City researchers’ solution for cleft-lipped babies Develop bottle to aid in feeding, get patent
   Date :25-Feb-2024

City researchers’ solution 
 
 
 
 
Staff Reporter
 
 
Young ones with cleft palate often find it difficult to consume food as the deformity leads to milk entering into the lungs, resulting into aspiration. In patients with cleft palate, the mouth cannot be closed off from the nose and little or no suction can be created. Also, food enters the nasal passage, causing nasal regurgitation. A cleft lip can be surgically closed few weeks after birth, while the palate can be closed only after nine months. Meanwhile, the baby suffers from choking, fatigue and subsequently, malnourishment. But, a joint research by Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) and Government Dental College and Hospital (GDCH) gave birth to a feeding bottle with the help of which the consumption of food will become easier for the little one with the above deformity. Few years back, Dr Abhay Datarkar, Dean of Government Dental College and Hospital, approached VNIT to provide some support to newborn babies with cleft palate. He collaborated with Dr Rashmi Uddanwadiker, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, VNIT.
 
A cleft lip or cleft palate occurs when midline tissues of the mouth do not fuse together during the development of a fetus. Researchers started working on this product with an objective of designing an affordable feeding bottle or add-ons for an existing bottle that allows adjustable flow control. Secondly, they aimed to reduce the dependence of flow rate of milk on intra-oral negative pressure. It is to ensure that the patient with the most severe cleft deformity consumes fluid at the optimum flow rate without causing fatigue. VNIT developed feeding bottle for cleft palate babies by employing multi-hole restrictive orifices for flow control.
 
A choice can be made from a set of plates based on the extent to which flow rate has to be changed. The highest flow rate will be achieved when there is no orifice plate. As milk flows through orifice plates, the effective pressure head of the flowing milk is decreased, and flow rate at the outlet of orifice is controlled. The product was researched by Apurva Sharan and Aneesh Kale, BTech Mechanical Engineering students and later, was developed and tested by Sukhada Joshi and Jugal Shah. The product won best innovation award in GRASS completion organised under the aegis of Biomedical Engineering and Technology Innovation Centre (BETIC). The research product was funded and supported by Dr A M Kuthe, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department. The patent for the feeding bottle was granted to the research team recently, which has expressed gratitude towards Dr P M Padole, Director of VNIT, for his constant motivation.