17/09/2014
STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 GMT Thursday 18th September 2014 (After midnight tonight). 22 year old Limerick student wins €2,500 James Dyson award for his invention – a revolutionary new tube feeding system invention for patients who cannot ingest food normally.  Darren Lehane, who has just completed his bachelor’s degree in product design and technology at the University of Limerick invented NUTRIA after witnessing the hardship of his baby cousin, Danielle who had to use a feeding tube shortly after her birth.“It was horrible.  She had an awful time.  The tube kept falling out and the excess tube was taped to her face, giving her a rash.”Nutria will now progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award and Darren will compete against design and engineering students from across the world for the grand prize of €36,000.NUTRIA's three-part system includes a nostril valve, which rests just inside the nostril, almost invisible from the outside, so excess tube is not exposed on the face; 2. A Terahertz radiation microschip, which shows the exact position of the tube inside the body on a smartphone screen, preventing the fatal consequences caused by mis-inserting the tube into the lungs; and 3. A re-engineered pump, which dramatically reduces the number of products and procedures involved in patient nutrition.For further press information/interviews: Emily Cox, Cox Communications, emilycox@coxcommunications.ie, 086 383 2703 Thanks Emily     Emily Cox, Cox Communications, emilycox@coxcommunications.ie, 086 383 2703www.coxcommunications.ie <http://www.coxcommunications.ie>
Picture: Don Moloney / Press 22