Five-year-old Filip Glowacz from Newark is one of the first patients to benefit from a new medical device developed by the Medical Engineering team at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).
The innovative Halo Gravity Traction Wheelchair offers a significant improvement in treatment for children like Filip, who suffer from severe spinal deformities requiring traction before surgery.
Filip was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, with a spinal curve measuring 115 degrees.
Despite undergoing multiple treatments, none were able to control or correct the curve, leaving surgery as his only option. Thanks to this new wheelchair, Filip’s path to recovery has become more hopeful—and far more comfortable.
Filip’s mum, Agnieszka Dominik, expressed her gratitude for the new device and the care her son has received at NUH. She said:
“Filip is my first-born, and seeing him suffer has been heart-breaking. However, I feel a lot more hopeful now he is being treated at NUH and is using the Halo Gravity Traction Wheelchair.
“Without the wheelchair, he would have to be bed-bound, but now he is able to do the normal things a five-year-old should be able to do. In fact, he was so happy when we first showed him the chair that he didn’t want to come out of it.
“When I first saw the wheelchair, I was very hesitant, but it has worked so well, and it is good for his spine. He can do everything from the chair. NUH has given me hope, and I can’t thank them enough!”
Traditional spinal traction involves applying force via a metal halo surgically attached to the patient’s skull to gradually stretch and straighten the spine over several weeks before surgery. Correcting the spinal curve in advance reduces the degree of correction needed during surgery, which shortens the procedure, lowers the risk of complications, and improves overall patient outcomes.
Previously, since no commercially available Halo Gravity Traction Wheelchairs existed, patients undergoing this treatment had to stay in bed all day and night. This extended bed rest can lead to physical, respiratory, and digestive issues, as well as significant psychological strain, especially for young children.
To address this, the NUH Medical Engineering team, in collaboration with consultant spinal surgeon Mr Mohammed Patel, developed this device, which allows patients to stay upright and mobilise during spinal traction. This innovation greatly reduces the complications associated with long-term bed rest. Children like Filip can now attend Hospital School, interact with other patients and visitors, and enjoy hospital amenities such as the playroom, restaurant, or cafés.
The NUH Medical Engineering Team holds ISO 13485 certification, the international standard for medical device manufacturing, ensuring the wheelchair meets all regulatory requirements. This certification opens the door for more NUH Halo Gravity Traction Wheelchairs to be produced and made available to other NHS Trusts, helping enhance the patient experience for children across the UK.
Aidan O’Brien, Consultant Clinical Engineer, shared:
“Working on this project has been incredibly rewarding, especially seeing the positive impact it has on children like Filip. He’s an amazingly brave young boy and was an absolute joy to meet. I’m so glad we could help make his experience at NUH a little easier.”
David Clay, Medical Engineering and Instrumentation Unit (MEIU) Manager, said:
“I have been working on medical engineering projects for over 40 years, and it’s been a great pleasure to work on this one, which has had such a direct patient impact.”
Filip has recently completed his treatment and underwent successful spinal correction surgery at NUH.
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