Peripheral intravenous catheterization (PIVC) is a medical procedure performed to create access to the venous system of patients. It is frequently required in hospitals, with over one billion operations performed each year worldwide.
The PIVC operation is very difficult and characterized by very low success rates, especially for pediatrics or special patients. On average, only 53% of PIVCs on pediatric patients are successful on the first attempt, and about 10% of them require more than 4 attempts. Multiple needle insertions are painful and can lead to serious injuries and complications. Successful PIVC requires advanced techniques and medical expertise that normally takes years to acquire.
Our technologies eliminate these problems by allowing even non-experts to successfully perform PIVCs on challenging patients (like newborns).
The key enabling technology integrated in our smart PIVC devices is bioimpedance sensing. This is performed on the catheterization needle tip, allowing precise detection of venipuncture. This sensing system provides robust and highly accurate information. In fact, it demonstrated 100% accuracy during in-vivo trials.
