Central Venous Access: Start-Ups Change The Standard Of Care

Article preview from Start-Up - September, 2013

The decades-old central venous access device market may seem mature, but medtech start-ups are seeing the lucrative unmet clinical needs presented by high rates of pulmonary embolism and other complications. Profiles of BiO2 Medical, Houston Medical Robotics, and Mirador Biomedical.

Central Venous Access: Start-Ups Change The Standard Of Care

Article preview from Start-Up - September, 2013

The decades-old central venous access device market may seem mature, but medtech start-ups are seeing the lucrative unmet clinical needs presented by high rates of pulmonary embolism and other complications. They also aim to reduce health care costs with devices designed to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality related to CVC procedures.

Central venous catheters (CVCs) and other venous access devices and supplies represent fairly mature device markets, and they are an established and integrated component of patient care worldwide. More than five million CVCs are placed in patients in the United States each year. So what is drawing start-ups to this rather unpretentious field?

The appeal has to do with complications, and shifting standards of care. A growing US population of older, more critically ill patients are requiring hospitalization (approximately 55,000 are treated each day), and this is coupled with ever-increasing pressure to reduce health care costs. Two high-dollar items within already resource-heavy intensive care units (ICUs) are complications and hospital-acquired infections. Indwelling central lines are direct routes into the bloodstream for life-saving medications, fluids such as parenteral nutrition, chemotherapy, and blood, and for performing diagnostic tests. These "lifelines" are also conduits for infection, and procedural errors and complications can cause injuries and deaths. The high-volume CVC procedure has a troubling 2% to 26% venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence rate, according to studies, which is a particular problem in patients contraindicated for anticoagulants. Other complications can include hematomas, infection, arterial puncture and hemorrhage, air embolism, and pneumothorax. These adverse events can add seven to 14 days to a hospital stay and cost the health care system billions of dollars a year.

Continued...

To read this article in its entirety, purchase now, as a PDF and recieve it immediately via email. Or get it free when you subscribe to Start-Up.

About Start-Up

No publication reviews leading edge companies and technology better than Start-Up. Each issue of Start-Up profiles the most important new product companies, identifies the hottest technology areas, reviews funds flowing into private companies and investment trends, and reports on university tech transfer licensing. Industries covered: pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical equipment & devices, and in vitro diagnostics.

Plus:
To find out about more about more about Elsevier Business Intelligence's medical device publications and databases, multi-user access and/or advertising with Medical Devices Today, please contact Kristy Kennedy at (480) 985-9512