Syensqo, a top global high-performance materials supplier, has partnered with medical innovator Thoracic Innovations on its BlueBridge Modular Sternal Spacer. This specialized device provides critical support to patients recovering from complex heart and chest surgeries.

Following complex cardiothoracic surgeries, surgeons sometimes temporarily leave a patient's chest open to ensure safety, requiring reliable spacing and stability until final closure.

Thoracic Innovations developed the BlueBridge Modular Sternal Spacer to streamline intensive care management for patients requiring delayed chest closure. The device features a standardized, adjustable design that anchors directly to the chest wall—safeguarding the heart, preserving essential mediastinal space, and ensuring structural stability until final closure.

To meet strict performance requirements, Thoracic Innovations utilized Ixef PARA GS-1022 BU01, a 50% glass-fiber reinforced polyarylamide. This material ensures excellent strength, stiffness, and dimensional stability while enabling highly precise, efficient component molding. Additionally, Ixef PARA is radiolucent and compatible with critical imaging techniques such as chest X-rays, coronary angiography, CT, and MRI scans.

“Syensqo was an important partner as we developed BlueBridge, helping us navigate material selection as the design evolved and providing the technical and regulatory information we needed,” said Luiz Maracaja, MD, Founder of Thoracic Innovations. “Ixef® PARA gives us the combination of strength, precision and healthcare material performance required for this demanding application.”

“Our collaboration with Thoracic Innovations demonstrates how material expertise can contribute from the earliest stages of medical device development,” said Sophie Dufour, Account Manager at Syensqo. “By working closely with their team, we were able to identify Ixef® PARA as the right fit for the evolving application and support them with the technical and regulatory information needed along the way.”