Pain Bear is a soft bear that holds a hospital's standard PCA button. A child squeezes the bear's paw to ask for pain relief, while the pump and its safety limits stay exactly the same.
In development. Not FDA cleared or available for sale.
With patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), a patient presses a button to request a programmed dose of pain medication, and the pump enforces safe limits. It's one of the most effective ways to manage pain after surgery.
For a child, though, the control is a hard plastic button on a cord, handed over when they're scared, sore, and surrounded by unfamiliar equipment. It's the one part of PCA never designed for the person using it.
The pump stays the same. Only the part the child touches changes. Try it: squeeze the paw a few times and watch what the pump does.
A simplified simulation. The lockout is shortened to 8 seconds here; in practice, the care team programs it.
The hospital's standard PCA hand control slides into a compartment inside the bear.
The child squeezes the bear's paw or chest, and an internal mechanism presses the PCA button.
The pump, its programming, and its lockout limits are unchanged, so extra squeezes deliver nothing extra.
The medical module lifts out, and the soft shell is washed, replaced, or sent home with the child.
We're building 3D-printed prototypes with a removable medical module and a washable soft shell.
Children hold on to comfort objects, so the control stays in their arms.
A squeeze can be easier for small or sore hands than a stiff thumb button.
A familiar object is meant to make PCA feel less clinical, so children can use it as intended.
Built around standard PCA hand controls. No new pumps, drugs, or protocols.
Pain Bear is early. Here's the path from prototype to a first hospital pilot.
Fall 2026Now
Form the company and build the next prototypes, with a removable medical module and soft shell.
Winter 2027
Interview pediatric anesthesiologists, nurses, child-life specialists, and parents. Run simulated-use testing.
Spring 2027
Build an engineering prototype, assess the regulatory pathway, and submit a pilot study protocol for IRB review.
Summer 2027 and beyond
Launch the first hospital pilot.
Pain Bear is based on an invention by Dr. Keith Candiotti (U.S. Patent 8,512,314). Two University of Miami MD/MBA students are working with him to turn it into a product.
Founder and President
Fourth-year MD/MBA candidate at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Herbert Business School. Former healthcare consultant at BerryDunn, with research in postoperative pain. Leads business development, prototyping, technology, and finance.
Vice President
Fourth-year MD/MBA candidate at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Herbert Business School. Focused on healthcare innovation and medical technology, with research in perioperative and pain management.
Inventor and Clinical Advisor
Emanuel M. Papper Professor and Chair of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management at the University of Miami. Author of more than 130 publications and inventor of U.S. Patent 8,512,314.
We're looking for partners to help take Pain Bear from prototype to the bedside.