The Memo: NUA Surgical Modernizing the C-Section Retractor

Under the direction of Founder and CEO Barry McCann, NUA Surgical is developing a purpose-built surgical retractor designed to improve access, visualization, and ergonomics during cesarean delivery. The Galway, Ireland-based company’s SteriCISION C-Section Retractor was created specifically for C-section surgery, where clinicians continue to rely largely on surgical instruments that have seen little change in more than a century. Following a successful Series A financing, expansion of its team, and establishment of its manufacturing line, NUA Surgical is preparing for clinical studies and a planned U.S. market entry as it works toward making one of the world’s most common surgeries safer for mothers and babies and more ergonomic for clinicians.

Origin Story

NUA Surgical emerged from the BioInnovate Ireland fellowship, a Stanford Biodesign affiliate program at the University of Galway. After spending much of his career in business development and fundraising, McCann joined the program in 2017 with the goal of building a company that could address a meaningful healthcare challenge.

During the fellowship, his team spent a year identifying unmet clinical needs in obstetrics and gynecology. 

“Being able to make a difference in an aspect of obstetrics that would have benefits for both mothers and babies at such a vulnerable time was a real driving force,” McCann said.

Having recently welcomed his second child, he had witnessed firsthand some of the challenges that can accompany childbirth.

“I had seen the challenges and the complications that occur during childbirth firsthand, and I was really driven to try and make a difference in that space,” he said.

McCann paired his commercial experience with the technical expertise of polymer engineers Marie-Therese Maher and Padraig Maher, whose combined backgrounds in startups, multinational medical device companies, and product development helped form the company’s founding team. The team’s investigation and research ultimately focused on complications associated with cesarean delivery and the surgical tools used during the procedure.

Early grant funding enabled the group to develop the initial technology within the University of Galway before spinning the company out and advancing it independently. They intended to design a specific surgical device to reduce the risk factors that lead to the complications associated with C-sections.

The Current Landscape

Cesarean delivery is the world’s most common major surgery, accounting for approximately 30 million births each year. While routine, it carries higher risks of hemorrhage, infection, and other complications than vaginal delivery, with those risks increasing for patients with a higher BMI.

Despite the scale of the procedure, McCann believes one aspect of C-section surgery has remained largely overlooked.

“The actual instruments they’re using are extremely outdated,” he said. “They’re still using devices that were invented well over 100 years ago with no innovation at all, and the patient demographic has changed so much.”

Many obstetricians continue to rely on handheld metal retractors that require assistants to manually hold tissue throughout the procedure. Although disposable alternatives exist, McCann said many were originally developed as general-use laparotomy tools for open abdominal surgery before being expanded for use in cesarean delivery.

Rather than adapting an existing surgical instrument, NUA Surgical set out to develop a retractor purpose-built for the unique demands of cesarean delivery.

“We thought clinicians deserved more user-friendly and fit-for-purpose tools, and patients certainly deserved better,” McCann said. “Something that’s going to minimize wound trauma and be designed specifically for aiding in the safe delivery of their infant.”

As the company prepares for commercialization, NUA Surgical has focused its initial market strategy on the United States.

“We’re heading straight to the U.S.,” McCann said. “There’s a clear regulatory and reimbursement pathway, and there’s a strong clinical demand that we’re seeing and receiving from U.S. hospitals and clinicians.”

Since participating in the Texas Medical Center HealthTech Accelerator in 2023, the company has continued building relationships with U.S. health systems, key opinion leaders, and clinical partners while conducting preclinical studies to support its commercialization strategy.

Inside the Innovation

Unlike conventional retractors used during C-sections, SteriCISION was designed specifically around the needs of cesarean delivery. The sterile, single-use device is fully self-retaining, allowing the clinician to deploy it in the surgical incision such that it maintains surgical exposure without requiring assistants to manually hold retractors throughout the procedure.

“It is fully self-retaining,” McCann explained. “Once it’s deployed by just one person, it’s hands-free, and the clinician and their assistant can purely focus on safely delivering the baby, identifying bleeds, and repairing the uterus post-delivery.”

The adjustable design allows clinicians to modify the surgical opening as needed while reducing crowding around the operating field. By eliminating the need for manual tissue retraction, the company believes the device has the potential to improve surgical ergonomics and allow the care team to focus on the procedure itself.

Unlike rigid metal retractors, SteriCISION also incorporates a soft-touch overmold designed to minimize wound trauma while maintaining the strength required for tissue retraction. 

“Every part of it was designed to minimize trauma for the mother and their infant,” McCann said. “From start to finish, the design requirement to be fit for use has been part of every aspect of our thought process.”

As the company advances toward clinical studies, NUA Surgical also plans to evaluate whether the device can help reduce procedure time and other factors associated with maternal complications. Its intellectual property portfolio now includes 14 granted patents spanning six continents, reflecting the company’s focus on protecting its technology as it advances toward commercialization.

Progress and Milestones

The past two years have marked an important period of growth for NUA Surgical. Following the close of its €6.5 million Series A financing led by EQT Life Sciences in December 2024, the company expanded from its original three-person founding team to 10 employees in Galway while growing its network of consultants and advisors supporting development, manufacturing, and commercialization.

The financing also enabled NUA Surgical to establish its manufacturing line in Ireland, finalize its production design, and begin manufacturing devices in preparation for upcoming pre-market testing and clinical activities.

“We’ve been manufacturing hundreds of devices at a time now that we’re able to do this at scale with the manufacturing partner,” McCann said. “It feels like every week we’re hitting new internal milestones and deliverables.”

Those milestones are bringing the company closer to its next major objectives. Clinical studies are expected to generate the data needed to support a planned FDA submission, while continued engagement with U.S. hospitals and key opinion leaders is helping lay the groundwork for commercialization.

Alongside those efforts, NUA Surgical is expanding its existing Series A syndicate as it continues building relationships with investors who can support the company’s long-term growth.

For McCann, those milestones reflect years of focused development toward a single goal: equipping obstetricians with surgical tools designed specifically for one of the world’s most common procedures while improving care for mothers and babies alike.

Join Us at LSI Europe ‘26

McCann has been selected to present at LSI Europe '26, September 28th–October 1st, in front of hundreds of global medical technology companies. Join us in welcoming him to the event in Barcelona, where he will share the latest updates on NUA’s technology and development.