The Full Story
Applications
The iVT8 system has a wide range of applications. This includes Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, EMS, OB/GYN, Plastic Surgery, COVID-19/Sepsis, Medical/Scientific Research and Veterinary.
Anesthesiology
Every two seconds someone in the US needs blood. Anesthesiologists are often faced with critical decisions on when to perform blood transfusions. With only a few drops of blood, iFirst can provide lifesaving results which can determine if a transfusion is necessary. Likewise, these test results can be used to guide transfusions to stabilize hemostasis.
Cardiology
Cardiac disease is the leading cause of death globally. To prevent deadly heart attacks and other life-threatening events, surgical procedures are often required. These procedures demand hemostasis be closely monitored to prevent excessive blood loss. It is also critical to ensure the patient’s hemostasis is stable before being taken out of the operating room to recover.
iFirst also envisions viscoelastic tests to be performed at the doctor's office to track complications with coagulation that may lead to heart attack, stroke or venous clots such as VTE.
Emergency Medicine
Over 5 million people die annually due to traumatic injuries. 20% of these are preventable, with better control of bleeding. Using the iVT8, emergency personnel can quickly assess if the patient needs a blood transfusion. This can be done in the Emergency room (ER) as well as in the ambulance, where data can be wirelessly shared with the ER. In all cases the iVT8 saves lives by providing results earlier than conventional methods.
Critical Care
In many critical care situations a patient's status has degraded. For instance in post surgical recovery venous clots can occur and it is critical that these patients be administered anticoagulants. Likewise, cancer patients can become hypercoagulable increasing the likelihood of deadly clots. For this reason it is important to monitor hemostasis in all critical care and intensive care units.
EMS
Ambulances and airborne medical transportation are a critical part of modern healthcare. These vehicles are the first to evaluate trauma patients and make life saving decisions. The iVT8 provides the ability to understand who needs a blood transfusion and what combination of blood products the patient might need. This information can be instantly transmitted to the hospital to prepare for the patient's arrival. This capability can help save lives when time is critical.
OB/GYN
267 babies are born every minute, in each case, there is a chance of excessive bleeding or postpartum hemorrhage. Unfortunately, over the last ten years there has been an increase in postpartum hemorrhage, this includes the US and Europe. Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death and a leading cause of death for young women. With the iVT8 hemostasis be closely monitored to prevent excessive blood loss and determine when a transfusion may be needed.
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In the near future, iFirst envisions viscoelastic tests being preformed at the OB/GYN office to monitor pregnancy for signs of coagulation disorders which may cause a miscarriage. Likewise, expecting mothers can be monitored for coagulation complications which may lead to venous thromboembolism or other deadly clots.
Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery and elective surgical procedures such as rhinoplasty can be complicated if a patient bleeds excessively. It is therefore important to pre-screen patients before any procedure to ensure the patient is not on anticoagulants, has a genetic coagulation disorder or if foods, tobacco use, or alcohol consumption has affected their ability to maintain normal hemostasis.
Veterinary
Pets often suffer from similar medical conditions as their human companions. Pets are frequently injured by cars and suffer other traumatic events. The veterinary version of the iVT8 can help identify the need for transfusion for dogs and large animals. Likewise genetic conditions can be identified and monitored to ensure optimal health.
COVID-19 and Sepsis
Up to 70% of COVID-19 deaths involve blood clots. The problem of COVID-19 related blood clots is not limited to those who are severely ill and there have even been cases of blood clots in patients who were asymptomatic. Using the iVT8 physicians can identify those at risk for blood clots and prescribe life saving anticoagulants to prevent the blood clots from causing heart attack, stroke or thromboembolisms. Likewise, the patient can be managed to maintain effective anticoagulation if needed or taken of the anticoagulants once they no longer exhibit signs of coagulation disorders. This ability goes beyond only COVID-19 and applies to other forms of sepsis, including viral and bacterial cases that negatively impact coagulation.
Medical and Scientific Research
There is a growing need for viscoelastic testing in research and drug development. For example, recent years have seen significant progress in developing targeted gene therapy for genetic coagulation disorders such as hemophilia. With the iVT8 the efficacy of such treatments can rapidly be evaluated at a large scale more quickly than traditional lab tests. Likewise, therapeutics such as anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs can benefit from clinical trials with patients using at-home testing to verify drug efficacy.
