New technology aims to boost operation efficiency - September 2006
New technology aims to boost the efficiency of angioplasties and vascular bypass grafts
An innovative technology being developed at Loughborough University aims to cut both the number of amputations and the costs of re-grafting and shorten hospital stays by speeding patient recovery.
Peripheral Arterial Disease is where blocked arteries in the leg reduce supply of blood to feet and lower leg muscles. The condition affects more than 90 million worldwide and is an important risk marker for heart attacks and strokes that may be preventable by earlier diagnosis. Severe blockages can be treated, with minimally-invasive intervention (angioplasty) but critical blockages require a highly-invasive bypass graft with either donor or synthetic veins. When these therapies fail, amputation may be required.
The new technology aims to automate the intensive process of monitoring bypass grafts where patients are checked every hour for up to 24 immediately after the operation. If impending bypass graft failure could be detected earlier, drug therapy or other interventions could be performed to restore blood supply and save the graft. But if left too late, the failed graft must be replaced. Second time around, this is a longer, more complicated and costly procedure.
At present there are no standalone automated bypass graft monitoring techniques. The current post-operative methods range from examining foot pulse by hand, which requires considerable skill and experience, and magnetic resonance imaging, which is expensive and impractical for routine monitoring.
The technology’s development is being accelerated by a £65,000 research grant from East Midlands Development Agency (emda). Mike Carr, emda’s Executive Director of Business Services, says: “The new Regional Economic Strategy - ‘A Flourishing Region,’ co-ordinated by emda and published in July, identifies increased research and development as a key priority in developing a dynamic region founded on innovative and knowledge focused businesses. It also recognises healthcare as a priority sector for the regions future economy. We’re pleased to support Dialog Devices through our Grant for Research and Development scheme, since this project is a good example of how East Midlands companies are aiming to compete successfully in a global economy.”
“There’s a clear need for greater understanding of the physiology and mechanisms of graft failures,” says Dr Vincent Crabtree, inventor and technical director of Loughborough University spin out Dialog Devices Ltd. He continues, “This grant enables us to capture a wealth of data from straightforward to problematic procedures in order to assess the feasibility of a robust, automated system for the early detection of bypass graft failure.”
The development of the automated bypass graft monitoring system marks the second promising technology in Dialog Devices’ medical device portfolio. The first, PADD, is a quick and easy to perform, non-invasive test for Peripheral Arterial Disease. A successful trial has just been completed at the Royal Free Hospital London, and discussions are already underway with a leading US medical device manufacturer.
“Our ethos is to develop innovative health technologies with global reach that focus on prevention over treatment and shift diagnosis into primary care clinics and GP surgeries,” says CEO Jody Brown. She continues, “The vascular grafts market is worth around $350m and is growing 8% a year.
Our bypass graft monitoring device is ideally suited to the profound change required in order to deliver cost-effective healthcare.”