1 November, 2026A voice box for Rs 50
Nalini Satyanarayan's life came to a standstill six years back when her doctor diagnosed that she was suffering from cancer of the vocal cord. She had to choose between life and voice.
Nalini underwent total laryngectomy, a surgery in which the doctor removed her vocal cords. Thankfully, her doctor introduced to her an imported voice box prosthesis that would at least allow her to communicate verbally. The prosthesis cost Rs 30,000.
For five years, Nalini, 58, could use this magic device to talk to her friends, relatives and spread awareness about the harmful effects of passive smoking, the cause for Nalini's cancer.
Now, Nalini needed to replace the implant . "This prosthesis is placed between the food and the wind pipe. So, over a period of time small food particles choke it and you require a fresh implant," tells Nalini.
Interestingly, Nalini got her new implant a few weeks back, as good as the previous one, but this one for just Rs 50.
The implant has been created by Dr Vishal Rao, a leading ENT surgeon and cancer specialist with HCG hospital, Bangalore. He has named it Aum prosthesis.
A voice prosthesis, explains Dr Rao, is a device that helps patients speak when the entire voice box, or larynx, has been removed.
Conceptually, he says, a person speaks through his brain. It is the brain that modulates and coordinates speech, creates sound and then instructs the voice box to vibrate in such a way that a particular sound is generated.
Conceptually, a person speaks through his brain. It is the brain that modulates and coordinates speech, creates sound and then instructs the voice box to vibrate in such a way that a particular sound is generated.
Through this prosthesis, air is sent from the lungs to the food pipe. The food pipe vibrates like a normal voice box and ‘cheats’ the brain. The brain gives instruction to the food pipe instead of the voice box.
And it takes less than a 15- minutes surgery by Rao to place the prosthesis between the two.
It all started when Rao met a poor patient from Karnataka. The man had lost his vocal cord to cancer and could not afford the regular prosthesis.
Soon after the patient left, Shashank Mahesh, a close friend of Dr Rao, came to meet him. Rao shared the story of this poor man with his friend and told him that he wish to raise funds to buy prosthesis for this patient.
Shashank offered to help him make the prosthesis instead.
The duo worked for two years with physicists, engineers and material experts to come up with this device.
They imported best quality silicon from Germany to make this prosthesis. After getting approval from scientific and ethical committee of the state regarding the safety of the device, Dr Rao applied for patent.
"We wanted to make an affordable device but didn't want to compromise on its quality. Interestingly, the actual cost of the product is Rs 47 and we are making Rs 3 profit per device," laughs Dr Rao. "Cheap doesn't necessarily always mean bad quality.
Around 25,000 people in India need voice box prosthetics every year. Eighty per cent of them are from economically weaker sections of society. On an average, such prosthetics cost between Rs 20-25000.”
Indeed, Rao's Rs 50 voice box is a new hope for patients who lose their voice to cancer and can't afford an expensive prosthesis.
Comment
How can i get this device? Its urgent..
Bibhuti bhusan acharya 2018/11/19 02:43:41
Sir my mother want this voice box please give your number My number 7799308920 Please help me sir I will any time benglore Please sir I am from guntur Sir please call me sir
Khadar BASHA Shaik 2018/11/04 08:35:17
Sir my mother want this throt cancer box
Khadar BASHA Shaik 2018/11/04 08:32:04
Please tell me d contact person or from where I can get this device
Sachin sharma 2018/07/22 09:01:11
My mother-in-low is a patient of cerebral attucked. After her brain surgery she cannot speak anything,but her sound from throat comes out only" aw" hmm" . May I use this voice box for her? If yes I want to contact after confirm my query.she belongs from below poverty line.her left FTA of brain is removed till now.she cannot set the artificial FTA due to her poverty.her age is 55 yrs.please give me feedback.
Gopinath Ghosh 2018/06/12 07:32:39
I want to change voice prothesis when i will come & meet u sir
Rajagopal 2018/06/07 01:07:56
I have been using the duckbill voice prosthesis 25mm till now. However production has been stopped by Inhealth technologies and so I need your Aum prosthesis. Please let me know where I can purchase your prosthesis. I'm from Chennai and under the care of Dr Mohan Kameshwaran. Thank you. Shekar Iyer.
Shekar Iyer 2018/05/11 06:00:23
Doctor I have been diagnosed with carcinoma of right glottis. Advised for laryngectomy and for prosthetic voice box. Are there any alternatives to save voice box. In case if I go for voice box removal and prosthetic what will be cost and how many days to be hospitalized. i do not have Health Insurance. expecting an early answer from you sirs.
Geetha 2018/05/03 05:50:22
Dear Sir, my prblem is not cancer it is papilloma which destroyed my voice, i was normal but since when I was 1 year old my voice became hoarse, since than I had 3 operations frm the best Dr .Dr Sultan Pradhan. i face lots and lots of difficulties in my life because of my raspy voice no hopes are left in my life ..please tell me how will i able to speak like normal .
Nazia Shaikh 2018/04/18 09:15:52
sir , iam from Ambala ,(Haryana). pl inform how i can get it and from where.
SUNIL CHAUHAN 2018/04/14 01:07:19
i need this device urgently in haryana hisar plz give contact no and contact person who dealing this device
prahlad singh 2018/04/10 03:23:27
i want this device. plz told where i can parches in Mumbai
vijay singh 2018/02/13 08:02:37
Dear Sir, I am a permanent tracheostomy patent. I am using provox last 11 years but now my financial condition is very low. My request can I get a Aum prosthesis as earliest to fix in my tep, Now I am suffering sever leaking problems. with Regards Pranab Sinha.
Pranabendra Nath Sinha 2018/02/08 10:40:07
Sir, I need it for my father in Karachi Pakistan. Can you please dispatch through courier. I shall provide online payment.
Zishan 2017/12/19 02:43:46
I want this om prosthesis for myself. Kindly advise how to get it. Cleaning brushes for this device are also required as imported brushes are v.costly. Thanks.
N.K.Ahuja 2017/12/18 12:37:26
Dear Sir Greeting of the day I am from Bangladesh and I want this facility for my father. Please guide me the way. Thanks & Regards.
Khorshed Alam 2017/11/19 10:09:41
How can I get a voice prosthesis....
Milonjyoti Chungkrang 2017/08/29 05:15:10
