Brett Garcia, a second-year nurse anesthesia student, recently won the top prize at the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Rm8 iNoV8 Pitch Competition in Boston.
Garcia presented his invention, MudFlap, which he said originated while he was working in the pediatric ICU at Cook Children’s as a bedside nurse and seeing how his patients’ central line dressings were a constant, quiet problem.
“A dressing is supposed to stay clean, dry and intact for up to seven days, but in the ICU that almost never happens,” Garcia said. “Every time, we changed the dressing, usually unplanned and often at two in the morning. And every change means opening the sterile site again and more tape on skin that’s already fragile.”
What kick-started Garcia’s brainstorming for MudFlap was that he realized a lot of innovation has gone into making better dressings, not anything specifically made to protect the dressing once it was on a patient.
MudFlap is a clear, protective cover that goes over the dressing that’s already in place, so that if something spills or snags on the dressing, nurses can replace the cover, or MudFlap, rather than the whole dressing.
Asking If There’s a Better Way
Garcia said the recognition and winning first place meant more than he expected, and that just getting the opportunity to be in front of the right people was an answered prayer.
“Every other finalist was an established practitioner — most with a company behind them, a team and revenue coming in,” Garcia said.
I was a second-year student teaching myself patent law between pharmacology exams. I genuinely did not expect to win.
Robyn Ward, director of the School of Nurse Anesthesia, said Garcia’s achievement is remarkable, particularly given the rigor and demands of being a nurse anesthesia student.
"His innovation grew from recognizing a real problem in patient care, asking whether there was a better way, and having the initiative and persistence to develop a meaningful solution,” Ward said. “We are incredibly proud of Brett and this well-deserved national recognition. His clinical insight, innovative thinking, and drive speak volumes about his potential as a future CRNA and leader in our profession.”
Garcia’s advice for nurse anesthesia students: Pay attention to the things that frustrate you at the bedside. Because that’s the epicenter of where MudFlap came from.
“The problems worth solving usually aren’t dramatic,” Garcia said. “They’re the small recurring ones that everyone has quietly accepted because that’s how it’s always been done. You don’t need permission or an engineering background to start; I began with a sketch and lots of questions.”