E203: Dr. Saahil Mehta - Preconditioning and Prehabiliation Before Breast Cancer Surgery, Plexaa and Bloom43
Trigger Warning: this episode discusses cancer, cancer treatment, surgical complications and side effects.
Episode 203: Part of the Living With and Beyond Cancer Series (Part 69).
Description: In this powerful episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Dr. Saahil Mehta.
Saahil is a consultant Plastic Surgeon and founder of Plexaa, is revolutionising surgical outcomes. His research on preconditioning & prehabilitation led to Bloom43, a wearable device & prehabilitation app for breast cancer patients, to help patients empower their preparation for their surgery. Plexaa was recognised as a top innovator in the Medtech Innovator Accelerator program, demonstrating Saahil's commitment to improving patient care.
In this insightful episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara hear about Saahil’s journey, innovation, Plexaa and Bloom43.
CPD Reflection Points:
- How could digital tools (wearables, remote monitoring, AI risk prediction) enhance prehabilitation before breast cancer surgery? Consider how med-tech could track fitness, nutrition, and psychological readiness to improve surgical outcomes.
- Patients vary in fitness, comorbidities, and treatment pathways. What data or technologies would you use to design personalised prehabilitation programmes before breast cancer surgery?
- If you identified a gap in prehabilitation for breast cancer patients, what steps would you take to translate that clinical problem into a medical technology solution or startup?
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Links from the Episode:
Research links from the Episode:
- Supraphysiological preconditioning
- Local Heat Preconditioning in Skin Sparing Mastectomy: A Pilot Study, Mehta S, Rolph R, Cornelius V et al., 2013
- A Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial to Evaluate Local Heat Preconditioning on Wound Healing After Reconstructive Breast Surgery: The preHEAT Trial. Mehta S, Cro SC, Coomber B et al., 2019
- Thermal Preconditioning for Surgery: A Systematic Review
Rad Chat Links:
Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.