Patients who need to be on an infusion usually have limited mobility. They cannot be disconnected from the infusion and must then carry it on a pole if they want to go for a walk, for example. Former Design Academy Eindhoven student Alissa Rees came up with a solution: the IV-Walk.
Unlike the cold metal pole, the IV-WALK is soft and flexible, inventor Alissa Rees begins explaining on her website. She did not just come up with the idea of the portable IV. 'When I was 19, I contracted leukaemia, an illness that kept me in hospital for two years. I was attached to my drip pole for weeks, was never away from it for a moment. As a patient, I realised that the current infusion pole did not encourage me to move around the hospital at all. The pole made it difficult to leave the hospital room, go to the toilet or even enter lifts.'
Rees argues that three things are important for a body to heal: good food, movement (mobility) and contact with nature. Three things that she says are not encouraged in hospital and that her IV Walk should change. 'It's also easier to go outside for a while with this. Sitting in the sun for a few minutes and breathing fresh air. Besides, sitting with a pole next to you is just unsociable with friends and family. That's different with the IV-Walk.'
Modern vest
The IV-Walk looks like a modern vest, made of soft and flexible material. It is put on over the head and fastened around the waist with a buckle. On the belly is a pump (not visible) and at the back hangs the infusion bag, also hidden behind the soft material on the outside. From the infusion case runs a wire that goes back to the shoulder via the pump. There, the wire comes out of the vest and runs to the vein.
Rees tells Brandpunt that she deliberately chose a non-ordinary form. 'If I had incorporated it into a bracelet, for example, you would have to think about your illness every time you put a bracelet on later. This is something no one wears, so you can then really say goodbye to your illness.'
Wi-Fi
When a patient with the IV Walk is on the move, nurses can monitor the status via Wi-Fi. They can stop the pump if an error occurs or air enters the IV tube. The IV-Walk is particularly intended for patients who are administered non-hazardous drugs such as sodium chloride (a kind of cleanser for the body) or antibiotics.
Rees would like to further develop the IV-Walk and is currently in talks with a number of companies to do so. It has already won some awards, such as the Accenture innovation award 2017 and the Innovation Award and best overall prize of the BrainsAward 2017. The wearable infusion will be presented internationally at next year's CES in Las Vegas.
By: Kelly Bakker
Source: Alissarees.com, Brandpunt
Photo: Victor Duran
