Perfect control

[caption id="attachment_6185" align="alignnone" width="750"] The squeezer device[/caption] The ‘squeezer’ is a new disposable device that affords vitreoretinal surgeons perfect control for injecting stains and perfluorocarbon liquids (PFCLs) using a single-handed technique, said Claus Eckardt MD at the 16th EURETINA Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark. The device was conceived by Dr Eckardt with the goal of addressing the technical difficulties and risks associated with delivery of stains and PFCLs using traditional syringes. The squeezer consists of a silicone tube within a plastic frame. It incorporates one Luer Lock port for filling and a second Luer Lock port for attaching the squeezer to a cannula (23, 25, or 27G) in order to deliver the stain or PFCL. Two models will be available that differ only in the volume they hold - a 1cc squeezer for stains (vital dyes, triamcinolone) and a 5cc version for PFCLs. The silicone tube can be pre-filled by a nurse. When needed, the surgeon holds the device in the same manner as one would grip a pencil and dispenses its contents simply by squeezing on both sides of the silicone tube with thumb and forefinger. A valve within the Luer Lock prevents backflow of vitreous into the fluid once squeezing pressure is released. “Using the squeezer, surgeons can control the start, speed and amount of dye injected. Furthermore, because the delivery is so controlled, the squeezer actually minimises the amount of dye used and allows surgeons to precisely stain even a very small area of the retina,” said Dr Eckardt, Professor of Ophthalmology, Klinikum Frankfurt Höchst, Frankfurt, Germany. When injecting PFCLs, surgeons using the squeezer can easily guide the cannula into the trocar and get close to the retina to inject a single bubble. Each squeeze releases approximately 1cc, so that delivering enough PFCL to fill an emmetropic eye would require about three or four squeezes, Dr Eckardt said. He reported that the results of a time study he conducted indicated that a PFCL injection takes about five seconds longer using the squeezer, compared with a traditional syringe. The benefits associated with using the novel device, however, more than compensate for the extra time. “Absolutely, it is much safer to use the squeezer than a conventional syringe,” Dr Eckardt said. Dr Eckardt developed the squeezer in collaboration with Oftavinci Research. It will be marketed by Vitreq. “These devices will be inexpensive, and so will not substantially increase the total cost of dye or PFCL injection,” Dr Eckardt added. Claus Eckardt: c.eckardt@em.uni-frankfurt.de