A partnership between medical officials in Seattle, WA, USA and Laerdral (a Norwegian global health technology firm) has culminated in a groundbreaking innovation that could save the lives of millions of newborns worldwide.
Dr. Michael Cunningham, director of the Craniofacial Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Dr. Christy McKinney, an epidemiologist on the faculty of the Department of Oral Health Science in the University of Washington’s School of Dentistry, and Patricia Coffey, an expert in neonatal health technologies at Seattle-based PATH, a nonprofit global-health organization teamed up with the Norwegian tech firm to create the NIFTY cup.
Source: Patrick McKern/PATH.org
The NIFTY cup, or Neonatal Intuitive Feeding Technology cup, was designed to accommodate the specific feeding needs of infants with cleft palates; premature babies who lack the ability to breathe, feed, and swallow simultaneously; and other newborns with physical disadvantages.
The 40-millimeter cup was designed with a unique spot that allows newborns to feed at their own pace. The cup is also unique in that it allows for nutrients to build up so that nothing is lost during the specialized feeding process.
Tore Laerdral, managing director of Laerdral, says that the NIFTY cup (priced at $1) will be bundled together with four other vital products, and two programs that promote breastfeeding. The goal, according to Laerdral, is to distribute the items to birthing institutions in needy places like Africa.
Though the NIFTY cup will be distributed to more underprivileged areas, it will be readily accessible to delicate newborns across the globe.
The ingenious invention is a miraculous medical breakthrough that can save the lives of millions of frail, vulnerable infants worldwide. The collaborative efforts of Laerdral and the medical experts in Seattle have created something that can truly change the world for the better.
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