Keeping plastic bags away from infants is day-one parenting stuff, but it turns out a special type of bag could help deliver babies more easily than some other methods. Surprisingly, the whole thing was inspired by a video of a wine bottle.
Here’s the video:
Mechanic Jorge Odón saw this video, and decided to try to apply the same principles to delivering babies. Thankfully, he practiced on a doll first. It’s an innovative medical device, which is surprising because Odón is a car mechanic, not a doctor or a baby mechanic.
The device, appropriately titled Odón’s Device, works on a similar principle as the wine trick, but it’s a bit more involved than simply inserting a plastic shopping bag during a baby’s delivery. Odón’s Device is a lubricated plastic sleeve that can be placed around the baby’s head and inflated. The resulting cushion grips the baby more evenly and gently than forceps or suction cups that can be used in deliveries currently.
In poorer countries, the inexpensive device could save babies, but it can also reduce the number of cesareans in more developed nations.
More testing on the Odón Device is expected, but it’s already been licensed for production and has the endorsement of the World Health Organization.
You can see photos of the device over on The New York Times site.
(via The New York Times, image my own)
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