Rea, Head of Innovation, SHIL

In association with the creation of the SARUS-CPR hood, Keela has previously supported the NHS by manufacturing PPE at its Glenrothes site. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team expanded the company’s facilities by 10,000 sq. ft and created 50 new jobs to keep up with demand and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Using Scottish-produced fabric from Cupar Angus, the team dispatched PPE to the NHS on a weekly basis.

With our recent work creating surgical gowns for the NHS at our Keela factory in Glenrothes, we were delighted to be approached by NHS Tayside to be part of the SARUS-CPR hood project. Our team of designers worked in collaboration with the NHS to design, prototype, and engineer the Safer Airway Resuscitation Hood. The device itself is made up of existing CPR airway components encapsulated within a protective barrier hood allowing for efficient adoption in a clinical setting. With the support, guidance, and funding of SHIL, we are delighted to be able to reveal and launch the SARUS-CPR hood.”

Ruwan Fernando, Managing Director, Keela

As part of the development process the SARUS-CPR hood has undergone extensive trials. It is expected the SARUS-CPR hood will be available for use across the UK later this year.