A breakthrough pain‑management technology developed at the University of Colorado is poised to transform recovery for cardiothoracic surgery patients. CU Anschutz cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Jessica Rove partnered with CU Denver bioengineer Dr. Daewon Park to create the Colorado Chest Tube, a first‑of‑its‑kind device coated with a controlled‑release lidocaine hydrogel. By delivering targeted, localized pain relief directly where chest tubes contact chest‑wall nerves, the innovation aims to dramatically reduce the need for opioids after surgery—addressing a major driver of prolonged opioid use, complications, and delayed recovery. With 3.9 million chest tubes placed annually in the U.S., the potential impact on patient outcomes and healthcare costs is substantial.
The project advanced through the support of the CU Anschutz Innovations SPARK Award, which provided funding, mentorship, and commercialization guidance. Designed to be used exactly like a standard chest tube with no additional training required, the Colorado Chest Tube exemplifies CU Innovations’ mission to accelerate clinician‑engineer collaboration and bring practical, scalable medical technologies to patients. Following successful laboratory testing, the team is now preparing for clinical trials, marking an important step toward delivering non‑opioid pain relief to the more than 300,000 cardiothoracic surgery patients treated each year.