Sims Kelly

In partnership with Boston Scientific, our class was given a speculative design brief for Verithena, a polidocanol injectable foam for varicose vein treatment. Within this brief, we were challenged to reimagine the user experience with planetary impact in mind. By 2030, the NHS and the Health Service Executive have several strategic goals in place to address carbon emissions reduction within the medical supply chain.

The medical industry is unique in that sterility is paramount, and regulations often dictate the use of specific materials and manufacturing methods. Most commonly, single-use virgin plastics and rare earth materials are selected in order to achieve quantifiable results. Within our current consumption model lies a critical opportunity: to innovate rather than incinerate.

The aim of my design was to address waste by minimising components, tooling, and material usage, and to recycle and reprocess components wherever possible. Through this redesign, Verithena was reduced from 11 components to 5. Oxygen alloy canisters used to propel and mix the polidocanol foam are now returned and reprocessed using original pre/post-consumer Tyvek packaging.

Leakage concerns are addressed through the removal of stress points associated with canister crimping. Body housings are injection-moulded from recycled HDPE as mirrored interlocking parts. These housings align and, through a simple rotation, engage and disengage the canister stems and foam digester (also made from recycled HDPE).

The foam digester eliminates the need for multi-layer mesh through the Venturi effect and microfluidics, reducing production costs and improving reprocessing and sterilisation capability. Once the foam is mixed, it travels upwards into a 10ml syringe, to be injected into monometer tubing delivering the polidocanol into the patient’s varicose vein(s).