Baby cousin’s suffering inspired Mallow's Darren to design feeding system

A University of Limerick student who designed a feeding system for patients who cannot ingest food normally after witnessing the stress his baby cousin went through, has won the Irish leg of the 2014 James Dyson Award.

Darren Lehane, an industrial design student from Mallow, Co Cork, was inspired to come up with the Nutria feeding system after witnessing the hardship of his baby cousin Danielle, who had to use a feeding tube shortly after she was born.

“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,” the 22-year-old said. “Inserting an NG tube incorrectly has life-threatening consequences. A friend of mine studying medicine spoke of the stress this problem created in hospitals, but especially in the home setting, where an X-ray is not possible.”