SurgiBox Inc, a technology startup based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announces partnership with Ukrainian organizations to provide portable surgical kits (SurgiField Kits) doctors can use on battlefields to save lives

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May 15, 2023, 07:18 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SurgiBox Inc., inventor of surgical kits that allow doctors to perform life-saving surgeries in the middle of war zones and under other extreme or hostile situations, has announced that it is collaborating with Ukrainian organizations to deliver the much-needed SurgiField Kits to train Ukrainian surgeons in advanced surgical techniques.

Dr Teodorescu, Dr Samotowka and Dr Lagazzi deliver an ambulance full of SurgiField kits and other critical medical supplies in Kyiv

In addition, the company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has launched a rigorous data collection on SurgiField use and surgical safety in Ukraine with the support of the United States-based Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC).

Recently, SurgiBox Inc. CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Mike Teodorescu (graduate of HBS Doctoral programs), HCA Florida Healthcare/MedGlobal surgeon Dr. Michael Samotowka, and Massachusetts General Hospital Research Fellow in Trauma and Emergency Surgery Dr. Emanuele Lagazzi delivered an ambulance full of SurgiField kits and other critical medical supplies to Kyiv at the request of Ukraine's Operational Command North and the Protect the Future Charity Foundation.

This is the second major shipment of SurgiField to Ukraine’s government, with an earlier shipment in late 2022. In total, SurgiBox has donated over 80 units to five frontline hospitals to support safe surgery throughout Ukraine since it received Humanitarian Exemption from the Ukrainian government. The Israeli Medical Mission (IMM), and more specifically Mr. Andrey Kozlenko at the nonprofit, has provided logistical support for the delivery of the SurgiField Kits and access to training to many of these partners.

"This latest mission was far from a simple delivery," Teodorescu said. "Safe surgery means skilled teams having the right tools in the right setting to do what is necessary for patients. We wanted to deeply understand how SurgiField impacts surgical safety and accessibility in Ukraine."

Dr. Samotowka led an advanced surgical skills training for seasoned surgeons in Ukraine via MedGlobal, a Chicago-based NGO providing international medical aid. Lieutenant General Serhii Nayev, the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, met with the SurgiBox team and shared the same assessment when he witnessed SurgiField in use first-handed creating ultra-portable sterile fields.

SurgiField is "a state-of-the-art surgical equipment that will help [medical teams] do their work," due to its ability to "help save, firstly, time for processing the operation field, and secondly, it helps to ensure sterility in an aggressive environment […] Provides immediate surgical access," said Lieutenant General Nayev, who also committed to working with SurgiBox Inc to expand SurgiField availability wherever needed.

SurgiBox Inc was founded by clinicians from Harvard Medical School and the United States military, engineers, and seasoned entrepreneurs, connected by a shared passion for safe surgery at the point of need.

SurgiBox was initially incubated at MIT D-Lab under the aegis of MIT Mechanical Engineering Professor Daniel Frey and the late Lecturer Dennis Nagle, before accelerating through Harvard Innovation Lab ("i-Lab") and MassChallenge into an ISO13485-certified medical device company.

"While SurgiBox's operations and reach are global now, it all started thanks to the support of Boston/Cambridge's vibrant innovation ecosystem," Teodorescu noted. SurgiBox produces the SurgiField system, an ultra-portable kit that integrates operating room quality, and battery-powered environmental controls with personal protective equipment.

SOURCE SurgiBox Inc