BANGOR, Maine — When one piece of equipment needed for patient care was on backorder, a doctor at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center came up with a creative solution for a particular problem.
Dr. William Bassett is one of the only pediatric orthopedic surgeons in the state. Earlier this year, he came across a patient whose baby was diagnosed with infant scoliosis, or curvature of the spine.
To treat this, similar to casting a broken arm, a Mehta table is used to wrap the spine to straighten it.
Bassett knew the patient would have to travel to Boston for treatment. When that wasn't an option for the parent, he and his team instead decided to take matters into their own hands.
Soon, his team began planning, modeling their project to other Mehta tables, and consulted with the hospital's clinical engineering department to ensure the table was safe.
"We took it upon ourselves whenever we had a small moment of free time. I took some of it home here as well to make it happen," Bassett said. "And then hospital management and other aspects of the team here at the hospital kind of came together, and we made it happen."
After receiving a real Mehta table, the team disassembled the remaining parts and now uses them for other treatments.