vela®

LAYCO

vela®

Delivering affordable, sustainable emergency obstetric care for all with innovative, reusable technology

Amsterdam, Netherlands

NLD

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

Every 7 seconds, a woman or newborn dies from preventable or treatable causes. Nearly 70% of these deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to quality obstetric care remains dangerously inadequate. Prolonged labor, a leading cause of maternal and neonatal mortality, continues to claim lives despite the existence of vacuum extraction, a well-established intervention in high-income countries. In low-resource settings, vacuum extraction remains vastly underutilized, with usage as low as 1% in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to 8% in the Netherlands. Barriers include high costs, inconsistent supply chains, and a reliance on outdated or disposable equipment. Many hospitals are forced to reuse disposable vacuum extractors or rely on decades-old devices, exposing mothers and newborns to infection risks, device failure, and life-threatening delays. The consequences extend beyond healthcare: dominance of single-use vacuum extractors contributes to approximately 3–5 million discarded devices annually, exacerbating the global medical waste crisis. These disposables, primarily made from plastic and metal, significantly increase CO₂ emissions resulting in additional environmental harm. If nothing changes, an additional 1 million mothers and newborns will die annually by 2030, with Sub-Saharan Africa bearing the brunt of this crisis. Sustainable, accessible, and high-quality obstetric tools are urgently needed to reverse this trend.

LAYCO has created vela®, the first reusable vacuum extractor designed to be simple, safe, and sustainable. vela® works similarly to traditional vacuum extractors, using a universal cup that securely attaches to the baby’s head with vacuum pressure. Its easy-to-use design allows it to seamlessly fit into existing obstetric practices, making it a simple and effective tool for assisted deliveries. The innovation of vela® is two-fold: Advanced redesign, reducing our technology to just 5 components from the usual 25. The streamlined design took 5 years to accomplish and was patented, combining pressure valves, pressure release, and pressure indicators into a single part. Material selection, manufacturing vela® using high quality engineering plastics. These plastics have significant durability, enabling use of up to 100 times. This reusability leads to a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 98% reduction in waste compared to alternative disposables. vela® was developed in close collaboration with more than 200 obstetricians worldwide to ensure it is simple and safe to use; LAYCO has patented two technologies which ensure user friendliness and safe reuse of the device. Further, vela® can be manually operated by a single practitioner reducing the resources required for operation, such as electricity and additional personnel.

vela® serves gynaecologists, obstetricians, midwives, and healthcare providers involved in maternal and neonatal care, managing prolonged labor where assisted vaginal delivery is required. It benefits expectant mothers facing childbirth complications, especially in low-resourced settings. For gynaecologists and obstetricians, vela® addresses the usability challenges of current reusable options, which often require multiple practitioners. Its design streamlines the vacuum extraction procedure, allowing for single-user manual operation with a quick pumping mechanism. vela® also ensures safety by being easy to disassemble for effective cleaning and sterilization, minimizing infection risks and ensuring safer usage, especially in low-resourced settings. For expectant mothers, vela® offers a safer, more cost-effective alternative to caesarean sections during prolonged labor, with lower risks of complications. This is especially important in low-resourced settings, where vacuum extraction is limited and caesarean sections are costly and risky. Research shows that using vacuum extraction can reduce maternal mortality, uterine ruptures, and birth-related disabilities, while helping mothers recover faster. vela® is expanding access to safer childbirth for mothers and babies worldwide. vela® helps reduce the environmental impact of disposable devices, supporting healthcare in their sustainability efforts. A comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) determined that vela® is the most sustainable vacuum extractor available on the market.