Office of Technology Development (OTD)

Pascal Malassigne, PhD

The current invention is a medical device for paraplegics' bowel program and showering. The commode-shower chair is a patented chair, designed and clinically evaluated at the Milwaukee and Tampa VA medical center. It has key features such as; 1) a seat that evenly distributes leg and buttock pressure evenly, 2) extensions on the seat for easier movement to other supports; 3) foot rests that hold the feet in place while allowing for water drainage, and 4) mechanism of folding for easy storage.

This commode/shower wheelchair incorporates a number of patented features that make the routine bowel program and showering much easier and user friendly than any chair in the marketplace.

There is an estimated 100 million permanent wheelchair users worldwide. Most of these patients require a wheelchair for a bowel program and for showering for routine health maintenance. Most wheelchairs or equipment for these uses are crude and, in general, do not adequately meet the needs of the patients. The current invention offers significant advantages over existing technology and can penetrate, especially, the US market. A five percent adoption over the next 5 years is an estimated market of $5 billion.

The current invention is in the marketplace non-exclusively distributed by a small wheelchair company.

Dr. Pascal Malassigne is a professor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design with a joint appointment at the Veterans' Administration. He has worked on wheelchair design for several years bringing innovative design and engineering skills to his work.