An innovation of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital commercialized in 70 countries

Montreal, Quebec, Canada – Dr Louis-Philippe Fortier, chief of anesthesiology at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, a University of Montreal affiliated university health centre, with the collaboration of Dr Valérie Zaphiratos, anesthesiologist, have developed a new generation magnetic surgical mat offering more security for patients wearing an electronic implant and going through a surgical procedure. Surgical magnetic mats are used in operating procedures to maintain surgical instruments at the proximity of the operating site and thus minimizing risks of injury caused by transfer of sharp instruments between operating room staff. With the partnership of MENODYS, a Quebec medical device company that develops innovative medical technologies, the LT10G™ Surgical Magnetic Mat will soon be sold in over 70 countries including Canada.

“We observed magnetic inferences between a surgical magnetic mat and a patient’s pacemaker for the first time 4 years ago. To validate if this issue was unique, we put together an experimental protocol to measure the magnetic interferences caused by the surgical magnetic mat we use at the hospital on 50 patients wearing a pacemaker,” explains Dr Fortier.

The results of this study were published in Anesthesia & Analgesia in March 2013: 47 of the 50 pacemakers were affected. The involuntary capture of a patient’s pacemaker with normal vital signs represents a risk for the patient’s safety and security. In fact, the magnetic interference may falsify the reading of the patient’s status. As surgical magnetic mats are commonly used by surgeons to maintain surgical instruments in proximity, the idea of developing a more secure mat came logically to Dr Fortier.

In collaboration with MENODYS, Dr Fortier developed a surgical magnetic mat that offers a unilateral magnetic flux. In comparison with other commercially available magnetic surgical mat, the LT10G™ generates Less Than 10 Gauss at its undersurface, thus no magnetic interference on electronic implants while offering the same functionality to support surgical instruments at its surface.