Whether the issue at hand is mobile treatment or post-accident recovery, startups are transforming the medical landscape

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Though major universities and medical corporations have deep pockets with which to fund medical innovations, some of the most groundbreaking developments are – unsurprisingly – streaming forth from startups around the globe. Whether the issue at hand is mobile treatment or post-accident recovery, startups are transforming the medical landscape.

Improving Transfusions

When tragedy strikes, it’s often difficult to keep up with the blood needed for transfusions. Blood donations are only viable for a limited period of time, are usually insufficient, and there are typically shortages of specific types. Furthermore, when transfusions are needed in the field, medics don’t have immediate access to blood banks. Luckily, Sisu Global Health has developed a solution.

Sisu Global Health recently won the First Mile Innovation Challenge for their handheld device, the Hemafuse. The Hemafuse is a portable device that can collect patient blood, filter it, and transfuse it back into the patient. This can help avert serious blood supply shortages and prevents patients from accidentally being transfused with the wrong type of blood – a rare but dangerous occurrence.

Restoring Movement

Brain and spinal cord injuries following an accident can be life changing and costly, leaving those affected paralyzed, suffering from visual or cognitive impairments, or unable to work. Patients may need to modify their homes, hire in-home medical services, and attend extensive therapies without the assurance they’ll see significant improvement.

For those facing significant mobility impairments, there may now be new hope beyond traditional therapies, thanks to startup Rewalk Robotics, developers of a robotic exoskeleton that can help paraplegics walk independently. Considering the limited levels of public accessibility for wheelchair users throughout the globe, this could make life dramatically easier and open up opportunities to those with mobility limitations.

Reducing Ulcer Occurrences

Hospital-acquired infections, errors due to poor management and staff shortages, and poor record keeping are all too common, which is why improved healthcare management software is so important in keeping patients healthy. However, technology focused on specific, insidious problems can also improve patient care and reduce inpatient stays, a leading cause of rising healthcare costs.

One common problem that hospital patients face – particularly elderly patients, the obese, and those with mobility problems – is pressure ulcers. When these patients aren’t moved frequently enough, they develop ulcers that may become infected and extend their stay; they may even be life threatening.

Bruin Biometrics aims to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers with their Pressure Ulcer Notification Tool (PUNT). PUNT aims to register ulcer cases, track ulcer management, and improve treatment through increased care efficiency and patient categorization. The tool has the potential to transform how medical staff assesses patients, address existing ulcers, and lower patient care costs.

Technology To Watch

As the medical startup industry grows, keep an eye on MR-guided ultrasound technology. MR-guided ultrasound has the potential to expand the field of non-invasive surgery, increase procedure precision, and may even be a powerful treatment for pain. Though there are currently several FDA approved devices utilizing MR-guided ultrasound, expect startups to expand on the current list of applications.

Medtech startups are the next frontier in health management and treatment as traditional research institutions find themselves restricted by profit and regulations. While startups may aim for success, they’re prepared to think outside the box in the pursuit of better patient care.

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