According to Steven Hacker, MD, founder of Nano Surgical, LLC, and inventor of Lumohs, a reusable scalpel that enables shadowless illumination millimeters from surgical site, a surgeon’s scalpel handle has not changed significantly since it was first introduced more than a century ago. He should know, after having surgically treated over 50,000 skin cancers the last 30 years.
“The problem Lumohs solves is the difficulty of getting adequate unobstructed illumination underneath and at all angles to the skin. This illumination can be lifesaving when performing Mohs surgery, flaps, excisions, plastic surgery, or any office-based surgeries in anatomic danger zones of the head and neck or anywhere on body, for that matter. Expensive overhead lighting and loupes don’t solve the problem and are cost prohibitive to outfit in every procedure room.”
Hacker’s invention, Lumohs, solves these problems and enhances all existing lighting solutions, he says. “The risks to patients are great when shadows or blind spots, obscure tiny critical nerves and blood vessels that can be accidentally severed during surgery. There had to be a better way,” Hacker says.
Hacker realized that the only place to put illumination was inside the scalpel. There are no light obstructions between the blade and the surgical site. “It’s simple but radical because until Lumohs, the ubiquitous scalpel handle had no functionality other than that of a blade holder,” he says.
Hacker’s patented design solved for challenges, of reusability, portability, autoclavability and practical economics. Initially invented for skin cancer surgeons, Hacker quickly realized that Lumohs would help any physician that wields a scalpel for any surgical procedure including cosmetic surgery and aesthetic dermaplaning.
Lumohs’ universality, accepting any surgical blade number that conforms to traditional scalpel handle’s ISO standards, makes Lumohs ideal for any surgeon, Hacker says. “The goal was to make surgery more efficient and safer for both surgeon and patient. I’m confident we accomplished that,” he says.
