About Canary Sound Design, LLC

Alistair MacDonald, MD

In 2015 Dr. MacDonald found himself shouting in the operating room ‘turn off the music as his patient’s oxygen saturation was dropping. The patient did fine, but he learned of other cases where poor outcomes were attributed to intraoperative noise. With a strong interest in the medical Internet-of-Things, he began a mission to pair music volume with patient vital signs and in 2016 the first prototype of CanaryBox (built with a BeagleBone Black computer) was hatched. Three years and several iterations later, CanaryBox has gained recognition as a top new product for the operating room.

Annie Crimmins, RN BSN

Annie brings her nursing background to the CanaryBox Team. She was an ICU nurse for 13-years, leaving the bedside for organizational roles in and out of the hospital. She says that one of her dream jobs is to be a “match-maker” and sees parallels between that job and being the COO of Canary Sound Design when she can connect people in business whose interests align. A personal experience as a patient informs her passion for good communication and good music in the operating room.

Eric Crimmins, MD

As an advocate for patient safety in the operating room, Dr. Crimmins has long recognized that vigilance is paramount in that environment. Most operating rooms play music for the surgeons and staff which may actually enhance vigilance under normal circumstances, but impair it during critical events. He joined Dr. MacDonald to promote technology which can help keep patients safe and enhance the productivity and well-being of operating room personnel who may spend long hours in an over-stimulating environment