According to a paper in The Lancet, Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide and India accounts for approximately 19 percent of global maternal deaths.
Archit Rahul Patil, 17, has designed and developed a PPH cup called the ‘Archit PPH Cup’ which helps doctors measure postpartum blood loss.
Son of two doctors, Dr Rahul and Dr Archana Patil, Archit spent a lot of time as a child in Vansh Hospital, in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, where his parents worked.
“In the event of a mother’s death, I would see the devastation and emotional trauma that my parents would go through over losing their patient,” says Archit.
He learnt from his parents that there was no “single/ideal method to measure post delivery blood loss accurately during childbirth. This information gap leads to a delay in diagnosis and the death of mothers.”
This grim reality made him look for a solution. After learning about the design and how menstrual cups work, he came up with the idea of a PPH cup in 2018.
This cup gives doctors the exact volume of blood loss during childbirth. This helps doctors manage PPH, during “the golden hour” (within one hour of diagnosis).Image: architpphcup.com
The cup is made of medical grade silicone and inserted into the birth canal before or after delivery of a child.It has two long tubelike ports at the end.Image: architpphcup.com
One is attached to the blood collection bag while the other port attached to the machine provides a facility for suction of blood clots to avoid blockage of the system.Image: architpphcup.com
“We can directly suck out the blood clots through the machine and help prevent postpartum haemorrhage,” he adds.Image: architpphcup.com
His device was tested for safety and toxicity at the Indian Drugs Research Laboratory (IDRL) in Pune, and at five hospitals in Akola, Aurangabad, Wardha and Jalgaon in Maharashtra.
Archit claims that today nearly 50 hospitals across India are using his PPH cup to save the lives of mothers, given its ability to hasten diagnosis and provide timely medical treatment.
He was felicitated with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2021 for his life-saving innovation.