When Ryusuke Sekino was born, he only weighed 258 grams (9 ounces). The Japanese child was one of the tiniest babies ever born to survive.
Only 22 cm (8.7 inches) long at birth, he was born after 24 weeks and five days of gestation.
His first few months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Nagano Children’s Hospital were difficult. Due to his size, doctors say that he was hard to treat. For example, his blood vessels were thinner than a needle.
Among the life-saving equipment used was the Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA) ventilation system from Swedish company Getinge. Dr. Ryo Itoshima, one of the doctors involved in Ryusuke’s recovery, says the NAVA played a critical role in the boy’s lung development.
The ventilator uses Exera wire from Sandvik to detect diaphragm activity and deliver breaths simultaneously with the patient’s respiratory drive.
Exera wire is prevalent throughout the medical industry. It has been used in vascular therapy as guide wires, pacing leads, and catheters for your heart.
It is used in sensors to help collect data on pressure, glucose, and temperature. It has also helped individuals regain hearing loss with middle ear implants, and it has even been used to stimulate deep within the brain and spine, including treatment for people suffering from Dystonia and Parkinson’s disease.
Sandvik manufactures its fine medical wire at its production facility in Palm Coast, Florida.
The wire is available in various grades of stainless steel, precious metals, and other materials. It also includes multiple coatings and surface treatments, including anodizing and electroplating.
Founded in 1862, Sandvik has more than 150 years of materials engineering experience.”When we see what our products do for people and how they are part of improving or even saving people’s lives, it really gives us a good reason to go the extra mile in supporting our customers but also to be really proud of what we do at Sandvik,” says Gary Davies, manager at BU Medical, Sandvik Materials Technology.”
According to a Sandvik spokesperson, the demand for ultra-fine wire in medical applications is growing rapidly since smaller, more intricate devices are required to reduce the invasive nature of surgical and diagnostic procedures, minimizing patient trauma and limiting recovery time. The application areas are more or less limitless.
As of April 2019, Ryusuke Sekino had grown to weigh 7.4 pounds and was able to go home. He is believed to be one of the smallest kids ever born to leave a hospital safely.
