Archit Rahul Patil, a Class 10 scholar from Maharashtra, invented and constructed a postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) cup. This assists physicians in Jalgaon, Akola, Sevagram, and Aurangabad reduce maternal mortality.

Earlier this year, Archit Rahul Patil, a fifteen-year-old vintage Class 10 scholar of Kashinath Palod Public School in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, acquired the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021 for his extraordinary overall performance in developing a tool to minimise maternal mortality. 

Archit created and constructed his postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) cup that clinicians across Maharashtra now use to monitor postpartum blood loss precisely. This enables them to recognize and manipulate excessive bleeding within the vital duration after shipping, keeping off many maternal fatalities.

Devastating Effects of Postpartum Haemorrhage

According to research published in The Lancet medical magazine, "postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, and India accounts for approximately 19% of global maternal deaths, with PPH being the leading cause." PPH may occur very quickly after birth and become life-threatening if significant blood loss is not treated promptly.

However, appropriately estimating blood loss has been a continual mission. Doctors formerly depended totally on visual estimation to gauge blood loss amounts. But without particular, measurable facts, diagnosis and treatment often lagged until it was too late. This hole in statistics and technology to accurately measure postpartum blood loss has immediately contributed to the tragic deaths of many younger moms.

Witnessing the Human Impact Firsthand

As the son of two doctors, Archit Rahul Patil was exposed to the grim medical reality of maternal mortality from a young age. His mother, Dr Archana Patil, is an anesthesiologist, and his father, Dr Rahul Patil, is a gynaecologist at Vansh Hospital in Jalgaon.

Despite doctors' best efforts, the inability to accurately measure blood loss left them powerless to save patients from deteriorating. Archit saw firsthand how this helplessness affected his parents. This motivating force inspired the young innovator to find a solution.

Innovating Where Others Saw Only Shortcomings

Feeding his curiosity about medicine, Archit learned from his parents that there was no reliable, standardised way to quantify postpartum blood loss. Without that critical data, even the most skilled obstetricians can fail to halt bleeding in time.

Rather than accept these systemic shortcomings as unsolvable, Archit recognized this information gap as an opportunity for innovation. Drawing from his science background, he realised the possibility of adapting medical device concepts he had learned about to measure postpartum blood loss accurately.

When Archit conceived the idea for a PPH measurement cup in 2018, his parents supported and encouraged him to keep developing it. They connected him with other doctors to provide feedback and suggestions for perfecting the device's design.

Over multiple iterations, Archit built his prototypes using spare menstrual cups and custom metal moulds. By late 2019, he had a design ready for clinical testing and validation. His perseverance led to a novel solution addressing a long-unsolved global health problem.

An Elegant, Affordable, and Effective Solution

The Archit PPH Cup consists of a medical-grade silicone cup inserted in the birth canal to collect blood from the uterus directly after delivery. The cup has two ports: one for attaching a collection bag and another to connect suction to avoid blockage from blood clots.

By creating gentle suction, doctors can use the Archit PPH Cup to accurately quantify blood loss to the exact millilitre. This enables precise, real-time monitoring to detect excessive bleeding rapidly and when haemorrhaging subsides after treatment.

Unlike previous guesstimating methods, Archit's elegant solution equips doctors with reliable data to guide clinical decision-making. The PPH Cup costs only around INR 500 (approximately $7) to produce while allowing dozens of reuses after thorough sterilisation. This makes it feasible for hospitals with limited budgets to adopt.

Validating a Concept and Saving Lives

From early clinical trials and pilots, Archit rigorously refined his PPH Cup invention with feedback from real-world use. After safety and toxicity evaluations by the Indian Drugs Research Laboratory, pilots commenced at three government medical colleges, hospitals, and private hospitals in Maharashtra.

Over 200 trial cases collectively proved the PPH Cup's clinical efficacy, safety, and user-friendliness while preventing many potential maternal deaths. Addressing sizing and port configuration concerns, Archit modified the device mould and design for an improved final product.

Today, over 50 hospitals across India utilise Archit's innovation as a superior method for monitoring blood loss after childbirth. Dr. Shyamkumar S. Sirsam, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Government Medical College & Hospital in Akola, calls it "a privilege to recommend Archit PPH Cup in the guidelines of the Government of India and WHO; it will help reduce maternal mortality and morbidity."

Archit Rahul Patil's ingenuity and perseverance in creating an affordable, reusable, and eco-friendly medical device to save mothers' lives exemplifies the power of innovation in global health. Driven by firsthand experiences of preventable patient deaths, this 15-year-old student invented a novel solution to a deadly problem. In doing so, he has lived up to his aspiration for India to "think of developing many more smart and sustainable solutions for a variety of problems."

Impact Created

Doctors have saved women's lives by employing Archit's PPH cup, which can detect blood loss after delivery rapidly and reliably. The modest yet clever technology has made a significant contribution to minimising the tragedy of needless maternal mortality by allowing for speedier identification and treatment.

Archit, as the child of two physicians, was exposed to the emotional toll that losing a patient can cause. This prompted him to attempt to tackle the issue of precisely quantifying postpartum blood loss, which is a significant impediment to saving women's lives worldwide. At the age of 15, Archit transformed his solution from a concept into an actual product currently employed in over 50 hospitals and has saved the lives of many mothers.

Medical specialists and organisations have praised the innovation's potential to save lives. Dr. Shyamkumar S. Sirsam, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Government Medical College & Hospital in Akola, praised the Archit PPH Cup's "user-friendly, reusable without any side effects, and eco-friendly" design and suggested it for national medical guidelines and usage.

Archit Rahul Patil demonstrates how innovation may improve healthcare by developing a low-cost, effective solution to a primary cause of maternal death. His incredible feat as a young student in designing a lifesaving medical gadget that physicians across India now use is inspiring.