NEONATAL AIRWAY CLEARANCE
SpiroCath Endotracheal Device
Standard suction catheters remove fluid from endotracheal tubes using negative pressure, a method that can collapse fragile neonatal lungs and struggle with high-viscosity secretions. A neonatologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), conceived an alternative: a rotating auger catheter that mechanically transports fluid without creating suction. Archimedic partnered with CHOP to take this concept from a clinical insight to a working functional prototype.
PROVING THE PHYSICS
Concept Validation & Bench Testing
Before committing to a device design, Archimedic ran a rapid series of bench experiments to confirm that an auger mechanism could move fluid at catheter scale. Different auger geometries, blade pitches, materials, and clearance configurations were built and tested across a range of fluid viscosities. Each iteration sharpened the understanding of what drove fluid transport at this scale and informed the mechanical parameters needed for a safe, functional device for neonatal use.
INSIDE-OUT
Mechanical Design
With the core concept validated, Archimedic developed the mechanical architecture of the device. The design centered on three interconnected challenges: a quick-disconnect mechanism allowing the reusable motor handle to detach cleanly from the disposable catheter assembly; a dual-lumen tubing configuration that kept the auger centered while routing a saline injection line to the catheter tip; and a motor and shaft seal arrangement that prevented fluid from migrating into the motor housing during operation. The ergonomic form was designed for single-handed use, consistent with how clinicians operate standard suction catheters.
FROM CONCEPT TO CLINIC
Functional Prototype
The development program culminated in a fully assembled functional prototype, integrating the motor housing, quick-disconnect fitting, catheter, and saline injection system into a complete, testable device. The prototype was designed to support repeated bench testing cycles, giving the CHOP team a hands-on tool to evaluate the auger concept in a controlled setting and generate the data needed to guide the next phase of development.
INVENTION TO EVIDENCE
Turning a Clinical Insight Into a Testable Device
SpiroCath represents a category of project where Archimedic does some of its most important work: taking a physician's clinical intuition, one that has not yet been translated to hardware, and building the evidence base needed to know whether it can become a real product. The challenge wasn't just engineering. It was designing a rigorous discovery process that would either validate the concept or reveal why it couldn't work, quickly enough to be worthwhile. The functional prototype delivered to CHOP gave the team exactly that foundation.
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