A California hospital is the first in the world to adopt Sudbury-made medical technology used to manage patient care.
El Camino Health announced on March 14 it is now using the FloPatch, made by Sudbury company Flosonics Medical, to help monitor patients for the development of sepsis, a life-threatening infection.
The Mountain View, Calif., medical facility said that, after trialling the technology for the last year, it was so impressed with the FloPatch, it opted to permanently introduce it as part of patient care.
"Timing is crucial when caring for patients with sepsis. Our nurses have seen firsthand how effective FloPatch is in monitoring the effectiveness of treatment in deteriorating patients, especially those with sepsis and low blood pressure," said Cheryl Reinking, chief nursing officer at El Camino Health, in the news release.
"We are proud to be the first hospital in the world to adopt this advanced technology, and have been working with (medical technology accelerator) Fogarty Innovation and Flosonics Medical for the past year piloting FloPatch. Our nurses immediately loved it, and helped decide where in the hospital the technology would be the best fit."
The FloPatch is a peel-and-stick device that's roughly the size of a business card. When attached to a patient's neck, it uses Doppler ultrasound to monitor a patient's blood flow. Results are then sent wirelessly to a physician's tablet or smartphone, which can be used to determine further treatment.
It's been heralded for its quick application, ease of use, and consistent results, unlike a traditional ultrasound machine, which is bulkier and requires two people trained on the equipment to use it.
The FloPatch received FDA approval in 2021.
"We're thrilled to partner with El Camino Health to launch this pioneering ultrasound technology," said Dr. Jon-Emile Kenny, chief medical officer at Flosonics Medical, in the release. "FloPatch is more than an innovative ultrasound system, it is a new paradigm linking physiology and resuscitation medicine."
Flosonics is located in the Health Sciences North Research Institute in Sudbury's south end.
The full news release is available to read here.
