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New medical equipment invented

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, APRIL 6. Doctors at the Medical College here have invented a compact equipment, named Kehlescope, which uses eco-friendly components and can be used by doctors as a tongue depressor for examining the oral cavity.

The equipment has been patented under Patents (Amendment Act 2002) and Patent Rules 2003, the doctors who invented Kehlescope, V.S. Ajith Kumar, V.S. Arun Kumar and N. Viswanathan, Superintendent of the Medical College, said at a press conference here on Tuesday.

The equipment can replace the existing metallic and plastic tongue depressors presently being used by doctors for depressing the tongue for examination of the oral cavity, they said. While at present, an external light source, a head mirror and a depressor have to be handled simultaneously by doctors for examining the oral cavity, the Kehlescope is an integrated and compact equipment, which has a tongue piece, a light source and a magnifying glass.

Metallic tongue depressors have to be sterilised for at least 30 minutes, while plastic ones are not bio-degradable. Kehlescope can be used even in poor light, as it is a hand-held and movable device with an attached light. The tongue piece is made of soft wood, which is bio-degradable and can be ejected mechanically. he equipment costs only about Rs. 200 a piece and the tongue piece costs about Rs. 2, which would be the only recurring cost. Some companies have shown interest in manufacturing the equipment on a commercial basis, the doctors said.

The equipment has been tested successfully in patients at the Medical College Hospital (MCH), however, this is not being used at the MCH as a standard equipment as there are formalities to be completed before it can be approved.

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