Health Care Global Enterprises’ Head and Neck Surgeon, Dr. Vishal Rao innovated voice box prosthesis, an artificial device made of silicone, that can help laryngectomized patients to speak again. The imported prosthesis currently available in the market costs about US$500 or Rs.30,000 and needs to be changed once in six months.

From now on the throat cancer patients who have lost their voice can look forward to speaking again, without having to spend on thousands for an artificial voice box. The innovation bagged the state innovation award at a recent oncology conference. The ethical committee and the scientific committee at HCG have given its approval for its further research on the device.

One of the major disadvantages for throat cancer patients is the removal of the voice box when they undergo Laryngectomy. Now as larynx houses the vocal cords, through which sound is produced. It also lets air travel from the lungs to the mouth. Even though the patients can eat through their mouths but they cannot speak due to the absence of the voice box. As there was a need for an improved device at this point which would have one way valve that would enable laryngectomy patients to speak, Dr. Rao began researching further.

“If air passes through the food pipe in the lungs, it will vibrate and create noise which can be converted into intelligent speech with the coordination from brain. As food or water should not fall into the lungs, it is a one-way valve device. It weighs about 25 grams and is 2.5 cm long and is called as ‘AUM’ device as that is the sound which first resonated across the universe, thus regaining one’s voice is much like a rebirth,” said Dr. Rao.

The imported prosthesis currently available in the market costs about US$500 or Rs 30,000 and needs to be changed once in six months, which is not viable for many patients. The research objective was to design something that is affordable; hence we came up with this device less than a dollar and gave them their voice back, he added.

The device was used on many patients one among the many successful cases being a 55-year-old watchman who needed a change in the imported prosthesis and could not afford it.