The device is a product of Durham, North Carolina-based 410 Medical, which recently closed on Series A financing of $8 million
Image: OSF Ventures backed 410 Medical’s new device improving paediatric care. Photo: Courtesy of Zahid H Javali/Pixabay
A pilot program using the LifeFlow device to rapidly infuse septic pediatric patients with fluids is showing promising results and OSF HealthCare will likely expand use to include children who are experiencing low blood pressure because of trauma, shock, or other complications.
Dr. Teresa Riech, an emergency department physician at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center said since the pilot began in February, she has been impressed with the ease of use and improvement in time to infusion with the hand-held, compact device. Dr. Riech said the LifeFlow device is helping the hospital meet its goal of achieving national benchmarks for fluid resuscitation in children who develop sepsis.
Sepsis is a common, life-threatening illness that affects more than 75,000 children in the U.S. each year. It’s also the leading cause of pediatric mortality worldwide.
“Once you hook the hand-held LifeFlow device up to the IV bag, you can stop and start fluid resuscitation without having to pause and change the line. This makes device usage very straightforward and decreases the chance for contamination. It is quite impressive,” according to Riech.
The device is a product of Durham, North Carolina-based 410 Medical, which recently closed on Series A financing of $8 million. OSF Ventures, the investment arm of OSF HealthCare was part of the latest round of financing for the company which plans to use investment dollars to obtain additional clinical data and boost its sales and marketing staff.
Stan Lynall, vice president of Venture Investments for OSF Ventures, says the young company has a lot of potential, particularly with plans to expand use in pre-hospital emergency transport. The device is ideal because it is compact and easy to use with patients who need time-sensitive fluid resuscitation. This is additionally important for trauma patients who need rapid infusion of IV fluids to prevent organ failure and even death.
“LifeFlow has applicability for trauma cases both in the emergency room and as part of our OSF Life Flight operations. We have introduced the technology to our Life Flight administrators for their evaluation and potential use,” said Lynall. Lynall points out 410 Medical has other helicopter transport services across the country that are using the LifeFlow device.
The company’s initial focus has been on promoting the device to treat pediatric septic shock and it is currently in use by 35 hospital networks. In fact, 410 Medical takes its name from the calculation of fluid delivery goals – 40 ml within 10 minutes.
“We strive to be compassionate, intelligent, and science-and-outcome-driven partners in the shared goal of providing the best care to patients,” said CEO Kyle Chenet. That approach fits with the strategy of OSF Ventures which invests in companies that provide technology or services that improve patient care and outcomes while also having the potential to reduce costs.
According to Chenet, 410 Medical also has plans to bring a rapid blood infuser device to market next year.
Source: Company Press Release