Early Warning System Detects Internal Bleeding

A novel system promotes vascular catheterization safety by alerting physicians to bleeding complications during interventional procedures.

The Saranas Observer System (SOS) is comprised of a standard cardiac sheath that is surrounded by an array of electrodes that measure the difference in electrical resistance across a blood vessel. If the blood vessel is punctured, blood begins to accumulate outside of it, causing a change in electrical resistance. The SOS is able to detect this change in real time and alert the physician. The system is aimed at medical procedures requiring access to a blood vessel—such as transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs)—where the femoral artery is used to gain access to the heart.

The new system could help save numerous lives during vascular catheterization procedures, which are not without risk; bleeding complications can arise if the blood vessel is accidentally pierced. As there are no outward symptoms of the puncture, the patient can bleed undetected. The SOS is a product of Saranas (Houston, TX, USA), designed and developed with the help of Cambridge Consultants (United Kingdom), a product development and testing firm with expertise in a number of markets, including healthcare.

“Our technology is a cost-effective solution that benefits the patient, the physician, and the hospital. In addition to being economically viable, the system is easy to use,” said Michael Magnani, CEO of Saranas. “We chose Cambridge Consultants as a development partner as it has all the skills we need under one roof—from mechanical engineering and wireless communications to human factors and industrial design.”

“Our extensive track record of medical product development convinced Saranas that we were the right choice to take on the challenge and make the concept a commercial reality,” said John Genova, project director at Cambridge Consultants. “Our cutting-edge technology development, coupled with our human factors and industrial design expertise, makes us a ‘one-stop shop’ for innovative start-ups such as Saranas.”

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