Groundbreaking medical device is made in East Durham

Peterlee-based Rigel Medicalis about to unveil its latest patient simulator technology.

The PatSim 200 is a piece of equipment which has been developed by North East engineers. It works by putting medical equipment through its paces by mimicking the most common vital signs of patients, such as body temperature, blood pressure, heart-rate and respiration.

These tests are vital for highlighting the faults with medical equipment in hospitals and healthcare facilities.

It helps to make sure that the monitors are accurate in real patient situations.

Rigel’s expert team will unveil the new product at the MEDICA trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany, later this month.

Andrew Teasdale, principal systems engineer, explained more about how the system works.

He said: “Biomedical engineers perform a lot of tasks over the course of the day – our job is to streamline that process for them and save them time.

“We have listened to the feedback of our customers and built features that address their needs.

“For instance, biomedical engineers can spend minutes scrolling through test options, whereas they might only use a handful of tests regularly. We took inspiration from everyday items like digital radios, meaning that now users can recall their five ‘favourite’ sequences at the press of a button.”

Andrew Upton, managing director at Seaward Group which is Rigel Medical’s parent company, said: “Taking North East developed technology to the world stage is a great source of pride for our company.

“We are excited to be at another MEDICA trade fair and launching a fantastic new patient simulator.

“It is great to be part of the thriving medical community and to be able to make the lives of engineers, service companies and healthcare professionals a little bit easier.”

Rigel Medical is part of Seaward Group, producer of electrical testing equipment with more than 75 years’ experience. The company employs 170 people at its headquarters in Peterlee.