Healthcare | Sunday 2 September, 2018 7:33 am |

A team of doctors at the King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah has won international recognition for their work on a new medical device that helps patients avoid surgery.

The team from the university’s medical department developed a “KAU rasping tool,” an instrument that sculpts the cartilage of the body without the need for surgical intervention.

The device was launched in January 2017 under the name “Fida needle” at the Arab Health Conference and Exhibition in Dubai.

Three specialists, Dr. Abdul Karim Fida, Dr. Faisal Zaqzouq, and inventor Meshaal Al-Harasani, have taken out a global patent issued by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. 

Al-Harsani told Arab News: “Our invention went in two phases. The first was for aesthetic purposes to repair children’s protruding ears with a less- invasive technology and without going through a full surgical operation.”

“We made a saw-shaped needle that reshapes ear cartilage through a small pinhole, without using an open technique or surgery. It’s a minimally invasive procedure,” he said.

The idea took six years of work and research to turn into reality.

Now, in 2018, the new needle is thicker and stronger, and can work on cartilage in the body such as the knee, spine and nose. It is now more than an aesthetic purpose tool, he said and added: “Our ambition is to give the young Saudis a global voice, we aspire to reach high as Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said, ‘high above the clouds’.”

The tool is the first Saudi-French medical product, and is manufactured in France. It will be launched globally after it has proven its effectiveness in European hospitals.

The Saudi team received a letter of gratitude and appreciation from the French President Emmanuel Macron for their innovation.

“We wanted to offer our invention as a gift for his highness the crown prince and the French president Emanuel macron during the crown prince’s visit to France but we didn’t receive a response from the French presidency,” Al-Harasani said.

“However, we received later an unexpected gratitude letter from the French president, it made us very proud and encouraged.”