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Local innovation could be patented |
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Written by Caroline Zentner Lethbridge Herald
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Tuesday, March 16 2010, 8:55 PM |
As far as simulated patients go, Clyde at Lethbridge College’s SPHERE lab is one of the best. He can mimic all sorts of medical conditions and symptoms for health-care students and professionals.
But one thing he can’t do is have pitting edema. Pitting edema is swelling of body tissues, often around the ankles and lower legs, due to fluid accumulation. Pressure on the swollen areas causes indentations which remain for a time after the pressure is released. It can be a symptom of congestive heart failure or liver or kidney failure.
“I thought about it five or six years ago but I didn’t have time to do anything about it,” said Karen Kennedy, a nursing instructor and co-ordinator of the SPHERE (Simulated Patient Health Environment for Research and Education) lab, adding she wanted to give her students a more realistic experience than sticky notes labelled “pitting edema” placed on the legs.
One day she took one of Clyde’s legs, a stack of foam rubber and some fabric to her friend, Colleen Ward.
“Colleen always loves a challenge,” Kennedy said.
Ward, a home economist, and Kennedy put their heads together and invented Simleggings, zip-on leggings that mimic pitting edema.
“Our leggings fit universally on the mannequins made by different companies,” said Ward, who will supervise production of the leggings.
In partnership with Lethbridge College, they have applied for a patent on the device, the first ever at Lethbridge College.
“(The college has) been very instrumental in helping us through this process,” Kennedy said.
Simleggings are made in a variety of skin colours using a stretchy fabric over a foam base and secured with zippers in the back. The exterior cover is removable and washable.
Simleggings can be used on simulated patients like Clyde (or Bonnie when he’s a she) or on standardized patients, which are people trained to display the symptoms of a particular illness or disease.
Even though word is barely out, Kennedy and Ward have already seen interest in their product. The potential market is vast as simulated patient labs are located all over the world. Kennedy and Ward can sell Simleggings while their patent application is in process and a profit-sharing agreement with the college goes into effect once a patent has been granted.
Anyone interested in more information can send an e-mail to
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