Laparoscopic surgery is the standard of care in high-income countries for many operations in the chest and abdomen. Laparoscopic surgery avoids large incisions by using a tiny camera and fine instruments manipulated through keyhole incisions, but it is generally unavailable in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to high cost of installment, lack of qualified maintenance personnel, unreliable electricity and shortage of consumable items.  Patients in LMICs would benefit from laparoscopic surgery, as advantages include: decreased pain, improved recovery time, fewer wound infections, and shorter hospital stays. Laparoscopic surgery would reduce recovery time, enabling patients to return to home and work more quickly, thereby mitigating impoverishing health expenditure.

KeyScope and KeyLoop (collectively called KeySuite) are laparoscopic prototypes that we have designed for the resources, needs and challenges of LMICs. KeyScope is low-cost laparoscope that plugs into a laptop computer to display images during surgery, exists as a single unit without complicated assembly and is sterilizable by immersion in Cidex. It links to a tele-mentoring application so that experienced surgeons can mentor surgeons in capacity-building partnerships. KeyLoop is a laparoscopic retractor that lifts the abdominal wall during surgery, obviating the need for a constant power supply and medical-grade carbon dioxide. This would enable laparoscopic surgery to be performed in rural hospitals, where most patients live in LMICs, and increase access in tertiary centers where laparoscopic equipment is rare and expensive. 

This project is currently focused on performing a First-in-Human study in Uganda, gaining regulatory approval through the Uganda National Drug Authority and developing a business model to ensure sustainable manufacturing and scale-up within the region.