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Cleveland Clinic Innovations is proud to highlight the creativity and problem-solving spirit of our inventors through the Nurse Inventor Spotlight series. This series highlights inventors’ journeys through the innovation process; their inspirations, how they identified unmet needs, and the impact of solving unmet needs through innovation for patients and caregivers.
This edition features inventor Guillermo Ortiz Blanco, Certified Surgical Scrub Tech, at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital Surgery Department. His 18 years of experience in neuro-orthopedic surgery inspired him to revolutionize bone graft collection for spinal fusion procedures. Guillermo shares how his collaboration with Cleveland Clinic Innovations helped transform a simple surgical cup into a patented medical device with the potential to enhance patient outcomes and surgical efficiency worldwide.
Q: Can you share your background, including your military service and what led you to Cleveland Clinic?
A: My background started in the military, where I served as a medic for the United States Army. After completing my active-duty tour, I was fortunate to get a position at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital in the surgery department, where I've been for 24 years.
I floated through different services in the operating room and was then asked to join the neuro-orthopedic team 18 years ago. I've been doing neurosurgery ever since. The military experience taught me leadership, how to work with a team, and how to pick myself up when things aren't going well. These skills have proved invaluable during my invention journey.
Q: What does innovation mean to you in your role working in the operating room?
A: To me, innovation means finding a solution to one small problem and creating a window of opportunity. In 2017, I thought of a unique way to collect bone graft and realized it could solve a huge problem. I tapped into my creative side, started piecing items together from the sterile surgical supply packs, and made a rough prototype. It has evolved to where we are now, a patented device in its first phase.
Q: What problem were you seeking to solve?
A: We didn't have any devices to effectively or easily collect bone grafts for spinal fusions. The graft portion is the bone dust that we collect from shavings and use to fuse the patient’s spinal bones. I found a way to make it easier to collect a patient’s bone graft by putting things together in the operating room and seeing if it would work.
I showed my prototype to John Butler, MD, a neurosurgeon at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital, and he gave me the green light to use this device in an upcoming surgery. The case was a decompression where bone was not collected for grafting, which allowed me to work on improving and testing the device to see what changes it needed. The first time I used it during surgery, I was amazed with the amount of graft the device collected, and how easy it was to collect it. Afterwards, I tweaked the design to better filter out fluids and leave the bone dust particles in the cup. My next step was to share my innovation with Cleveland Clinic Innovations (in 2019).
Q: How have you worked with Cleveland Clinic Innovations throughout the innovation process?
A: Working with Cleveland Clinic Innovations was a little nerve-racking at first. You don’t expect a yes; you expect a maybe or no. I followed my gut instinct, based on the reactions I was getting from surgeons and the wow factor when I showed them the amount of graft the device collected.
Unfortunately, COVID delayed my innovation journey. In 2021, I started working with Bill Kolosi, Director for Innovations Business Development and Licensing team for medical devices, and the process gained momentum. When he told me that this device could be patented, it went from a vision to a solid yes. Furthermore, my invention went through a “patent prosecution highway,” which is an expedited process to obtain a patent because of the potential my invention possessed. It’s a cool feeling to have Cleveland Clinic’s support and that there's no other device like it out there.
Q: What is the current status of your invention?
A: The device is now patented through Cleveland Clinic. The next steps are to license and manufacture it, then have it available as a commercial product. My goal is for it to be used in surgical suites during spinal fusions and any other cases where bone grafts need to be collected. I envision one day holding it and saying, "Wow, can you believe this came out of the sterile surgical packs that we have? Once a basic cup, now look at it."
Q: Can you describe what the process has been like for you as you worked through the invention journey?
A: It's been surreal. The patent plaque presentation was like being on a cloud. Having my family there and the surgeons who have supported me; words can't describe the feeling. It's almost like winning an Academy Award. Now I know what actors feel like when they get such a high award!
I came to the United States in 1986 from a small village in Guatemala and landed in Cleveland. I grew up on the east side, in a rougher neighborhood. It wasn't easy, but once I joined the military, I found my strengths. That brought me healthcare, and Hillcrest, and to the journey of this device. Putting things together and allowing my mind to go into an engineering type of mindset, even though my background isn't in engineering, has been an amazing experience.
Q: How is this going to impact caregivers and patients?
A: Autologous grafting is the gold standard for patient care and fusing. This device has a high success rate for fusions. It allows surgeons to avoid using biologics or other foreign materials in their patients. Instead, we're giving the patient their own bone, cells, blood, and morphogenic proteins.
My role doesn’t allow me to follow up with patients post-surgery, but surgeons often update me that a patient is doing well. They will tell me, "Do you remember that fusion we had that was very difficult? They're fused, and their outcome is excellent." It's all about giving patients the best chance for successful fusion.
Q: What advice would you give to someone at Cleveland Clinic who might be interested in innovating?
A: Lay hold of your dream, envision it, and hold on to it. Don’t give up and quit while you're in the process. You will have times of doubt but keep moving forward. When you hear that your invention has a patent number, it makes it all worth it. Innovating the device has had a lot of ups and downs, but it's been a rewarding journey working with a great team from Cleveland Clinic Innovations.
